Engaging as L&C Community Members Concerned about World Events

Dear L&C community,

Many of our students, as well as our faculty and staff, come to L&C specifically because we want to make the world a better place. With that in mind, I want to be sure you know about some of the opportunities available this semester to engage with other L&C community members about the issues that matter to you.

You can find a full calendar of events online. The first event is this Wednesday, September 4, at 4:45pm, in Council Chamber. It is an information session for a new course, MENA 298: Palestine / Israel: Contexts, Convictions and Commitments. Two teach-ins that are part of the course will be open to all L&C community members; these will be held September 18 and October 21, from 4:45-6:15pm.

Each of us have different passions, interests, perspectives, and convictions about this topic and many others. As the school year begins, I ask everyone to be mindful of providing the space to continue College activities and educational access for all students. It is most important that we engage with each other with respect, honesty, and a willingness to learn. Unfortunately, we are already beginning to see misinformation being circulated on social media accounts that may be L&C affiliated, and I want to correct some of these errors and share opportunities about how we, as a community, can work together.

I received emails over the summer from an anonymous email account from a group who signed their name as Students for Justice in Palestine of Palatine Hill (SJPPH). I invited representatives from the group to discuss their concerns about the college’s investments with me, others from the administration, and any faculty that they would like to participate. In my email response, I also explained that it would not be possible for me, or other members of L&C leadership, to continue to engage with unknown individuals through an anonymous email address.

In the interest of transparency, I would like to correct several points from the social media post. I let SJPPH know that we would no longer be responding to the anonymous email account, and invited them to a discussion; I never told the group that I ended negotiations. They made it clear that they wanted to remain anonymous, so we were at an impasse.

In addition, there are some assertions in the social media post that I would like to address:

• As was described, I held a few meetings with some student organizers during the spring
  protest. Each meeting included different students, some whose identities were known and others not. The lack of consistency made establishing communications, developing shared goals and making progress very challenging. During one of those meetings, I mentioned the possibility of developing a website for updates. It was one of several ideas that was discussed and was not a promise to do so. In these meetings, students also acknowledged that they could not speak on behalf of, or make promises on behalf of, all students involved in the activism. These meetings were helpful in defining some next steps. However, making progress on next steps has been challenging without the participation of a known, consistent group of students.
• In regards to the “amnesty” granted, no disciplinary action was pursued for student negotiators whose identities were known to the College during the spring. This mutual agreement came from multiple meetings, and was meant to emphasize that all involved were meeting in good faith. This was also extended to students in meetings with us whose identities were unknown to us, as well.
• The post referred to student representation at the May Board of Trustees meeting.The Associated Student Body President and Vice President received meeting location information, they were present at the meeting, and they had the opportunity to address the Board.

While we understand the hesitation that students might have in revealing their identities, it’s important to focus on what is happening in our particular community and avoid assumptions based on what may have happened on other college campuses. Our college has always been in support of students’ rights to protest or demonstrate viewpoints and freedom of expression.

One of our values as an institution is to engage in dialogue; I want to strongly emphasize how important it is for all of us to put this value into practice as a way to understand each other better and move forward together as a community. To make progress together, future discussions should be through face-to-face work or college email accounts. If there are members of the group who are interested in meeting with me and other members of the administration to discuss their concerns, I invite them to reach out to me. If the group members prefer to send other representatives (students, staff, or faculty), we can talk about that as an alternative. I am confident that we can find common ground and accomplish something worthwhile when we work together.

I am looking forward to a productive and positive year ahead with all of you. The Student Life team stands ready to offer our support as you pursue your passions and educational interests, both inside and outside the classroom.

Sincerely,

Evette Castillo Clark, Ed.D.
Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students