Dear Lawrence community,
Recent events in the United States have made me, and perhaps many of you, focus more closely on our core values as a community of learners. We believe a Lawrence education provides opportunities to consider, analyze, and prepare us to solve the problems that face this nation and the world. Essential to this goal is the free exchange of ideas and the full representation of different viewpoints. This is not a value tied to any political party or presidential administration; rather, it is central to who we are and have been. For generations, students, faculty, and staff from around the globe have enriched our community and the learning we provide. As I stated in my message of January 11, the University will do everything in its power to ensure that all members of our community can continue to thrive here at Lawrence.
We are working to understand the implications of new immigration restrictions, even as judicial challenges have been made against them, and we are investigating options for making additional legal resources available to students, faculty, and staff. Even as we grapple with changes, we continue to maintain longstanding policies on the release of information, as well as admissions and hiring policies that foster a diverse and inclusive campus community. Additionally, our Human Resources office is about to announce a refresher training program on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). I strongly encourage all faculty and staff who have access to any student information to attend.
Given some of the confusion around these new immigration policies, we recommend that any student who does not hold a passport from the United States, and who is considering leaving the country, first discuss your plans with Leah McSorley, director of international student services. Likewise, we recommend that any faculty or staff member who does not hold a passport from the United States, and who is considering leaving the country, first discuss your plans with Julia Messitte, university counsel. Lawrence is prepared to arrange for housing and to assist with on-campus employment for any student who is unable to travel home during breaks due to travel restrictions or other mitigating circumstances. Any request for consultation will be treated as strictly confidential. Please: do not hesitate to contact Leah, Julia or my office if you need assistance. As a reminder, if you experience any incident of harassment or discrimination, please report it by using our Bias Incident Report form.
I am also committed to continuing to advocate for the interests and wellbeing of Lawrence University and the members of our community. I have joined higher education presidents from across the nation in adding my signature to a letter from the American Council on Education expressing concern about recent policy changes to the Director of Homeland Security. The letter expresses a hope that we can work together to “craft policies that secure us from those who wish to harm us, while welcoming those who seek to study, conduct research and scholarship, and contribute their knowledge and talents to our country.”
Many of us can readily trace our personal lineage back to a time when our ancestors were recent immigrants to this country. My grandparents emigrated from Eastern Europe, almost certainly escaping their deaths because of their religion during World War II. My parents-in-law emigrated from South America in the 1950s at a time when the United States government had an explicit goal of recruiting medical doctors from abroad to ensure adequate coverage here in this country. I ask that we all reflect on our personal connections to this issue, whether it is in our own family history or the histories of those we know, as we reach out to members of our community who are justifiably concerned by recent events.
Yours,
Mark