Dear Lawrence Community,
I expect many of you, like me, were deeply troubled by yesterday’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing, which has become a national spectacle of raw emotions, revictimization of an assault survivor, and political infighting. These events tear at the fabric of our country and have direct implications for our own campus community.
For those of us whose own pain and trauma was resurfaced by yesterday’s testimony, we stand ready to support you. Please reach out to the counselors at the Wellness Center at 920-832-6574 during business hours, the LU crisis line at 920-419-8167 or your Residence Hall Director. They are here to help you in any way possible. Also, for faculty and staff, our Employee Assistance Provider (EAP) offers confidential counseling and can provide support and resources 24 hours a day by calling 1-800-222-8590.
The Sexual Harassment and Assault Resources & Education Committee (SHARE) will host a Town Hall meeting on Thursday, October 4 at 6 pm in the Warch Campus Center Cinema to discuss the University’s Title IX policies and procedures. Sexual harassment and assault continue to plague our campus as well as society at large. I encourage you to join me for this conversation next week. We all play a role in guaranteeing our campus is safe for all.
Dysfunctional national dialogue, like what we witnessed yesterday, makes it that much harder for us, as a community, to analyze the important issues we face today from different perspectives. I ask each of us to work to foster this dialogue that is essential to our learning process and to the future of this country and others around the world.
We are at a moment of national and local pain and animosity. We must come together to discuss these difficult issues and to foster greater understanding and empathy. Thank you for joining me in an effort to ensure a safe and engaged campus for all our community.
Yours,
Mark