Kelsey McCormick

Dear Lawrence Community,

It has been an exciting few weeks on campus welcoming new Lawrentians, students, faculty, and staff, as they begin their journey here.  This time of year always reminds me of how vibrant our community is when we are fully assembled.  I am always inspired by the work we do together, the intellectual energy and pursuits of our students, and the commitment of faculty and staff to the university.  We come together as individuals from many walks of life, representing myriad experiences and perspectives, and together we create our shared home.

Several government announcements last week are fostering uncertainty at a time when we should be concentrating on starting the school year.  Regarding the announcement to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, policy I would like to reiterate the Lawrence position that I outlined earlier in the year.  Lawrence values a learning environment that includes difference in all forms.  We remain committed to considering every applicant for admission based on their qualifications and without regard for their immigration or citizenship status.  We will continue to offer institutional financial aid for students who may not hold a U.S. passport.  We will also continue to recruit faculty and staff from around the world, and to provide support and resources to non-U.S. citizens.

Our policy and practice is to protect the information of all members of our community to the fullest extent the law allows.  We take seriously our obligation to uphold the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which sets forth strict conditions for releasing student information to any party, including government authorities.  While faculty and staff information is not governed by FERPA, we also respect and protect the privacy of our employees to the extent permitted by law.  We will not release any non-directory information about any member of the Lawrence community, including citizenship or immigration status information, without that person’s consent unless we are required to do so by lawful subpoena or other legal directive.

The changes announced last week have immediate consequences for some members of our community.  If you have questions please contact Pa Lee Moua, associate dean of students for diversity, or Leah McSorley, associate dean of students for international student services.  We will also host Mónica Santa María, an immigration lawyer, on Thursday, Sept. 14 at 5:30 pm in the cinema at the Warch Campus Center for an open session. 

Last week the Secretary of the Department of Education also announced a review process for Title IX guidelines established during the last administration.  These guidelines inform the enforcement of Title IX at institutions like Lawrence University.  Over the past few years, thanks to leadership by many members of our community, Lawrence has made significant progress in improving our sexual assault and harassment policies and procedures – changes that have served us well.  Our procedures and policies remain in place and in force.  Sexual harassment and assault are unacceptable.  We are committed to maintaining and enforcing policies that protect Lawrentians from sexual violence.

We will continue to monitor changes to federal law around this issue.  We will work with the Sexual Harassment and Assault, Resources & Education Committee (SHARE) and with LUCC through the Student Alliance Against Sexual Harassment and Assault Committee (SAASHA) to carefully analyze any adjustments of our policies as needed in the future.  If you have questions, please contact Kim Jones, Title IX Coordinator for the university.

As the academic year gets underway this week, I look forward to our continued engagement with the issues of our time, especially the issues closest to us as a learning community.  In my Convocation address on September 14, I will frame a discussion of our enduring values and what they mean for our institution.  I hope this will be one of many opportunities for us to come together to consider our role in creating an environment that fosters learning and growth for all its members.

Before I close I want to acknowledge that today is September 11.  Sixteen years ago 3,000 people died in a series of terrorist attacks in the United States.  I hope we can all find a moment to remember those who lost their lives on this day and all victims of terrorism both here and abroad. 

I look forward to seeing all of you at Matriculation Convocation and on campus this week.

Yours,

Mark

Dear Lawrence Community,

The last few days have been painful ones for many members of our community, as they have also been for me. An event sponsored by a group of students calling themselves Students for Free Thought on Wednesday night led to confrontations that illustrated the distance we have yet to go as a communi-ty when it comes to discussing conflicting points of view. I understand from many who attended that although there were valiant efforts to engage in civil dialogue, some used the forum to make statements that were hurtful and built on ugly stereotypes. The event and its aftermath have left many students wondering whether the University cares about their safety and our ability and desire to foster constructive discussions of serious issues.

The Lawrence University Community Council (LUCC) upheld the decision of its Steering Committee not to grant recognition to the sponsoring student group. I want to thank the LUCC leadership for their careful analysis of the issues surrounding the group’s application for formal recognition. They have met with the group on a number of occasions to determine compliance with LUCC bylaws, and have issued a state-ment on their decision, which was sent to students last night.

Additionally, on Thursday morning we also discovered another round of posters on campus that tried to undermine our efforts to become a more inclusive community. These posters, like the ones we discovered in the winter, were placed in public locations around campus. Campus Safety is continuing its investigation and requests that anyone with information please contact them directly.

Exchanges on social media have also been heated and at times concerning. Some have devolved into personal attacks and vitriol. In a few situations serious threats have been reported. We are working closely with the Appleton Police Department to investigate all instances where physical safety is threat-ened. If there is anyone who has an immediate safety concern, please contact Campus Safety at x6999.

We need to continue to find ways to ensure all of us feel safe on campus. At a time when many feel under attack in the communities we belong to off campus, we have to find additional ways to reinforce a sense of safety here at home. The senior leaders of the university, including incoming provost and dean of the faculty, Katie Kodat, and incoming vice president for student life, Chris Card, join Kimberly Barrett and me in our commitment to reinforce our efforts in this area. I know we can and must do better.

At the core of our educational mission is the free exchange of ideas, viewpoints, and information; we are committed to productive discussion of issues that are crucially important to every one of us, and to our community as a whole. Moreover, while we recognize and support the value of expressing, discussing, and debating ideas, we do not believe that all ideas have equal value. We hold equity and the creation of a just society as core principles, and will continue to affirm these in all that we do. We need to develop skills and a better framework to make this exchange possible without threatening community members. The Administration will work with LUCC and others to develop a framework that will help better foster this exchange. We will have proposals ready for discussion this fall.

 I wish you all a successful end to the spring term.

Yours,

Mark

Dear Lawrence community,

Welcome back to campus. I hope each of you found a way to restore yourself over break.

As we continue to create a more inclusive Lawrence community, we are reminded of the forces that work against us. On a number of occasions over winter term, flyers containing racist, misogynistic, and homophobic messages were found in public locations on campus. Similar flyers were placed in other locations in the Fox Cities and on over one hundred campuses around the country. One set announced a fictitious event intended to mock our efforts to become a more inclusive community.

I am deeply troubled by this activity. It has no place on our campus. Flyers like these make me feel less safe. I am sure they have a similar impact on many of you. If you see flyers like these please continue to notify Campus Safety, the Dean of Students Office, or the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. This activity is under investigation by the Appleton Police Department and by the University.

I also ask each of us to maintain focus on our efforts to create a campus community where all students, faculty, and staff feel safe and supported. We must create an environment which has broad representation and in which all can thrive.

I look forward to seeing each of you on campus in the coming weeks.

Yours,

Mark

Dear Lawrence community,

Welcome back to campus. I hope each of you found a way to restore yourself over break.

As we continue to create a more inclusive Lawrence community, we are reminded of the forces that work against us. On a number of occasions over winter term, flyers containing racist, misogynistic, and homophobic messages were found in public locations on campus. Similar flyers were placed in other locations in the Fox Cities and on over one hundred campuses around the country. One set announced a fictitious event intended to mock our efforts to become a more inclusive community.

I am deeply troubled by this activity. It has no place on our campus. Flyers like these make me feel less safe. I am sure they have a similar impact on many of you. If you see flyers like these please continue to notify Campus Safety, the Dean of Students Office, or the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. This activity is under investigation by the Appleton Police Department and by the University.

I also ask each of us to maintain focus on our efforts to create a campus community where all students, faculty, and staff feel safe and supported. We must create an environment which has broad representation and in which all can thrive.

I look forward to seeing each of you on campus in the coming weeks.

Yours,

Mark

Dear Lawrence Community,

Yesterday, members of our community discovered two fliers containing hate speech on campus. Campus Safety and university officials have contacted the Appleton Police Department and an investigation is underway. We have learned from the police that similar fliers have been found in other locations in Appleton.

We are a community committed to the safety of all its members. This kind of activity is abhorrent and unacceptable. Statements such as those made in the fliers are entirely inconsistent with the values of the Lawrence community.

If you have information about these fliers, please contact Campus Safety at 920-832-6999. You may also wish to file a Bias Incident Report, which can be submitted anonymously. If you have personal concerns or would like to learn about actions the university is taking to prevent bias related incidents, please contact Kimberly Barrett, vice president for diversity and inclusion and associate dean of the faculty at 920-832-7451.

Yours,

Mark

Dear Lawrence Community,

Yesterday, members of our community discovered two fliers containing hate speech on campus. Campus Safety and university officials have contacted the Appleton Police Department and an investigation is underway. We have learned from the police that similar fliers have been found in other locations in Appleton.

We are a community committed to the safety of all its members. This kind of activity is abhorrent and unacceptable. Statements such as those made in the fliers are entirely inconsistent with the values of the Lawrence community.

If you have information about these fliers, please contact Campus Safety at 920-832-6999. You may also wish to file a Bias Incident Report, which can be submitted anonymously. If you have personal concerns or would like to learn about actions the university is taking to prevent bias related incidents, please contact Kimberly Barrett, vice president for diversity and inclusion and associate dean of the faculty at 920-832-7451.

Yours,

Mark

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

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 well being 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

Dear faculty, students, and staff,

Welcome back to campus!  It is a pleasure to have you return; you enliven what becomes a very quiet place during the break.  I hope all of you have come back refreshed and ready to learn.  We begin this year steadfast in our commitment to provide insight into the pressing issues that face the world and to create opportunities for learning how to foster communities that include people of different backgrounds and different perspectives.  As societies around the world become more polarized, we must rededicate our efforts to come together and learn as one community.  Here at Lawrence, even as we have made positive progress, there remains work to be done.

To those ends, Kimberly Barrett, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion and Associate Dean of the Faculty has already sent a message, and Linda Morgan-Clement, the Julie Esch Hurvis Dean of Spiritual and Religious Life, will be in contact very soon with schedules of events planned for this winter and spring.  These events will provide opportunities for us to learn new skills in order to discuss the issues that face our communities and others around the globe.  You can also find a schedule of events on the Diversity and Inclusion page and on a new page for Spiritual and Religious Life at Lawrence.

At the end of fall term many of you asked about our policies and procedures regarding Lawrentians who are not citizens of the United States.  Our policy has been, and will continue to be, to create a welcoming and supportive community for all, without regard for citizenship status. 

For many years our policy and practice have been to protect the information of all members of our community to the fullest extent the law allows, and to establish mechanisms to attract the most talented students, faculty, and staff from around the globe.  We take seriously our obligation to uphold the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which sets forth strict conditions for releasing student information to any party, including government authorities.  While faculty and staff information is not governed by FERPA, we also respect and protect the privacy of our employees to the extent permitted by law.  We will not release any non-directory information, including citizenship or immigration status information, about any member of the Lawrence community without that person’s consent unless we are required to do so by lawful subpoena or other legal directive.

As a learning institution, two of our most central and enduring values are to support all community members and to foster an environment in which all can thrive.  We value a learning environment that includes difference in all forms.  We remain committed to considering any applicant for admission, regardless of their immigration or citizenship status.  We will also continue to consider institutional financial aid for students who may not hold a U.S. passport.  We will continue to recruit faculty and staff from around the world and to provide support and resources to non-U.S. citizens.  Support and resources can be found here.

During the coming weeks, we will continue to review our policies and procedures that relate to citizenship and immigration to identify opportunities for improvement.  All employees will also receive a refresher on FERPA and information security.  Please do not hesitate to contact me, Kimberly Barrett, or Julia Messitte our general counsel, if you have specific questions.

I look forward to seeing each of you on campus.  Again, welcome back.

Yours,

Mark

Dear faculty, students, and staff,

Welcome back to campus!  It is a pleasure to have you return; you enliven what becomes a very quiet place during the break.  I hope all of you have come back refreshed and ready to learn.  We begin this year steadfast in our commitment to provide insight into the pressing issues that face the world and to create opportunities for learning how to foster communities that include people of different backgrounds and different perspectives.  As societies around the world become more polarized, we must rededicate our efforts to come together and learn as one community.  Here at Lawrence, even as we have made positive progress, there remains work to be done.

To those ends, Kimberly Barrett, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion and Associate Dean of the Faculty has already sent a message, and Linda Morgan-Clement, the Julie Esch Hurvis Dean of Spiritual and Religious Life, will be in contact very soon with schedules of events planned for this winter and spring.  These events will provide opportunities for us to learn new skills in order to discuss the issues that face our communities and others around the globe.  You can also find a schedule of events on the Diversity and Inclusion page and on a new page for Spiritual and Religious Life at Lawrence.

At the end of fall term many of you asked about our policies and procedures regarding Lawrentians who are not citizens of the United States.  Our policy has been, and will continue to be, to create a welcoming and supportive community for all, without regard for citizenship status. 

For many years our policy and practice have been to protect the information of all members of our community to the fullest extent the law allows, and to establish mechanisms to attract the most talented students, faculty, and staff from around the globe.  We take seriously our obligation to uphold the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which sets forth strict conditions for releasing student information to any party, including government authorities.  While faculty and staff information is not governed by FERPA, we also respect and protect the privacy of our employees to the extent permitted by law.  We will not release any non-directory information, including citizenship or immigration status information, about any member of the Lawrence community without that person’s consent unless we are required to do so by lawful subpoena or other legal directive.

As a learning institution, two of our most central and enduring values are to support all community members and to foster an environment in which all can thrive.  We value a learning environment that includes difference in all forms.  We remain committed to considering any applicant for admission, regardless of their immigration or citizenship status.  We will also continue to consider institutional financial aid for students who may not hold a U.S. passport.  We will continue to recruit faculty and staff from around the world and to provide support and resources to non-U.S. citizens.  Support and resources can be found here.

During the coming weeks, we will continue to review our policies and procedures that relate to citizenship and immigration to identify opportunities for improvement.  All employees will also receive a refresher on FERPA and information security.  Please do not hesitate to contact me, Kimberly Barrett, or Julia Messitte our general counsel, if you have specific questions.

I look forward to seeing each of you on campus.  Again, welcome back.

Yours,

Mark