Dear faculty, staff, and students,

Last night, racist graffiti was discovered on the door of one of our residential commons. The vile markings are a complete affront to Colgate’s vision and practice of inclusive excellence. Diversity, inclusion, and equity are essential to the well-being of our campus culture and acts that are an affront to these principles will not be tolerated here.

Campus safety immediately launched an investigation into this discriminatory act, and the residents who discovered the message were offered support from several faculty and staff members last night. We will do everything to identify the perpetrator of this act and hold them accountable according to the university’s disciplinary process.

Discriminatory incidents like this are hurtful and harmful to the fabric of our community. I know that we are better than the ignorance and intolerance this message represents. The acts of kindness and compassion I have witnessed in our community since joining Colgate last summer are evidence of our strengths and potential. Nevertheless, this incident should serve as a reminder that we continue to have important work to do in becoming a more inclusive community.

To colleagues who have supported these students and the communities impacted by this act, thank you. I expect our response in the coming days will reflective of a caring and supportive community and I look forward to working together for the inclusive excellence to which we aspire.

Sincerely yours,
Paul

Paul J. McLoughlin II, Ph.D.
Vice President & Dean of the College

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Dear Colgate Faculty and Staff,

I am pleased to announce the duties within the Office of Equity and Diversity that two faculty colleagues have agreed to undertake for 2016-17.

John Palmer, Associate Professor of Educational Studies and Arnold A. Sio Chair in Diversity and Community, will take on a position as Associate Provost for Equity and Diversity in addition to his other duties as department chair and Sio Chair. He will assume primary responsibility for diversity initiatives in OED. With support from Marilyn Rugg, he will continue to have responsibility for affirmative action in faculty hiring.

Marilyn Rugg, Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures, will continue to serve as Associate Provost for Equity and Diversity and Title IX Coordinator. She will oversee all matters related to Colgate’s Equity Grievance Process, and will provide campus training to ensure that we are in compliance with our obligations under Title IX.

I am very grateful that these two talented and dedicated colleagues have agreed to lend their energies to this important work. With their assistance, I look forward to a year in which we can continue to make progress towards creating a Colgate that is truly for all.

Sincerely,

Constance Harsh
Interim Dean of the Faculty and Provost

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Dear members of the Colgate community,

With our new residential commons program, Colgate has embraced a new way to live the liberal arts on campus. I am pleased to announce that the inaugural commons, which opened at Curtis-Drake Hall in September, has been named for alumna Diane Ciccone ’74, P’10.

The residential commons is meant to foster a sense of belonging and a vibrant, intellectual, and socially engaged community for all students. The commons also aims to make diversity and inclusion a cornerstone for student life.

A member of the first class of women graduates, Diane Ciccone has championed these values in her personal and professional life. As a trustee, mentor, and friend to students at Colgate, she has helped to ensure the campus is a place where everyone can feel welcomed and thrive personally and academically.

I cannot think of a more fitting name for the first commons, given our aspirations for this program, and the living example that Diane Ciccone has offered us. You can read more about Diane and the program in today’s campus news story.

Sincerely,

Suzy Nelson
Vice President and Dean of the College

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Dear members of the Colgate community:

In the days since last week’s protest and speak-out, I have had several positive and constructive conversations with students, professors, and staff members about the issues that gave rise to these expressions of frustration and outrage. Yesterday, I met with the students who organized the protest, and we discussed our shared goals and our similar desire to look forward, making progress against sexual violence and survivor support. This is a priority around which many at Colgate can and do unite, and I am personally and professionally invested in confronting this problem head on.

As we look to the future, I ask that we treat others with respect, whether in person or on social media. I am disturbed by recent Yik Yak posts directed at members of the campus community. Using anonymous social media for a negative and destructive purpose is not only cowardly but also undermines all that is good about our campus community. We have a record of these posts, and ITS and Campus Safety are investigating to determine what further action can and/or should be taken.

In times of disagreement and unrest, it is even more essential to reach out to each other with understanding and empathy. We must have a campus that is safe and welcoming for all. I know we can do this, and I ask you to be more supportive and caring with one another.

Sincerely,

Suzy Nelson
Vice President and Dean of the College

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Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff of Colgate University,

Sexual assault is one of the most hidden of all forms of violence. A smiling face conceals the pain; the fear of being ostracized, of being criticized, even of being blamed, imposes silence.

I write to acknowledge the courageous voices of those who participated in last week’s speak-out and broke the silence, and to acknowledge, as well, those who have engaged in forums that are less public — indeed, to recognize all students who, in their different ways, have had the courage to use their experiences and their suffering to make things better for others.

I write also to acknowledge the many students who have worked for change on campus, including those who insisted on the importance of holding a speak-out. Students have played an indispensable role in Bystander Intervention Training, the Yes Means Yes initiative, and This is Not a Play About Sex, as well as in groups like The Network and MASC (Masculinity and Sexual Climate). Students have met on this issue regularly with Dean Nelson and members of her staff during this semester. I know how important it is to work in partnership with committed students; they are essential to creating a healthy and more respectful campus climate.

I write, finally, to explain the concrete steps that administrators have taken already, and others that will be taken in the future. In addition to a number of recent and ongoing efforts in education and prevention, we will continue to strengthen services for survivors. Colgate’s Sexual Violence Prevention and Survivor Support Action Plan highlights many recent initiatives, including the hiring of two additional staff members in the area of survivor support and sexual violence prevention and response; creating a soft interview room not located in the campus safety building; implementing a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) program in partnership with Community Memorial Hospital; and offering increased training for staff, faculty, and student leaders. I will appoint an external review committee of experts in the field who will assess Colgate’s sexual violence and survivor support services and make recommendations for improvement. I have asked Dean Nelson to convene and lead a task force, to be composed of two professors, two SGA-appointed students, and two staff members. This task force will be charged with implementing Colgate’s plan, which will be informed by the external review recommendations. This group will also consider ways to enlist input from the community in the coming weeks.

Administrative measures have, then, been extensive on this campus; more will be forthcoming. As you know, the original plan to discuss the results of the HEDS Sexual Assault/Campus Climate Survey envisioned three brown-bag discussions, the last of which was to be held today — Wednesday, November 11 — at 4:15. I have asked for this brown bag to be canceled in light of recent events; while there has been no formal public presentation of the data, at this point we have moved beyond that part of the discussion. We need to find a way to reset the conversation. In the near future, I hope to see opportunities for genuine engagement on this subject that touches us all, perhaps involving professors as facilitators alongside administrative staff members.

In the meantime, I ask for your continued help in confronting the terrible reality of sexual violence. We are a strong community; working together, we have the power to make change.

Sincerely,

Jill Harsin
Professor of History
Interim President

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Dear students, faculty, and staff of Colgate University,

Last evening in the Chapel, we saw the human faces behind the numbers of the recently released HEDS Survey Overview. We were moved as many survivors found the courage to speak about their experiences and their pain. Their testimonies underscored the need for our community to join together to address sexual violence on this campus.

The ongoing fight against sexual violence must be a shared project of the entire community, involving individuals as well as appropriate shared governance groups that include students, faculty, and staff. In the coming weeks, we aim to assemble a broad-based coalition to develop a thoughtful and comprehensive approach to this serious problem. Changing campus culture involves all of us; it should not be a burden that survivors carry alone.

To learn more about the university’s existing initiatives and policies, please visit our Sexual Assault Prevention Initiatives and EGP Panel Members pages, recently restructured to provide easier access to our resources.

Finally, we strongly urge anyone who has experienced or has knowledge of sexual violence to use one of the means of reporting listed on the Sexual Violence, Support, and Resources page.

We care deeply about these issues and are committed to continuing the dialogue in the coming weeks.

Sincerely,

Jill Harsin, Interim President
Suzy Nelson, Vice President and Dean of the College

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Dear Colgate Community,

I write to alert you that the university has recently received reports of a number of sexual assaults that suggest the involvement of so-called “date rape drugs” in social and residential spaces on campus.

The use of drugs to facilitate sexual assault has been widely reported across the country. Date rape drugs such as Rohypnol, GHB, and Ketamine can easily be slipped into an unsuspecting person’s drink. Rapid and severe intoxication follows, along with dramatically reduced inhibitions and memory loss. In this condition, anyone can be extremely vulnerable to sexual assault. Symptoms of date rape drug ingestion include dizziness and/or nausea, memory loss, breathing or motion difficulties, and behaving disproportionately intoxicated relative to the amount of alcohol consumed.

If you believe that you or another person have been the victim of a date rape drugging, I strongly encourage you to immediately contact Campus Safety (228-7333), any member of the Equity Grievance Panel, or local law enforcement. You may seek confidential support at the Counseling Center (228-7385) or Student Health Services (228-7750) or the Office of the Chaplains (228-7682).

If you have any information regarding the use of date rape drugs in our community in any fashion, I ask you to come forward. The university will promptly and thoroughly investigate all circumstances where the information received enables us to do so.

Colgate University unequivocally condemns sexual assault in all circumstances and expects all members of our community to live by our code of conduct.

Sincerely,

Suzy Nelson
Vice President and Dean of the College

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Dear members of the Colgate community,

I write to ask for your help in confronting the problem of sexual violence in our community. Along with 53 other colleges and universities, in spring of 2015, Colgate participated in the Higher Education Data Sharing (HEDS) Consortium Sexual Assault Campus Climate Survey. The survey’s deeply troubling findings tell us about the frequency of unwanted sexual contact and sexual assault on our campus and students’ perceptions of Colgate’s response to sexual violence.

My goal is to face this challenge head on and to redouble our efforts in supporting survivors and creating a healthier campus climate. We will be transparent in sharing these data and have already reviewed the findings with a number of campus groups, including the president’s staff, the Sexual Climate Advisory Committee (SCAC), the Dean’s Advisory Council, Student Government Association and other student leaders, the Student Affairs Board, and at today’s faculty meeting.

You can read an overview of the key findings, as well as the entire frequency report provided by HEDS.

Although a single survey cannot tell us how to change the campus culture, it can provide some context for discussion from which to measure our progress. Campus discussions, to allow all members of the community a place to provide insights and to ask questions, have been scheduled for this Thursday, 11/5, at 11:30 a.m. in the Center for Women’s Studies, Thursday, 11/5 at 4:15 p.m., and Wednesday, 11/11 at 4:15 p.m. in the chapel basement.

Colgate has supported a number of Sexual Assault Prevention Initiatives to confront these problems, but there is still much more to be done. I ask for your help. These are not just numbers we are sharing, but the voices of our students, and they must be heard. Their experiences will influence positive change at Colgate. We all need to commit to personally confronting sexual violence on campus.

Sincerely,
Suzy Nelson
Vice President and Dean of the College

Helpful links:

• Help, Support, and Reporting
• Resources and Education
• Sexual Assault Prevention Initiatives

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Dear members of the Colgate community:

Friday, September 25, marked the one-year anniversary of a peaceful protest that lasted for 100 hours. It is not for us to commemorate this day, for we do not own it; however, we write today to remember the significance of the sit-in as an important juncture in Colgate’s history and to restate our commitment to build a Colgate for All consistent with the belief, expressed in our mission statement, that residential education “encourages exploration, expands mutual understanding, and supports a broadened perspective within a caring, humane community.”

Our vision for a Colgate for All is one of our most important university priorities. And carrying it out is everyone’s responsibility. We know there is much more work to be done, yet many students, professors, and staff members — both individuals and groups — have mobilized since last fall to bring about positive change at Colgate in structural, programmatic, and informal ways.

In continuing that effort, we began the new academic year focused on the entering students, with a letter welcoming our Bicentennial class. At orientation, Colgate Conversations fostered important intergroup dialogue, and a fall lineup of speakers is allowing for extended discussions of themes in the summer reading of Kiese Laymon’s book through Colgate Community Reads. In the area of student support, Drea Finley ’13 was appointed director of our new first-generation program. All these efforts, the product of much hard work by many, are setting a positive tone and building skills among our newest students.

Regarding faculty and staff efforts, we organized the annual White Eagle faculty retreat in May around the theme of Power, Privilege, and Pedagogy. More than 200 professors and staff members have participated in intergroup relations training, and we organized a brown-bag series of readings and related discussion about equity, diversity, and inclusion at Colgate. This past weekend, Thomas Cruz Soto, associate dean for multicultural affairs, and Trustee Leroy Cody, Jr. ’71 hosted two events with Professor Michael Jeffries (author of Paint the White House Black) for students, staff, faculty, and trustees.

We know that leadership is critical. Diversity and leadership coach Pat Romney facilitated the president’s staff’s summer retreat and continues to offer a series of just-in-time workshops for faculty search committees. A new council composed of faculty, students, and senior administrators is charged with identifying equity and inclusion goals for their areas and monitoring progress. Ms. Judi Dorsey has been hired as vice president for human resources. Her position is essential to making positive cultural changes in recruitment, training, and retention of staff. Changes to the operations of the Office of Equity and Diversity are in process to ensure that there can be greater attention to intergroup dialogue and other important initiatives in this interim year.

We will continue to share progress on the Colgate For All site. We thank you in advance for your suggestions — and your active participation.

In May, commencement speaker Eddie Glaude commended our students for having “courageously forced this university to look unflinchingly at itself.” He pointed out that “colleges and universities are training grounds for citizenship” where “you either cultivate the habits of courage or learn the habits of cowardliness and complicity … You and I must seize hold of the idea that a different arrangement of things is possible.”

Let’s do this together.

Jill Harsin
Interim President

Connie Harsh
Interim Dean of the Faculty and Provost

Suzy Nelson
Vice President and Dean of the College

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Dear members of the Colgate Community,

We are determined to end sexual violence at Colgate, and we ask all students, staff, and faculty to join us in this commitment.

Those who experience sexual assault have access to confidential and anonymous reporting systems, caring support, and assistance from trained Equity Grievance Panel (EGP) members and counseling center staff. The shaw wellness institute will appoint an EGP advocate/educator who will also serve as a confidential resource for all members of our community.

This year, all new students completed AlcoholEdu and Haven, an online sexual assault prevention program. As in past years, the Bystander Intervention program will be offered to all first-year students. All new students and their families received letters, reinforcing our commitment to ending sexual assault and noting the link between high-risk drinking and unwanted sexual contact and assault. As a reminder, Colgate has medical amnesty and good samaritan policies, and students are expected to help students at risk.

The Sexual Climate Advisory Committee (SCAC) continues to coordinate all efforts related to improving Colgate’s sexual climate. During the 2014–2015 academic year, there were 84 positive sexuality and EGP-related programs with a total of 6,274 participants. We will continue to reinforce signature programs such as Yes Means Yes, Bystander Intervention training (attended by nearly 1,000 students last year), and This is not a play about sex (seen by 32 percent of campus last fall).

We want to thank the countless community members who have championed these efforts. Best wishes for a happy and safe 2015–2016 academic year.

Sincerely,

Jill Harsin
Interim President

Suzy Nelson
Dean of the College

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