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