To: The Wellesley Community
From: Sheilah Horton, Vice President and Dean of Students
Re: This Evening’s Town Hall Event
Date: September 25, 2019
Earlier this week, members of senior leadership were invited to a town hall meeting organized by a group called the Student Coalition of Wellesley. We welcomed this opportunity to meet with and hear directly from our students about their experiences and issues of concern. President Johnson, Vice President Orton, and I changed our schedules to be able to attend the town hall this evening. We believe that having a shared understanding of the experiences of our students is essential if we are going to work together to meet challenges.

However, this morning we learned that the Student Coalition was planning to record the town hall and live stream it on Facebook. While we are eager to have the opportunity to hear directly from students, this is not a public event that should be live streamed beyond our campus. We are concerned that having students share personal stories in such a forum is not in their best interest or in the best interest of the College. This meeting should be an opportunity for students and members of the administration to talk face-to-face and have a constructive and open conversation. We believe that having the meeting live-streamed does not further that goal.

We shared our concerns with the organizers of the town hall, and they respectfully refused our request, choosing to go forward with the plan to live stream. As a result, we will not attend tonight’s event.

We remain eager to meet with members of the coalition, together with College Government, to discuss the issues that have raised in a format that allows for responsible, respectful, and open dialogue.