To: Wellesley College Parents and Families
From: President Paula A. Johnson
Re: Focused on our students’ safety
Date: October 25, 2023
I know some parents are concerned about the well-being of their students because of recent posts online. As president of Wellesley, my highest priority is the safety of our students and of the entire College community. Please know that since the current crisis began, we have been working to address the needs of all our students, especially our Jewish and Muslim students.
Our Student Life and Office of Religious and Spiritual Life teams have been—and will continue to be—in close contact with students. Professional staff in our residence halls have made extensive outreach to students, and our class deans and experienced advisors in our Office of Intercultural Education are reaching out to them as well. I am working directly with others in College leadership to see to it that all our students feel safe, are connected to each other, and have access to support resources. The College is actively committed to making sure that everyone on our Residential Life team is able to fulfill their responsibility to support all our students. We do not and will not accept any exception to this.
While we embrace freedom of expression for everyone in our community, which is critical to a liberal arts education and to a democracy, I want to be clear: Wellesley College condemns antisemitism, Islamophobia, and any other form of hate. No one at Wellesley should feel unsafe, and we will not tolerate harassment, discrimination, or bias of any kind on our campus. We also condemn the public targeting of our students online, and we are doing whatever we can to protect them from such targeting. Staff have been providing guidance to students as needed.
Thank you for placing your trust in us. Please be assured that, through this challenging time, we are dedicated to making Wellesley College a place of learning and belonging for every student.
