Dear Students,
This week’s update has two important messages. Please read to the end.
First, health services has informed me that the number of students with the flu has increased over the past couple of weeks. Please remember to wash your hands frequently, disinfect shared surfaces, and wear a mask around others if you are coughing or feel unwell. And, of course, make sure to rest and practice self care (even with midterms!). These strategies will not only help avoid passing on or getting the flu but also COVID-19, norovirus, and all the other many illnesses circulating right now. The CDC has recently updated their guidance on COVID-19 isolation, and the college will review our policies. For now, please continue to isolate, per our current policy.
Health Services still has flu shots available for those who have not yet been immunized. Flu season continues through April/May, so there is still time! Please call Health Services at 781-283-2810 to book an appointment.
Secondly, I want to provide more information on the demonstration policy so that all students have a better understanding. As I mentioned last week, I have spoken with members of College Government and other student leaders about our policy on demonstrations and free expression. Those conversations have helped me understand what parts of the policy students have questions about, and I want to take the time to address those points with you here. (I encourage everyone to read the full policy, which was created by a committee that included students at every step of the process.)
I think it’s important to stress that the intent of the policy is to promote free speech while ensuring that a community member’s conduct does not threaten safety, suppress others’ rights to speech, or disrupt their educational experience. Note the “Fundamental Principles” which are the foundation of the policy.
Regarding the policy’s requirement for two days advance notification of “time, place, and manner,” some students want to know if this is intended to prevent protests. The answer is no, that is not the intent. Rather, we ask for this information to protect the safety of students protesting and allow for the operations of the College to continue. All of our peer colleges and universities have similar policies for this reason.
Some students have asked why we need details on the nature of the demonstration. Again, we do not use this information to determine if a demonstration can take place. But without understanding the context of a demonstration (the who, what and why,) we can’t effectively plan for any safety concerns that might come up.
Also, we know from the experiences at other colleges that sometimes people from outside the college will join a protest to disrupt it, creating safety risks to the student protestors. Having advance notice allows us to help you plan so that doesn’t happen. When staff from student life or campus safety attend a protest, our role is to make sure all students are safe and that the demonstration can take place without interrupting the operations of the College.
I have also received questions about the consequences of demonstrating and in particular if it is an honor code violation. Of course, this will depend on the details of a specific case, but what I can say is that students are allowed to protest, just as they also have a responsibility to follow the policy. So let me be clear: Organizing a protest while failing to notify the College of time, place and manner is a violation of the policy. Participating in a protest, or organizing a protest and following guidelines on reasonable time, place and manner, is not a violation. And as I hope you know, the honor code explicitly affords all students both accountability and fundamental fairness.
As I mentioned in my note last week, in collaboration with CG, we are working on a Google form that I hope will make the process of providing notice to the College easier; I hope to have it finished in the next week or so. If you have any specific questions, I urge you to contact the COIL@wellesley.edu or contact my office directly.
There’s a lot going on in the world right now. Some of you want to demonstrate to raise awareness and your voice. But public demonstrations are not for everyone. Some people prefer to talk in small groups to learn more and think together on strategies for engagement. If you want to strengthen your skills to discuss challenging topics, the Office of Intercultural Education (OICE) invites student leaders and their e-board members to a workshop to encourage dialogue, foster unity, and promote inclusivity among their organizations. The next workshop is March 29th. Snacks will be provided, and seats are limited to 15 members. To register, you can sign up here. In addition, OICE is pairing with the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life (ORSL) to offer a workshop titled “Creating a Compassionate Community” to appreciate the religious diversity at Wellesley College. You can register here.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Sheilah Shaw Horton
Vice President and Dean of Students
