President Wippman’s Writings & Remarks

A Challenging Start

August 27, 2020

Dear Members of the Hamilton Community,

After an extraordinary summer of planning to reopen our campus safely, I am delighted with how smoothly the first couple days of the semester have gone, and I’m grateful to those who worked so hard to welcome our students back to College Hill for another year of intellectual exploration and personal growth.

Nevertheless, as I discussed in my Convocation remarks on Sunday, the optimism and anticipation that come with the start of a new year are tempered by two extraordinary challenges: systemic racism that continues to manifest in violence against Black lives, most recently with the shootings of Jacob Blake, Trayford Pellerin, and Julian Edwin Roosevelt Lewis, and the coronavirus pandemic that continues to take lives across the country and around the world. Many in our community have been touched directly by one or both of these challenges. Our Black colleagues and friends, in particular, feel the pain and fear of ongoing police shootings, and these incidents should remind all of us of the importance of the anti-racism work that is needed in the country and at the College. Black Lives Matter.

Earlier this summer, in light of the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and Rayshard Brooks, I noted that Hamilton would devote additional resources for diversity, equity, and inclusion and form an Advisory Council to host listening sessions and help us expedite a new equity and inclusion plan. All of this work is under way.

Just as we want to make Hamilton a safe place for students, faculty, and staff to study and work, despite the pandemic, we also want to make Hamilton a place where everyone feels safe, welcome, and included. Hamilton aims to prepare all students and graduates to change the world and make it a more just and equitable place.

Thank you, in advance, for being an active and committed participant in our efforts. The Advisory Council continues to welcome you to Be Heard, and the Dean of Students Office will soon be in touch about upcoming programming.

David