November 24, 2015

A Letter From President Glassner

I’ve spoken this morning with a group of students in the Manor House and want to share with you my thoughts.

A Letter from President Glassner

Dear Lewis & Clark Students, Faculty and Staff, and Community Members,

I’ve spoken this morning with a group of students in the Manor House and want to share with you my thoughts. 

I thanked them for their efforts and shared with them that I am as committed to these issues as they are—and have been for a long time. I have been very inspired after these horrible events—from Yik Yak and the despicable assaults on our two students Saturday morning—that there are so many students, faculty, staff, and administrators, but especially students, taking the lead around these issues and around making this a better place.

I hear the pain and frustration they are expressing. I hear their stories. I hear their call for action. I share their goal—as must we all—to make Lewis & Clark a safe, welcoming, diverse, inclusive, and equitable place. 

If there has been any good since that dreadful morning of the 21st, it has been seen in how quickly our community came together to support our fellow students and to condemn hateful comments on Yik Yak. We are demanding that Yik Yak make available to law enforcement investigating the two attacks on our students the identities of those who made threats against our community. We are working actively with legal authorities to bring the assailants to justice.

Today, across our country, colleges and universities are being challenged—and correctly so—to do more to fight racism and intolerance and prejudice, and to promote diversity and inclusion. The pain being felt here has existed in this country and world for too long. We, including Lewis & Clark, have much more to do.

Lewis & Clark has made progress on its diversity and inclusion efforts in the past five years—from the accomplishments of our Committee on Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) to our Department of Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement (IME) and more. Yesterday, I attended the Exploration & Discovery Steering Committee open forum on the E&D curriculum and it was an excellent discussion. This morning, the CDI is meeting. We all can and must do more. I am asking for our Committee on Diversity and Inclusion to prepare an action plan to present to me in the first quarter of 2016. That plan will guide our future efforts.

We will make a difference together.

We deeply appreciate the leadership of our students, faculty and staff, alumni, and others and the many constructive suggestions from people throughout our community.

Thank you for your passion, for your action, and for your civil discourse. While we have a holiday break coming up, this work will continue when we resume classes next week and into the future.

Sincerely, 

Barry Glassner
President and Professor