The message below was sent to undergraduate students on Thursday, April 25.
Dear Students:
Earlier this week, students and administrators met for the Big Cheese event, where important questions were asked about the boundaries of student protest actions. Discussions like these are valuable to have as a community and we were grateful to SGA and the students attending for creating this forum.
In the meeting we were asked about how we would handle student protests and about the conditions that might prompt us to call for police intervention. We shared that we begin from a place of wanting to support student expression and activism, and we engage Campus Safety to assist our efforts. We also conveyed our appreciation for how Bryn Mawr students have tried to create a space for respectful dialogue and disagreement and for how peaceful protests included mindfulness of impact and potential harm. We reminded those gathered that we do have guidelines and policies and always try to support students within those guidelines and within the values of community contained in the Honor Code.
We want to emphasize that we have to hold safety and the rights of other members of the College community to learn, work, and participate in College activities without interference or intimidation as our first priorities. Those concerns would be the primary reasons we might contact the police should other efforts not suffice.
In light of some student groups on other college campuses launching on-campus encampments, we think it is important to address this possibility in the event of any potential similar action on our campus. We have not previously permitted students to stay in tents overnight. While we want to support student activism, we also have important concerns about safety and the College’s obligation to fulfill its educational mission. This kind of event and the outside attention that encampments are receiving may attract non-student members into our community who may not understand our social fabric, honor code, or our values of mutual respect and understanding. It may also increase the chance of uninvited guests getting access to dorms, using our restrooms and other facilities, or intimidating or physically harming others – across political spectrums. It also strains the resources of Campus Safety to monitor various activities and safety on campus.
To protect this form of protest, the following parameters must be followed:
- Only Bi-Co students can participate in an encampment or on-campus protests.
- Any encampment should occur in or near Senior Row because this area is more interior to the campus with more limited outside access. Centralizing in one location also allows a single place for Campus Safety to respond should they be needed and creates a single set of access points for protection and emergency response.
- Protests should not impede the rights of others to access their education and/or College resources. They should not cause harm, harass others, or pose a danger to others.
At any time, if protestors or others feel unsafe, they should contact Campus Safety at 610-526-7911.
While we support the right of students to protest, we also know that protests can sometimes make people fearful. It is also the case that what may seem innocuous to some may be experienced differently by others with different past or current experiences. We encourage all students to reach out if they need support.
As we move through these challenging days together, we continue to remind each other that anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, antisemitic, and other forms of harassment and hate do not belong on our campus. Even when we disagree with one another, it is essential to do so with care and respect. Thank you for your continued care for one another and for the safety of this campus.
Signed,
Kim Cassidy
President
Karlene Burrell-McRae
Dean of the Undergraduate College
Tomiko Jenkins
Dean of Student Life