We are witnessing a resurgence of the most dangerous and hateful legacy of our nation’s history—white nationalism. The Southern Poverty Law Center, New York State, and several human rights groups have documented a massive increase in hate crimes taking place across the country. This has taken place on and off college campuses including our local colleges. These hate crimes are being fueled by white nationalism and are targeting people of color, Muslims, Jews, LG-BTQ people, and documented and undocumented individuals. In addition to this, we have seen proposals for new federal policies that would seek massive deportations, registries for Muslim citizens, and the erosion of the rights of women and LGBTQ people.
In the face of this hate, we feel it is important to think about what we stand for as a St. Lawrence University Community. St. Lawrence University is defined as, “a vibrant, collaborative community of learners who value thought and action. Students tap their full potential as they embrace the natural environment, engage with global challenges, and experience the relevance and adventure of a liberal arts education in a complex and changing world .”
We want to affirm that we value and will offer sanctuary to the full spectrum of students, staff, and faculty who make up our community. We believe that our community is one that must continue to be built on the premise of equality and the belief that we are better because of the diversity our students, staff, and faculty bring to the table. White nationalism seeks to erode this through a discourse of fear, hatred, and xenophobia. It seeks to create a concept of America that is built on white supremacy and the dis-mantling of the work of social justice and equality that have been the hall-mark of this country for the last forty years. We will stand up for the rights of our students, faculty, and staff.
We know we are not alone. We have seen how students thoughtfully engage in conversations about difference and privilege. We have watched how students think critically about human rights and how we can make the world a more just and humane place. We have seen how passionate our students are about issues here in the United States and abroad. We have seen how staff and faculty care deeply about all of our students and their capacity to live life fully and freely and that this includes safety and sanctuary in the face of hatred. We know that we have a diversity of political opinions on our campus. We have listened to how many of our students, faculty, and staff who voted for various parties believe in the equality of all humanity. We want to draw on this shared sense of humanity in the hard work of community building ahead.
In solidarity,
R. Danielle Egan, Professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies and Psychoanalyst, Mary Jane Smith, Associate Professor of History and Coordinator of African American Studies, Ronnie Olesker, Associate Professor of Government, Ana Y. Estevez, Sarah Johnson ’82 Professor in the Sciences and Associate Professor of Biology and Psychology, Christopher D. Buck, Associate Professor and Chair Government Department, Jennifer Thomas, Assistant Professor of Performance and Communication Arts, Erin McCarthy, Professor and Chair, Philosophy, Asian Studies Program, Jessica M. Prody, Assistant Professor of Performance and Communication Arts, John Collins, Professor of Global Studies, Jennifer MacGregor, Lecturer and Coordinator of Gender and Sexuality Studies, Leah Rohlfsen, Associate Professor and Chair of Sociology, Mahrou Zhaf, Visiting Instructor of Gender and Sexuality Studies Natalia Singer, Professor of English, Stephen D. Papson, Professor of Film Studies, Elizabeth Regosin, Professor of History, Mark Denaci, Associate Professor of Art and Art History, Amy Hauber, Associate Professor of Art and Art History, Kathleen Buckley, Chaplain, Shaun Whitehead, Associate Chaplain, Melissane Schrems, Associate Professor of History and Coordinator of Native American Studies, Eve Stoddard, Dana Professor of Global Studies, Patti Frazer Lock, Cummings Professor of Mathematics, Calvin Fred Exoo, Charles D. Sarah and John D. Munsil, Professors of Government, Sarah Gates, Craig Professor of English, Judith DeGroat, Associate Professor of History, Daniel Puckhaber, Head Football Coach, Emily Humphrey Dixon, Associate Professor of Biology and Chemistry, Bob Cowser, Professor of English, Anne Csete, Associate Professor of History, Allison Lockwood Rowland, Assistant Professor of Rhetoric, Greg Kreitzer, Head Women’s Tennis Coach and Assistant Women’s Squash Coach, Evelyn Jennings, Professor of History and Associate Dean for Academic Advising Programs, Devin Farkas, Assistant Director Outdoor Program, Thomas C. Greene, Professor of Psychology, and Sarah Johnson Redlich ‘82, Professor in the Sciences, Andrea Nouryeh, Guest Emeritus Lecturer or Associate Professor Emerita of Performance and Communication Arts, Ed Harcourt, Professor of Computer Science, Martha E. ’62, and Gregg E. Peterson, Professor of Mathematics, Sarah Knobel, Assistant Professor of Art and Art History, David Henderson, Associate Professor, Music/Asian Studies/Film & Representation Studies; Chair, Music Department; Chair of Faculty Council, Mike Temkin, Associate Professor of Biology, Mark A. Oakes, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Helana Girgis, Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology, Eileen LaCourse, Senior Secretary Biology Department, Wendi Haugh, Associate Professor of Anthropology and African Studies and Chair of Anthropology, Christi Sommerfeldt, Assistant Director of Prospect Research, James Shuman, Professor Emeritus of Education, Lauren Schuman, Adjunct Emeritus of Education, Anne Townsend, SLU Retiree and SLU Admissions Interviewer, Valerie Lehr, Professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies and Government, Macreena Doyle, Director of Employee Recruitment, Training & Affirmative Action, Diane Exoo, FYP Adjunct Assistant Professor, Daniel Look, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Chair of the Department of Mathematics, Computer Science, and Statistics, Robin Rhodes-Crowell, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, Catherine Tedford, Gallery Director, Kristin McKie, Assistant Professor of Government and African Studies Program, Stacy J. Vassar, Department of Chemistry, Elun Gabriel, Associate Professor of History, Karen Gibson, Director of the WORD Studio, Pamela V. Thacher, Professor of Psychology, Pedro Ponce, Associate Professor of English, Christine Zimmerman, Director of Institutional Research, Steven F. White, Professor of Modern Languages, Christian Hosmer, Instructor of Strings/Director of String Orchestra, Celia Nyamweru, Professor of Anthropology (emerita), Kerri Canedy, Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance, Performance and Communications Arts, Jamie Richardson, Manager, User Services Information Technology, Shannon Richardson, Associate Director of Development Research & Prospect Management and Advancement Operations, Lisa Torrey, Associate Professor of Computer Science, Emma Turell, ’16 Circulation and Reserves Assistant (Temp) Launders Science Library, Kira Royce, Counselor Diana B. Torrey ‘82 Health and Counseling Center, Stephen Barnard, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Aileen A. O’Donoghue, Priest Associate Professor of Physics, Ronald Albertson, Director of Career Services, Alan Draper, Professor of Government, Rebecca Daniels, Associate Professor Emerita of Performance and Communication Arts, Larry G. French, Baker Professor of Chemistry, Gianmarco Savio, Visiting Assistant Professor Department of Sociology, Melissa Schulenberg, Associate Professor of Art and Art History, Matthew Carotenuto, Associate Professor of History and African Studies, Jeffrey Frank, Assistant Professor of Education, Paul Graham, Associate Professor of English, Donna Alvah, Associate Professor of History, Dorothy Limouze, L.M. and G.L. Flint Professor of Art History, Marina Llorente, Professor of Modern Languages and Associate Dean for the Center of International and Intercultural Studies, Renqian Yang, Visiting Assistant Professor of Art & Art History, Flip Filippi, Secretary, Modern Languages and Literatures, Ed Boyd, Instructor of Education, Selina French, Performance and Communication Arts, Costume Shop Supervisor, Maegan Bos, Associate Professor of Mathematics, Lorraine Olendzenski, Associate Professor of Biology, Sara Ashpole, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies, Susan Willson, Associate Professor of Biology, Theodore C. Linn, University Chaplain, Emeritus, Sara Schaff, Visiting Assistant Professor of Fiction, Josh Exoo, Adjunct Instructor, First Year Program and Faculty Advisor, Commons College, Joan Larsen, Librarian Emerita, Barry Torres, Director of Music Ensembles, William E. Collins, Assistant Professor of Education and Coordinator of Educational Leadership, Jenny Su, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Paul Siskind, Instructor, First-Year Program, Margaret Harloe, Biology Department, Richard J. Perry, Professor of Anthropology Emeritus, Cathy Crosby, Associate Professor and Chair of Psychology, Howard Eissenstat, Associate Professor of History, Obiora Udechukwu, Charles A. Dana Professor of Art & Art History, René Thatcher, Director of Services and Outreach Libraries and Information Technology, Phil Royce, Director of the Outdoor Program, Esther Oey, Visiting Assistant Professor of Education and Teacher Education Program Coordinator, Cathy Shrady, Professor of Geology and Director, Outdoor Studies & ADK Semester, Erika Kissam, Adjunct Instructor of Public Speaking and Rhetoric, Penny Vlagopoulos, Assistant Professor of English, Casey Peterson, Senior Associate Director of Major Gifts, Sarah Barber, Associate Professor of English, Christian Exoo, St. Lawrence Library, Erin M. Eggleston, Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology, Mindy Pitre, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Grace Huang, Associate Professor of Government, Adam Fox, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Erika L. Barthelmess, Associate Professor and Co-Chair of Biology, Carol Smith, Interim Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations, Tina L. Tao, Coordinator of Academic Support, Adam Harr, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Robin Lock, Burry Professor of Statistics, Valerie Ingram, Director of Donor Relations, Colleen Coakley, Coordinator of Academic Development, Marcella Salvi, Associate Professor of Modern Languages, Janice Bergman Brown, Instructor of Modern Languages Meryl Motika, Assistant Professor of Economics, Brook Henkel, Assistant Professor of German and Film Studies, Samuel Byrne, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, Erkan Toraman, Visiting Professor, Department of Geology, Joe Kling, Professor of Government Emeritus, Peter D. Ladd, Associate Professor and Coordinator of Mental Health Counseling, Kyle Blanchfield, Adjunct Professor of Education, Alvin Henry, Assistant Professor of English, Jodi Canfield, Assistant Athletic Director Alessandro Giardino, Assistant Professor of Modern Languages, Paula A. Sturge, Director of Budget and Planning, Karen Butler, Confidential Human Resources, Linda Auker, Visiting Assistant Professor, Biology, Melissa Burchard, Library Assistant, Launders Science Library, Ivan Ramler, Associate Professor of Statistics, Jessica Chapman, Associate Professor of Statistics, Michael Greenwald, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Erin A. Basford, Administrative Associate, Education Department & Office of Graduate Programs, Karen A. Smith, Assistant Director of Off-Cam-pus Study Programs, Center for International and Intercultural Studies, Claire Burkum, General Biology Assistant Course Coordinator, Carol Cady, GIS/Maps Specialist, Debbie Bishop, Specialist in the FYP/FYS, Sondra Goldsmith Proctor, Musician in Residence, Eloise Brezault, Assistant Professor of Modern Languages and African Studies, Ruta Ozols, Purchasing/Warehouse Manager, Sean Cunningham ’90, Libraries and Information Technology, Anna Carpenter, Program Coordinator, Outdoor Program, Loraina L. Ghiraldi, Associate Professor of Psychology, Jill Pflugheber, Microscopy Specialist Radiation & Laser Safety Officer, David Murphy, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, Alison F. Del Rossi, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Associate Professor of Economics, Vangie Baker, Chief Clerk Registrar, Jessica Sierk, Assistant Professor of Education, Jon Rosales, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, Matthew Van Brocklin, Technician Geology, Katharine Wolfe, Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Tara L. Tent, Counselor, Diana B. Torrey ’82 Health and Counseling Center, Mary Ann Casale, Administrative Secretary of Intercollegiate Athletics & Recreation, Rhonda Courtney, Access Service Librarian Julia Courtney, Interlibrary Loan Coordinator, Victoria Lederer, Residential Coordinator, Damon T. Berry, Visiting Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Dakota Casserly, GIS/GPS Technician, Carrie Johns, Professor of Environmental Studies, Fran Grembowicz, Assistant Athletic Director, Mark Sturges, Assistant Professor of English, Kathleen Stein, Instructor in Art and Art History and Film Studies, Matt McCluskey, Director of Disability & Accessibility Services, Maverick Cummings, Residential Coordinator for Lee, Priest, and Reiff, Ashlee Downing, Volunteer Coordinator, Renee Dominie, Library Assistant, Christopher P. Marquart, Assistant Dean of Student Life, Laura Lavoie, Assistant Director of Student Activities and Leadership, Karen Gagne, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies, Lorie MacKenzie, Registrar, Jake Fredericks, Assistant Track & Field Coach, Caitlin Boreyko, Personal Trainer & Fitness Instructor at the Stafford Fitness Center, Anne Clements, Assistant Director, Annual Giving, Nicholas Kenney, Visiting Professor of Government, Charnele Luster, Residential Coordinator, Jim Kozsan, Assistant Director Skilled Trades, Bill Short, Director of the Higher Education Opportunity Program, Serge Onyper, Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Laura J. Rediehs, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Shinu Abraham, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Peter Pettengill, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, John Robert O’Connor, Director of Student Activities & Leadership and Sullivan Student Center, Eric Williams-Bergen, Director of Digital Initiatives, Fred Arroyo, Viebranz Visiting Professor of Creative Writing, Peter Bailey, Professor Emeritus of English, Roy Caldwell, Professor of Modern Languages, Cristian Armendariz-Picon, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Physics, Marcia Bradley, Senior Secretary Chaplain’s Office, Roswitha (Vita) Ingram, Principle Clerk Registrar’s Office, Erin Colvin, Assistant Director Higher Education Opportunity Program, Sandhya Ganapathy, Visiting Assistant Professor of Global Studies, Molly Papin ’11, Campaign Special Events Coordinator, Aswini Pai, Associate Professor of Biology, Jim DeFranza, Professor of Mathematics, Eric Shinnick, Financial and Insurance Analyst, Samuel Joseph, Sustainability Program Administrative Director, Ginger Sweeney, Admissions Interviewer, Judith Nagel-Myers, Assistant Professor of Geology