November 11, 2016

Dear Members of the Campus Community,

Early this morning a deeply disturbing and offensive flier was discovered in various locations on campus, including Wheelock Student Center and Collins Memorial Library. The flier lists members of our community by name in inflammatory terms. The university is pursuing an investigation and will act on its findings as expeditiously as possible.

As a community, we place a high value on freedom of speech. That freedom requires balance and does not extend to speech that violates our harassment policy, our integrity principle, and other policies that affirm the values of our community. These policies are in place to respect the rights, promote the dignity, and protect the safety of everyone on our campus.

Our first and highest concern is for the welfare of all members of our campus community. This time is a painful and emotional one for many on our campus, and on campuses and in communities across the country. We must be vigilant and unwavering in our efforts to advance our goals to become the welcoming and inclusive campus we aspire to be, which means we will not tolerate harassment of any kind or in any form at Puget Sound.

Please avail yourselves of resources that are available to you on campus for support during this difficult time (see key resources presented below). Know, too, that if you have a complaint to bring forward, we have avenues in place to support you.

A student wrote to me a few minutes ago and shared with me, by chance, one of my favorite quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. that I believe is most appropriate at this time and I pass it on to you: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” I call on us as a community to care for and respect each other in all of our interactions and across all of our pursuits. We must respect the dignity of every member of our community. It is the best and only way forward.

Sincerely,

Isiaah
Isiaah Crawford | President

 

Harassment Reporting Officers
Resources and advocates who can be contacted to report any expression of harassment or discrimination.

Puget Sound’s Harassment Policy
The campus policy prohibiting harassment, and resources for reporting.

Counseling, Health, and Wellness Services
253.879.1555
Walk-in hours today, 1–3 p.m.

Employee Assistance Program
Resources for faculty and staff, including stress management.

Integrity Principle
The standards that govern our community.