Dear Alumni, Families, and Friends,
I want to provide an update on an event held on Sunday, February 1. Several Jewish community groups, including some Haverford alumni, brought Israeli journalist Haviv Rettig Gur to campus to give a talk titled “Roots, Return, and Reality: Jews, Israel and the Myth of Settler Colonialism.” The event was well attended by members of the Bi-Co and greater Haverford area communities. Unfortunately, Rettig Gur’s talk was disrupted in ways that are antithetical to our core values, and in some instances, were in clear violation of campus policies. Despite these issues, Rettig Gur was able to continue his talk and Q&A with attendees.
Two individuals, including one using a bullhorn to disrupt the event, were involved in an altercation. Campus Safety immediately removed both individuals—neither of whom is affiliated with Haverford College—from the event, and they have since been barred from campus. There have also been reports about other behaviors that might have violated our policies and core values. As our investigations continue, we will not hesitate to take further action to hold individuals accountable. Shouting down a speaker with whom one does not agree, or each other, is never acceptable in our learning community.
Over the past week, we have identified gaps in how events are reviewed, supported, and managed on campus. The safety of our campus community and visitors is our top priority, and we are moving forward with an updated events policy that will clarify expectations for different types of events, strengthen coordination among College offices, and establish additional planning and support for events that require heightened attention. The updated policy will go into effect this spring.
I am disappointed that individuals chose to impede Rettig Gur’s talk and to confront each other in ways that subverted this opportunity for reasoned and respectful dialogue. Even with new processes in place, there will always be a chance of event disruptions. However, that will not deter us from continuing to invite a broad range of speakers to campus, even when they present challenging ideas. Learning through dialogue and debate is core to our liberal arts mission, and we will hold ourselves accountable as a community to upholding those values.
The student body made a huge contribution to this work last semester by adopting a new Honor Code. This spring, I am happy to report that Haverford has joined Hillel’s Campus Climate Initiative (CCI), a national cohort of colleges and universities engaged in year-long educational, research, and action-based work to promote inclusion and belonging. We will also be part of the National Coalition Building Institute’s Stepping into the Divide program which develops campuses’ coalition-building skills to deepen relationships, all in support of our educational approach premised on trust, concern, and respect.
As we move forward, our focus is on supporting our community, strengthening our processes, and ensuring that campus events are planned in ways that reflect our shared values. Thank you for your patience, engagement, and care as we learn from these experiences.
Unrelated to the campus event, many of you are aware that documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice include correspondences over a span of several years between alumnus and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick ‘83 and Jeffrey Epstein. Secretary Lutnick, who has been one of Haverford’s most generous supporters and for whom the Lutnick Library is named, confirmed this past association during his testimony before Congress this week. We recognize that association with Epstein raises ethical questions. While Secretary Lutnick’s association with Epstein has no direct bearing on the College, as an institution, we are committed to our core values and cognizant of broader ethical implications raised by these disclosures. The Board of Managers and I will continue to monitor the situation.
Sincerely,
Wendy Raymond
President
