Dear CC Community,
On Sunday, there was a protest by a small group of students at Tutt Library. The event raised some questions about our policies and procedures concerning student protest activities. We would like to take this opportunity to clarify for the community how we balance our commitment to freedom of expression and the protection of our students’ learning environment.
We take freedom of expression seriously. CC provides numerous avenues for our students to express their views in a peaceful manner and at reasonable times and places on campus. We protect their right to do so.
At the same time, we strive to protect our students’ learning environment. Our
Freedom of Expression policy clearly states that protests and demonstrations must not “disrupt the normal business or activities of the college.” We therefore do not allow protests in classrooms or the library.
What happened
Last week, it came to our attention that there might be a student protest at Tutt Library on Sunday. Because this was not a campus-sanctioned event, we did not know who the planners were and could not confirm if the protest would take place. Nevertheless, Campus Safety prepared to be on-site to monitor the situation as it evolved and to implement appropriate safety measures as needed.
On Sunday, a group of about 10 students began a protest in the library. Their actions consisted of chants, songs, music, and posted banners. There was no damage to property or targeting of individuals. When their noise level became disruptive, Campus Safety informed them that their activities were interfering with other students’ ability to learn. The students were told that if they did not stop, they would violate our Student Code of Conduct. The students chose not to stop their demonstration.
In the absence of a health or safety emergency, such as threats of violence to people or property, our policy and practice is to address student misconduct of this nature through the student disciplinary process. Accordingly, Campus Safety did not arrest or otherwise force the protesting students to exit.
To ensure that we protected our students’ learning environment, we provided students with access to alternative study spaces on Sunday in Shove Memorial Chapel, Gaylord Hall, and Gates Commons.
Next Steps
We recognize that Sunday’s protest was upsetting to some members of our community. We are continuing to meet individually and in groups with students, and we are communicating in detail about how and where to access support resources. Additionally, we have held and will continue to hold our students and employees accountable to our Freedom of Expression Policy and Community Standards.
We are committed to ensuring that we educate our community about Antisemitism, and Anti-Arab and Anti-Muslim hate, and will continue to do so to protect all our students. These efforts to date include:
- A virtual training about antisemitism was held in December with Kirsten Fermaglich, professor of History and Jewish Studies at Michigan State University. A training about Islamophobia was held the following day.
- Alternative space made available for Jewish students at Sacred Grounds and other locations during known demonstrations on campus.
- The Chaplain’s office directly supports Jewish life and Muslim life on campus, including facilitating community events, high holidays, and religious and spiritual accommodations.
- We continue to offer multiple courses across academic departments related to sociopolitical issues in the Middle East.
We have also offered opportunities for the campus community to learn about the war in Israel and Gaza and to share perspectives:
Moving forward, we will conduct more training for our students, staff, and faculty to ensure they understand our Freedom of Expression policies and their responsibilities under them.
We are also refining our processes for reporting hate speech and violations of our Freedom of Expression policy to ensure they are clear and effective.
In closing, Colorado College is proud to have a diverse student body that includes students from many countries, religions, and races. We understand that in this time of conflict, some students, including our Israeli, Palestinian, Muslim, and Jewish students, may feel uncared for and unsafe. To all our students, we want you to know that we actively support you and your safety. We also condemn and will address Antisemitism, Anti-Arab and Anti-Muslim hate, discriminatory language, or any form of hate or bigotry on our campus.
At Colorado College, we are a strong community that is even stronger when we honor one another’s humanity and show compassion and care toward each other, especially during deeply fraught, uncertain, and troubling times. As we have said before, let us come together and provide care, create compassionate spaces for healing, act with kindness, and remember our shared humanity. These are the values we are committed to as a liberal arts college. We all have a responsibility to ensure we uphold them.
President L. Song Richardson
Manya Whitaker
Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff, Interim President-Elect
Pedro de Araujo
Dean of the College and Chief Operating Officer
Molly Bodnar
Interim Vice President for Advancement
Emily Chan
Dean of the Faculty
Khaleel Gathers
Vice President and Chief Information Officer
Mark Hatch
Vice President for Enrollment
Lesley Irvine
Vice President and Director of Athletics
Lacy Karpilo
Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students
Lori Seager
Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer
Ryan Simmons
Vice President for People and Workplace Culture
Stephanie Wurtz
Interim Vice President for Strategic Communications and Marketing
