Dear students,
Welcome back! The start of the fall semester is one of the best times of the year as students are back on campus, meeting new people, reuniting with friends and preparing for a year of learning and fun.
We acknowledge that last year was a difficult one for campus communities around the country and here at WashU as well. As we embark on a new semester - a new beginning for all of us - we wanted to share a few words of hope for our community as we begin the fall.
First, we are, by design, a diverse university. People come here to study from all over the world, and bring with them different lived experiences, cultures, and ideas. Our diversity is one of our greatest strengths as a university. But our community only works when we are willing to listen to one another, show empathy, and find common ground. This doesn’t mean we always have to agree with one another, but we need to treat one another with respect. Student Union President Hussein Amuri said it best in his inauguration remarks last spring, “Let’s make sure our disagreement does not lead to disunion. Instead, let’s strive for the hope to listen and be listened to.”
Second, the community we are building depends on strong communication. We live in a world where it is easy to find, feel and see hate constantly outside the boundaries of our campus and in the virtual world of the internet and social media. On our campus, we can and should do better. We live together and share physical space every day, which gives us the unique opportunity to build relationships and engage in actual dialogue with one another. Let’s not miss this opportunity. In our leadership roles, all of us aspire to do that work every day - in person and in space together.
Finally, we wanted to share our commitment to freedom of expression, as well as a reminder about the obligation to use the privileges we have responsibly. We cannot learn or develop new knowledge when ideas are censored or not able to be shared on our campus. Also, this should be a place where all of us can live and learn without fear, harassment, or intimidation from others. We believe it is possible for both principles to be true, but it will require all of us working together and genuinely listening to one another to make this work.
To help provide clarity to our community when there are questions about the boundaries of freedom of expression, we want to draw your attention to several university policies. The policies include the policy on Demonstrations and Disruption, the Danforth Campus Facilities Access Policy, and the Discrimination and Harassment Policy.
Each of us in our respective organizations will be providing opportunities for students to engage and learn from one another this fall and we hope you will take advantage of those opportunities. We want to highlight an important campus conversation that will be taking place on Wednesday, September 4 at 4 p.m. in Emerson Auditorium in Knight Hall between Chancellor Andrew D. Martin and Professor Lee Epstein, moderated by Student Union President, Hussein Amuri, that will give our campus the opportunity to engage with our faculty and leaders about the topic of freedom of expression. We hope you will consider joining us.
Have a wonderful first week of the semester!
