Welcome Back and Policy Updates
September 5, 2024
Dear all,
It is a pleasure to have everyone back on campus for the 2024-2025 academic year. I hope the summer months brought some rest and rejuvenation to you and your loved ones. And to all the new students, faculty, and employees–welcome to the Vassar family!
I am writing to update on new processes we have worked on since last spring to ensure we together foster a community of inquiry, discovery, learning, and care. Representing nearly 60 different countries, more than 50 different languages, dozens of religious and spiritual traditions, different political commitments, and vastly different histories represented on campus–we have tremendous opportunities to share, learn, and grow together. At Vassar, we share the values of academic freedom and respect for persons, as described here.
Some changes and developments worth noting are summarized below.
Unified Policy Against Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct
To support both Vassar’s longstanding commitment to providing a learning, living, and working environment free from unlawful discrimination and harassment, and freedom of expression, we now have a unified policy for Title IX (pertaining to sex-based harassment and sexual violence) and Title VI and Title VII (pertaining to discriminatory harassment) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and New York State Human Rights Law. The interim policy can be reviewed here. Situations allegedly involving either of these are reviewed and addressed by the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA). Any of these issues involving faculty are reviewed and addressed with the support of the Faculty Director of Affirmative Action. Reports of incidents can be made using this form.
Members of the community who experience social identity harm (i.e., when one feels that their identity is being devalued or negatively stereotyped) may choose to work with a Social Identity Harm Advocate, who can be contacted by completing this form. The new pathway for this, which replaces the Bias Incident Reporting Team (BIRT), provides a streamlined process of reporting online to a Social Identity Harm Advocate, who can support individuals directly or connect them to resources including formal reporting structures. I will also draw your attention to the college’s statement condemning antisemitism, Islamophobia, and discriminatory harassment where one can find the process for reporting such instances for immediate follow-up.
Training on antisemitism and Islamophobia
In preparation for the year, we have invested in ongoing training on antisemitism and Islamophobia. The senior leadership team, the Board chair, house teams, and Vassar Student Association (VSA) leadership has undergone such training already. Additional training workshops will continue to be offered to student-facing administrators during the semester. All administrators and faculty will participate in online training regarding discriminatory harassment, which will include references to and examples of antisemitism and Islamophobia.
Engaged Pluralism
Additionally, Professor Kimberly Williams Brown, Director of Engaged Pluralism (EP), is working in tandem with the EP team to develop capacity in intergroup dialogue, restorative practices and storytelling to help diverse groups have meaningful conversations about topics of deep concern. Additional resources include an expansion of Restorative Practice with the leadership of Amanda Munroe, Director of Restorative Practices and Engaged Pluralism, as well as new student peer advocates who will be trained in the use of these practices. Specifically, the launch of a workshop series will broaden student capacity to engage in and facilitate difficult conversations.
Curricular Innovations
Last, Interim Dean of the Faculty Brian Daly is convening interested faculty and students for discussions about curricular innovations in the areas of Peace & Conflict and Middle East Studies. Multiple courses already exist at Vassar that address antisemitism and Islamophobia as well as racism and exclusion of all kinds; however, robust discussion about these topics is part of constantly renewing our curriculum. To add to these conversations, Interim Dean Daly has invited Professor Sa’ed Atshan, who directs Peace & Conflict Studies at Swarthmore, to be our Randolph Fellow this year and he will be visiting campus six times to discuss these topics in the curriculum. Watch your email for planned events.
For me, central to maintaining academic freedom and respect for persons is a commitment to live in a state of inquiry. Having the humility to recognize we never really fully understand but rather we remain always in pursuit of greater understanding. This can be difficult to do--especially when issues of social justice and other passions are at stake. It is so easy to become certain we are right prematurely and hence stop challenging ourselves to explore unpopular viewpoints and humbly learn more. Still, it is these times that greater openness and engagement with different perspectives is most needed. Professor Kahn and I recently published a piece about this approach to learning at Vassar.
My hope for this year is that we will strengthen many capacities—the capacity to think outside the box, to see the world from new perspectives, to care for one another in new ways, and to trust in community. These are bedrock skills that are fundamental to a liberal arts education and will equip us to lead meaningful lives together.
Enjoy the semester!
Elizabeth H. Bradley, President
Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, NY 12604
@EHBVassar