Dear friends,
President Barron recently shared with the university community a thoughtful message about the end of the long and difficult presidential campaign. While some in our community are rejoicing at the outcome, others are, as he put it, “disappointed and disheartened. ” In light of this, it is imperative that we celebrate our membership, one and all, in the Penn State community.
Unfortunately, one source of the disappointment that many feel is precisely the sense that they are not part of the community. Many Penn Staters now believe that the United States has endorsed a vision of itself that excludes them. They worry that this vision has inspired the cruel acts of exclusion and intimidation that they have recently seen in our community. And they fear that these acts, and the sentiments behind them, will only worsen over time.
The College of the Liberal Arts repudiates acts of incivility and exclusion, as well as the various forms of ill-will that inspire them. In the spirit of the core value that is enshrined in our name – collegiality, from the Latin “collegio,” for society or community – we will be hosting, supporting, and announcing a variety of events to address the unease and anxiety that some of us now feel in the current environment.
I am writing now to invite you to the first of these events, a gathering of and for our international student colleagues that will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 15, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. in the Pollock Cultural Lounge. The event is co-sponsored by the Pollock Residence Life Office and will include the following panelists:
- Dr. Sharon Shen, Executive Director, Global Connections
- Dr. Deryn Verity, Director, ESL Programs
- Dr. Natalie Hernandez, Psychologist, Multicultural Student Programs and Services Coordinator, Counseling and Psychological Services
- Melissa Landrau Vega, Assistant Director, Multicultural Resource Center
All Penn Staters are welcome, and the primary aim of this event is to give those of us who might be peculiarly vulnerable to xenophobic insults, threats, and assaults a space to share concerns, identify resources, and reconnect with friends and allies. We will provide light refreshments.
We will announce other events as the details become available. In the meantime, if you know of an event that is already scheduled or in the works, please let me know. We will add those details to our own announcements.
I look forward to seeing you at these events, and to working with you to deepen the ties of our community. We – all of us – are Penn State.
With best wishes,
Paul C. Taylor