News
NESCAC News
By Isaac Kirschner ’17
April 3, 2015
Connecticut College Deals With Racist Graffiti
Connecticut College President Katherine Bergeron canceled classes on Monday following the discovery of racist graffiti in the bathroom stalls of the school’s student center. Instead of attending classes, students participated in mandatory campus-wide discussions to create an open discussion on racism and “eradicate this ignorance and hatred.” Staff members from the Office of Student Life and Dean of Student’s Office were also made available to provide additional support.
Members of the Connecticut College Community found the graffiti this past Sunday in the Crozier-Williams building. Campus safety officials are investigating the incident but have not yet implicated any perpetrators. Administrators encouraged students to cooperate with the investigation and to contact Campus Safety if they had any information.
“As your president, I will not tolerate forms of racist or hateful speech designed to demean, denigrate, or dehumanize,” Ms. Bergeron said. “Even though speech may be protected does not mean that we have to approve of the odious things that people choose to say with their freedom. I do not approve. It does mean, though, that we can and should use our freedom to speak out against injustice.” Bergeron also issued a letter to campus Sunday night discussing the event and the administration’s response to the incident.
This forum came after Connecticut College Professor Andrew Pessin was put on leave for controversial comments written on a Facebook post about the Gaza Strip. In this post Pessin referred to Gazan Palestinians as “a rabid pit bull chained in a cage, regularly making mass efforts to escape.” Pessin apologized for this statement, which caused considerable anger on the Connecticut College campus.
Robert Redford to Speak at Colby Commencement
Acclaimed actor and director Robert Redford will be the keynote speaker at this year’s commencement at Colby College. In addition to speaking at the event, Redford will receive an honorary degree at the ceremony, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday May 24. The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. on the lawn of the Miller Library.
Redford, a two-time Academy Award winner, has become known for his support of independent filmmaking and environmentalism. Redford’s breakout roles included Barefoot in the Park and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. He made his directorial debut in 1980 when he directed the successful film Ordinary People. In 1981 he founded the Sundance Institute “to foster independence, risk-taking and new voices in American film.” Today, the Sundance Institute holds one of the largest and most influential film festivals in the word.
“Robert Redford represents with great honor and prestige so much of what we value at Colby,” said Colby President David A. Greene. “Throughout his distinguished career he has demonstrated a commitment to the open expression of ideas and the power of artful storytelling. We look forward to welcoming him to Colby and to hearing the insights he will provide to our graduating class.”
The other individuals who will receive honorary degrees at the commencement include Deborah Bial, the president and founder of the Posse Foundation (Bial received an honory degree from Hamilton in 2014); Andrew Davis ’85, an arts, education, and environmental philanthropist; Roger W. Ferguson Jr., president and CEO of TIAA-CREF; and Jose Antonio Vargas, a journalist, filmmaker, and founder of Define American. The ceremony will graduate 480 members of the class of 2015.