To the University community,

We, the undersigned faculty of Fairfield, condemn all racist, Islamophobic, antisemitic, xenophobic, homophobic, sexist and other hate speech and acts.

The results of the 2016 Presidential Election have already introduced new risks for Fairfield students, faculty and staff, which will continue to unfold in the coming months and years. Over the past week alone, faculty members have heard from students, many of whom face unprecedented levels of fear, anxiety and stress for themselves, their families and their communities.

We welcome the president’s statement issued on Nov. 14, which recognizes our institutional values in light of the recent election and we request the president issue a follow-up statement reminding the Fairfield community that harassment of our students, faculty, staff or community members in any form — especially on the basis of race, religious affiliation, political views, ethnicity, sex, gender or sexual orientation — will not be tolerated. We further request that the president consult with other Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities’ presidents to develop a coordinated statement along these lines. We also urge Fairfield administrators to provide effective resources to students who are currently being victimized and to work with local, state and federal officials to address all of the important legal and policy issues that may be involved. These concrete measures will be positive first steps to protect our community members from intimidation, unfair investigation and deportation.

A core aspect of the mission-driven work that we do is to foster a “commitment to truth and justice, manifesting in our students’ lives the common concern for others, which is the obligation of all educated, mature human beings.” Today, these values are more vital than ever. This is why we unambiguously offer our support and solidarity to all students, staff and faculty, in affirmation of our commitment to equity, diversity and social justice on Fairfield’s campus.

Signed,

Jennifer Adair

Sergio Adrada-Rafael

Anna-Maria Aksan

Catherine Andersen

Michael R. Andreychik

Covadonga Arango-Martin   

Paul Baginski

Peter L. Bayers

Steven M. Bayne

James Biardi

Elizabeth Boquet

Jocelyn Boryczka

Betsy A. Bowen

Dorothea Braginsky

Sara Brill

Rachelle S. Brunn-Bevel

Cecelia Bucki

Ashley Byun

Javier Campos

Suzanne Chamlin-Richer

Dave Crawford

Ronald Davidson

Carol Ann Davis

Richard DeWitt

Laura Di Summa-Knoop

David Downie

Ryan Drake

Matthew Duckett

Christine R. Earls

Michelle Farrell

Anita Fernandez

Benjamin Fine

Dina Franceschi

Johanna X. K. Garvey

Shannon Gerry

Joel Goldfield

David Gudelunas

Amanda Harper-Leatherman

Linda Henkel

Elizabeth Hohl

Jerelyn Johnson

Helena Keefe

Dennis K. Keenan

Shannon Kelley

Matt Kubasik

Maggie A. Labinski

Scott M. Lacy

Philip J. Lane

Anna Lawrence

Janie Leatherman

David Lerner

Danke Li

Martha S. LoMonaco

Silvia Marsans-Sakly

Margaret McClure

David McFadden

Laura McSweeney

John R. Miecznikowski

Irene Mulvey

Thomas Murray

Kathryn Nantz

Curt Naser

Laura Nash

Martin Nguyen

Audra K. Nuru

Edmond O’Connell

Sally O’Driscoll

Emily Orlando

Nels Pearson

Shelley Phelan

Lynne Porter

Judy Primavera

Sunil Purushotham

Shawn Rafalski

Susan Rakowitz

Eileen Reilly-Wiedow

Marice Rose

Gavriel Rosenfeld

Vincent J. Rosivach

Adam Rugg

Sallyanne Ryan

Ronald Salafia

Glenn Sauer

Stephen Sawin

Katherine Schwab

Kris Sealey

Hedieh Shadmani

John Slotemaker

Jason A. Smith

Jillian Smith-Carpenter

Lawrence Kraig Steffen

Toby Svoboda

John Thiel

Brian Torff

Matt Tullis

Ellen Umansky

Aaron Van Dyke

Jacqueline Vernarelli

Gary Weddle

Joan Weiss

Maggie Wills

Lydia Willsky-Ciollo

Jiwei Xiao

Jo Yarrington

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