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
This was so nice and much needed! 🙂