Spring 2017 Semester Message
Dear students, staff, and faculty,
Welcome to the spring 2017 semester. I want to apprise you of two important, recent developments.
First, President Trump signed an Executive Order last Friday that suspended entry of all refugees for 120 days, barred Syrian refugees indefinitely, and for 90 days blocked entry for citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, including those with student visas. On Saturday, a federal judge in Brooklyn temporarily blocked the order, but its enforcement at the borders remains unclear. On Sunday, CUNY Chancellor Milliken issued a statement.
An indiscriminate ban on refugees and immigrants at our borders is antithetical to our values at Brooklyn College. We are a college that has embraced refugees, immigrants, and the children of both since our founding in 1930. Our commitment to diversity, international human rights, religious freedom, and equality is bedrock, and we will continue to support students and scholars who wish to learn and teach here.
We are monitoring the situation closely and will keep you informed. Brooklyn College students and scholars with concerns about the Executive Order should e-mail Keisha Wilson, director of International Student Services.
Second, I am pleased to announce the launch of the campus-wide spring 2017 "We Stand Against Hate: Enhancing Understanding and Compassion" initiative.
The students, staff, and faculty working on the project have developed an amazing series of events to generate thoughtful discussions on the very issues that are becoming more and more salient every day. February’s lineup includes a student-organized game show on interfaith knowledge (this week!); the beginning of an ongoing series on children's books to inspire compassion with the dean of the School of Education; a lecture on understanding and accepting difference with faculty from Philosophy, and Anthropology and Archaeology; a workshop on undercover surveillance and the First Amendment with faculty from English, History, Mathematics, and Sociology; and a daylong celebration of the life and work of renowned African-American historian and former Brooklyn College Chair John Hope Franklin. I encourage you to attend and participate in these exciting events.
We can better withstand times of change and anxiety if we share our experiences and work to enhance our community together.
