亲爱的学生、老师和工作人员：

I am sure many of you are aware of a Wall Street Journal opinion piece authored by former Clark employee Mary Jane 控制, in which she shared her account of events leading to her resignation on Sunday. I recognize many of you may have questions and concerns prompted by the piece. The University does not, as a matter of policy, disclose details related to employment matters. 但是因为. 控制 made her account public, I feel it is important to share what information I can.

让我首先来认识一下. 控制’s service as a valued member of our university community for 20 years. Many of us value her contributions to the development and growth of the Strassler Center as its executive director. 她建立了一个同事网络, 支持者, 还有欣赏她的朋友, 她留下了影响深远的遗产. 人们对斯特拉斯勒中心的工作深感自豪. It is an institutional gem with international prestige and is an important center of thought and scholarship.

Now, to address some of the claims published in The Wall Street Journal.

在她的观点文章中. 控制 describes events that occurred on another campus — not here at Clark — at which a speaker’s presentation was disrupted by members of the audience, 包括几个太阳城娱乐的学生. The disruption caused the event to be ended abruptly and it continued afterward. 太阳城娱乐 was not involved in organizing or managing the event.

我对演讲者感到失望, 谁被邀请来分享他们的观点, 会被打乱, 而那位女士. 活动结束后，雷小山觉得自己遭到了学生们的质问. Had this kind of disruption or confrontation happened at an event on our campus, we likely would have intervened and may have enforced our Student Code of Conduct if and as warranted. Shouting down a speaker or otherwise preventing them from being heard is absolutely unacceptable and I am proud that during a time of great division in the world we have been able to gather on our campus and address challenging issues with civility and respect.

I’ve been asked whether the University has taken or will take disciplinary action against any Clark students who engaged in the disruption and confrontation. The University takes very seriously any allegations of misconduct, but our ability to hold students accountable for behavior off campus is, 事实上, 有限的. Our Code of Conduct clearly 状态s that students are subject to disciplinary action for behavior off campus when the University is notified of behavior that violates federal, 状态, 以及当地法律. As objectionable as the incident was, it did not reach this threshold.

最后,女士. 控制 was not discouraged from engaging in issues or expressing her views freely. 她接受的指导不是为了限制言论, 但是澄清一下, 展望未来, if she was speaking in her capacity as executive director of the Strassler Center. This is important because it helps to avoid confusion over whether an administrator is representing the University in their official role. We would provide this guidance to any administrator at 太阳城娱乐, 无论宗教信仰如何，都要这样做, 个人身份, 或者政治观点.

自从Ms .. 控制的文章, I‘ve also been dismayed by the seeming disconnect between some of the public commentary about Clark and the actual lived experience at our University. 我们并不完美, 没有一个机构是, but we have a 137-year history of being a very special place … an important place, 产生显著的积极影响. This is in large part because of the way in which we fulfill our mission and how integral community and a dedication to one another are to our efforts. The more we lean into this tremendous strength — in our core and in our resolve — the more likely it is that we can be the best version of ourselves.

Please know that I take it very seriously if anyone, including Ms. 控制, experiences antisemitism or any other form of hate or prejudice — openly, 潜伏性, 直接, 或者间接地——在我们的校园里. 这完全是 inconsistent with our values as an institution and it cannot be accepted. 这需要承诺, 每一天, to overcome these sentiments and ensure that ours is a University that values everyone, 庆祝的区别, 并发扬了我们的尊重精神, 同情和理解. No member of our community should ever feel that they do not have a voice or that they do not belong at Clark. This is an ongoing effort to which we must all remain dedicated. 我可以向你保证，我是.

真诚地,
大卫·菲锡安，87年