To the Williams Community,
We want to raise with you the topic of sexual assault, a pressing one for our society and our campus.
Statistics about sexual assault on campus are hard to come by since survivors for a variety of reasons often choose not to report. But we know that assaults happen here – a situation we cannot accept.
We also know that an outdoor display produced, as a class assignment, to increase awareness of this issue was destroyed over the weekend. This kind of outrageous behavior saddens all of us who care about the campus community and its standards.We encourage anyone with information on what happened to contact Campus Safety at x4444 or through the anonymous tip line.
What occurred both saddens and energizes us. Such a juvenile act cannot thwart the good work being done by students, staff, and faculty to combat sexual violence on campus. These include efforts by the Rape and Sexual Assault Network and the Sexual Assault Response Team, the members of which deserve the thanks and support of us all.
We’ve begun conversations with students and colleagues on ways to broaden the discussion on campus of these issues. We do this in light of what occurred this weekend and since none of us can rest until sexual violence on our campus has been eliminated.
With regards,
Adam Falk, President
and
Karen Merrill, Dean of the College