5/3/24 Update on Encampment and Campus Protests
President Laurie L. Patton sent the following message to the Middlebury campus community on May 3.
Dear Middlebury College Community,
By now you are probably aware that Middlebury College has joined more than 80 colleges and universities across the nation with an active encampment related to the war in Gaza and Israel. Thank you for your patience as we focused on addressing the situation on our campus this week. We are writing today to provide an update about our engagement with this group and our commitment to ensuring the safety of our entire community and the academic success of our students.
Since the encampment was set up on McCullough Green on Sunday morning, we have met with student representatives from the protest group three times–including a cordial and productive meeting this morning. We continue to move toward a resolution, and have made significant progress toward a statement of shared values.
We want to acknowledge the hard work that so many Middlebury people are doing to support all of our students and community members—including those who have been impacted by the violence in Israel and Gaza. We recognize that there are different views across Middlebury on how to address this geopolitical situation. Our primary responsibility as a college is to maintain the safety of our community while honoring our commitment to open expression.
Here are background and context:
Last Sunday, April 28, a group of students set up tents on the McCullough Green in a demonstration they call “Middlebury Gaza Solidarity Encampment.” The event was not registered according to college policies. Otherwise, the students were obeying protocols and engaging in peaceful, non-disruptive demonstration according to our policies. Given the volatile national situation, and after careful consideration, we decided to focus on our educational mission and dialogue with the students. The demonstrators sent the administration five demands that are consistent with those of similar demonstrations at colleges across the nation. You can read them here.
Since Sunday, Middlebury’s leadership team has engaged with the demonstrators in three separate meetings. On Monday, April 29, four members of Middlebury’s senior leadership reached out to the students and requested a listening session to better understand their concerns. That led to a first meeting on Tuesday, April 30. On Wednesday, the administration met for a second time with student organizers with the intent of bringing about a resolution. The same group of administrators met with the students again this morning and came to an understanding that we will work immediately on a mutually agreeable outcome. Each of these conversations has included reminders about our demonstration and protest policies and the importance of working within Middlebury’s guidelines to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our community. We are encouraged by this progress. This work has been challenging and peaceful.
Also this week, we worked to ensure that all faculty and staff who interact with our students have the resources they need to respond in appropriate ways. Yesterday we shared guidance with faculty and staff about how to engage with the encampment in ways that align with our academic policies and educational mission. The Office of Religious and Spiritual Life and the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion have held listening sessions for various student groups who are concerned about their wellbeing and represent different perspectives on the war and the encampment, including Jewish groups concerned about antisemitism. We are addressing any reports of discriminatory behavior through the Civil Rights and Title IX office and through our bias response process, including reports of vandalism and harassment based on membership in a protected category such as religious or ethnic identity. We are also working on an individual basis with students who may experience harm.
Middlebury has hosted other events this week related to the Israel-Gaza war, including an artistic installation and a rally in support of Gaza, and a lecture on combating antisemitism in higher education by Rachel Fish. We share the nation’s concern about rising antisemitism on college campuses.
In this difficult national context, it bears repeating that as an educational institution, Middlebury values and encourages free expression and the robust exchange of ideas—including a wide range of forms of protest and demonstration. We are committed to promoting and supporting the consideration, discussion, and questioning of ideas, even if they are unpopular or controversial. Middlebury values openness, curiosity, and critical engagement, which drive our commitment to creating and maintaining a diverse, equitable, and inclusive campus. Our Open Expression Policy, adopted in 2019, represents the extensive work of students, faculty and staff.
Our commitment to open expression carries with it responsibilities and expectations. We take these most seriously. We have communicated with the students that we expect demonstrators to remain peaceful and to negotiate with integrity and in good faith, as we have promised to do the same.
We affirm here that Middlebury supports all our students. We are a community with varied perspectives that is committed to dialogue and peaceful resolution within an educational context. We want to say again that this is and will continue to be our primary focus.
We will keep you updated on our progress in the coming days, and we look forward to celebrating the end of the academic year later in the month.
Sincerely,
Laurie L. Patton
President