By Emma Mae Regan ’22 and Eric Moss ’24
Dear members of the Hamilton Community,
We believe it necessary to use our editorial page this week to address two issues affecting our community: the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and the recent resignations of multiple faculty members.
On Feb. 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Between Feb. 24 and Feb. 28, the United Nations (UN) estimates that 500,000+ refugees fled Ukraine, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) confirmed at least 536 civilian casualties. For those currently unable to leave Ukraine, there are electricity, food, medicine and water shortages, and a lack of shelter and transportation options.
We denounce Russia for this invasion, and we extend our support to fellow community members who have been affected by this invasion, particularly those who have family or friends in Ukraine now. We also condemn those Ukrainian and international news outlets and aid organizations who have discriminated against and persecuted refugees from marginalized communities based on race, gender, sexuality, religion, socioeconomic status, age, ability, citizenship status and more. Especially during a time when refugees are experiencing extreme trauma and displacement, no one should ever be denied basic care and human decency because of their identity.
For those looking for ways to receive and/or provide support, we recommend attending the “Candles for Ukraine” vigil on Thursday, March 3 at 5:30 p.m. in the Chapel, which has been organized by the Hamilton College Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA). There will be student and faculty speakers, candle lighting and donation opportunities.
On a different note, this week,
The Spectator
was going to publish a news article about the relationship between recent faculty resignations and the recruitment, retention and treatment of BIPOC faculty at Hamilton College. However, after conducting initial interviews and research, we came to the conclusion that this topic needs a more extensive investigation before we publish an article on it.
Despite the piece’s postponement, we would still like to leave readers with some thoughts, and an invitation. In their Final Report published on Dec. 31, 2020, Esquilin Consulting for Equity & Inclusion concluded that at Hamilton College, “power dynamics related to tenure and rank within academia, coupled with inequities along race, gender, sexuality, class, and citizenship status’, create structural, interpersonal, and departmental challenges which express themselves in various ways. According to participants, the result is often a higher turnover rate among BIPOC faculty, and limited numbers occupying tenure track positions” (Esquilin, 14).
It is now 2022, and not only has our initial research and interviews revealed that these dynamics still exist, but some faculty cite the consequences of these dynamics as one of (if not the primary) reasons for their resignation. Those in powerful positions at the College are obligated to ensure that all community members, especially those that represent marginalized identities, are listened to, validated and supported when they experience discrimination, harassment and abuse, and that resources are going towards preventing these experiences from happening in the future. This responsibility is especially important in the context of small, liberal arts PWIs like Hamilton, where BIPOC students, faculty and staff represent a much smaller proportion of the campus in comparison to the white population. When there is qualitative and quantitative data demonstrating and suggesting that the College does not meet these commitments, then organizations like
The Spectator
have a responsibility to pursue accountability and the beginnings of justice through meticulous and thoughtful reporting.
Finally, we encourage students to attend student group Our Hamilton’s “Let’s talk about the letter” this Friday, March 4 at 5:00 p.m. on the first floor of Burke Library. At the event, students will “unpack and discuss [Assistant Professor of Anthropology Mariam] Durrani’s resignation letter and 2021
American Anthropologist
article titled “Digital Infrastructures of the Internet Outrage Machine: An Autoethnography of Targeted Faculty Harassment” (Our Hamilton). Our Hamilton’s goals for the event “are to start conversations to better understand the campus climate and white supremacy at Hamilton and to show our support for marginalized groups of students, faculty and staff” (Our Hamilton).
Sincerely,
Emma Mae and Eric
