Looking Forward to Commencement

May 8, 2024

Dear Members of the Trinity Community,

We are living through a moment in American history when student activism has gripped the world’s attention and has elevated awareness of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and its history. Because each campus is different, I believe that this is an important moment for Trinity College to affirm our collective values as an academic community committed to educating bold, independent thinkers to lead transformative lives.

Trinity is committed to pursuing discourse, intellectual engagement, and freedom of speech and expression. We foster a campus climate where all groups, across differences and disagreements, feel welcome and included. But we recognize that not everyone will feel comfortable as we push difficult boundaries in our learning together. Peaceful assembly—such as the current group of students in tents on campus—is an embodiment of that commitment. As a community, we also must adhere to particular policies, and assemblies and protests need to remain within the boundaries of the Social Code articulated in our Student Handbook. These shared values of free speech and respect for others are common ground for our community and set expectations for how we act and interact with one another, especially when we disagree.

Starting from shared values is a focus of the latest conversation in Trinity’s Bridging Divides series, which can be heard here. I highly encourage you to listen to Professor of Political Science Mira Sucharov from Carleton University in Canada and Professor of Law Omar Dajani from University of the Pacific, whose collaboration acknowledges the pain and struggle of finding common ground in conversations that represent Jewish and Palestinian viewpoints. They modeled for us how to disagree without being disagreeable. Thank you to Professor Ben Carbonetti for hosting this episode.

At Trinity, since the first student protests this academic year, we in the administration have been in conversation with leaders from multiple student groups. We have listened with compassion and respect; we have been clear about what we can and cannot do, where we need more information or time, and when we will relay requests to others, as appropriate. As a result, the College already has begun to take certain actions, such as hiring an associate chaplain and director of Muslim life, affirming our direct divestment from fossil fuel, and adhering to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment, which has been College policy since 2018. In addition, I have committed to fostering learning and continuing the debate next academic year on the pros and cons of investment/divestment strategies for College endowments. Other requests have been shared with the Board of Trustees for its consideration.

As Trinity’s seniors prepare to leave our nest, it is a College tradition to come together as a community to recognize their hard-earned academic achievements. Trinity’s Commencement is the central and most important event of the academic year, and it is there that the College celebrates and honors all graduating students, families, and honored guests. All of these groups deserve an opportunity to participate in a program that focuses primarily on the graduates.

Vice President Joe DiChristina continues to be in conversation with student leaders, and he will send to our campus community a separate communication about expectations.

Trinity College is a community of learners across liberal arts disciplines. We recognize the importance of student voices, the right of students to engage in peaceful protest, and the role of protests in a democratic society. As the leader of this educational community, I sincerely hope that we end this academic year in a manner that is consistent with both our mission and our College policies.

We are not perfect. We stumble sometimes, and we can disagree with tactics, but as always, I am proud that we continue to strive to be the community we wish to be, united in our mission and values.

Sincerely,

Joanne Berger-Sweeney
President and Trinity College Professor of Neuroscience