I am writing to share information about when and how Brown communicates with and supports our student community amid troubling or disruptive national or world events originating beyond the Brown campus.

 

First, I want to reassure you that if any event on or off campus poses an immediate threat to our campus community, Brown’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) will send a timely warning or emergency notification. You can learn more and view previous crime alerts and advisories on DPS’s Alerts website.

 

In keeping with the University’s Public Statements Policy, Brown generally does not issue public statements on local, national or world events. As an institution of higher education, the University may choose to comment publicly on matters affecting colleges and universities and our mission of education and research. Brown’s principles surrounding statements reflect the reality that universities are not in a position to take action or respond to everything that happens around the world, even issues that Brown community members feel in deep and personal ways. We are a global community, and our faculty, staff and students call multiple places home and have friends and family worldwide. The subjective judgments that would attach to offering a response to some issues and tragedies and not others imply that Brown might regard some communities or events as more important than others. It also might imply that the University has a role in affecting national or world events in ways that we do not.

 

When we are aware of national or world events beyond our campus – such as a natural disaster, geopolitical event or mass tragedy – that may affect segments of our campus community, Brown support staff will conduct outreach to individual students and/or student communities with known connections to the communities or locations impacted to offer ongoing support, resources, and opportunities to connect. Our tailored outreach is informed by data students provide in Banner, so students should maintain current information, including emergency contacts. And because we will not always know who needs additional support, we also rely on our community members to share with us when they are aware of affected individuals or communities.

 

We continually work to strengthen our community and have compiled a comprehensive list of support resources available to students. The Brown community is shaped by an ethic of care and empathy for one another, and I encourage students both to extend support to one another and let us know when they are aware of a fellow student in need of support. 

 

Sincerely,

Koren Bakkegard, Associate Vice President for Campus Life and Dean of Students