Dear Members of the Brown Community,

On Friday, Oct. 18, a recognized student organization held a registered and planned series of events related to the recent decision by the Corporation of Brown University not to support a student-led proposal to divest. While much of what took place was consistent with submitted event plans and with policy and community expectations regarding protest and demonstration, there was deeply concerning behavior targeting members of the Brown community that was entirely unacceptable. As a community dedicated to teaching and learning, we cannot and will not tolerate such actions, and these incidents will be reviewed through University disciplinary processes.

Behavior that is threatening and intimidating should not be acceptable to any member of the Brown community. On Friday, members of our community — administrators, members of Brown’s governing board and also staff workers — reported experiencing these unacceptable behaviors. These reports include banging on a vehicle carrying members of the community, physically blocking passage of a vehicle, screaming profanity at individuals at close and personal range, profanity and a racial epithet directed toward a person of color, and following and screaming at individuals while filming them.

As we have communicated numerous times over the last year, protest and demonstration are a necessary and acceptable means of expression at Brown. We are an educational community where we disagree, debate and even argue for the purpose of both learning and advancing understanding across differences in views and perspectives. At the same time, we have consistently communicated the standards and expectations of the University Code of Conduct, which all members of the Brown community have agreed to abide by. We are committed to upholding freedom of expression while also respecting the dignity and humanity of others.

No member of the Brown community would want or expect to be treated in the manner some of our members experienced on Friday, and it was troubling to read in media reports the expressed intent of some organizers to provoke discomfort that ultimately targeted individuals. There were also concerns about noise and disruption immediately adjacent to an academic building where student examinations were taking place. As a campus community, we should be resolute that these behaviors are not acceptable, are not reflective of the Brown student body or our community as a whole, and are not commensurate with what we expect of ourselves and others.

The Code of Student Conduct makes clear what constitutes acceptable behavior and outlines the incident review process and procedures we pursue regarding behavior of student organizations and/or individual community members that are determined to violate Brown’s community standards. Those processes are underway with regard to what took place on Friday, and disciplinary sanctions will be imposed where violations of conduct codes are found.

While those processes appropriately take place, it is important that all students, faculty and staff take this opportunity to reflect on how we want to conduct ourselves as individuals and as a community. Brown has a rich history of protest and demonstration, which can be highly effective methods for effecting change. Established shared governance processes, through which the campus community has tackled difficult questions across generations at Brown, also play a role in navigating demands for change. When a decision is made through those processes that individuals and groups do not agree with, they have choices with regard to how to respond. Anger and disappointment are understandable and acceptable responses. Bullying, intimidation and racial harassment are not.

As we continue to navigate challenging times on campus and in the nation, our resolve and our principles as a compassionate learning community will continue to be tested. I am hopeful that members of the Brown community will engage in discussion with each other about these challenges and commit to treating each other with respect and dignity.

Sincerely,

Russell C. Carey
Interim Vice President for Campus Life
Executive Vice President, Planning and Policy