Message from President Regarding Recent Events

TO: Members of the Holy Cross Community FROM: Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., president of the College

 

In the last two weeks, following the horrific killing of members of the Latino/a LGBT community in Orlando, our country has been overwhelmed by violent racially-charged deaths. New incidents of black men being killed by the police, and the subsequent killings of police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge, have stunned the country and our world. These incidents have left us all unsettled, but none more so than those whose identity, race, and/or profession could make them the target of such violence.

As this new cycle of violence erupted, I was visiting family on the West Coast. Like many of you, I’m sure, these incidents left me saddened and despairing. And with the pace of a 24-hour news cycle and the frequency with which violent events have been happening in our country and our world, it is difficult to find the time and space to reflect on the life-changing implications for the victims and families of those involved, and the accumulated impact of such violence on our country.

That was brought home to me one evening just a few days before I left town, when I attended a rally in Worcester's Peace Park against gun violence. Elected officials, family members of victims, and police officers spoke about the effects of gun violence on their lives and on our community and warned us how easy it is to become overwhelmed by and passive to the prevalence of violence around us. As I reflected on the insights of that rally and the horrible violence of the last two weeks, I recognized that before I could discern how to respond to these issues and write to you, I needed time to reflect more deeply on these incidents and pray over them. The Ignatian tradition recognizes a difference between silent passivity and active reflectivity, and it seems to me that the latter is necessary for the hard work of discerned and sustained engagement of difficult issues. Listening to God and to the voices of those who currently bear disproportionate burdens as a consequence of our national history of racism, xenophobia, and inequity is critical if we are to move forward. And beyond listening, getting to know and entering into an educated solidarity with those so affected provides a new basis for a community of shared purpose.

At Holy Cross, we are an increasingly diverse educational community publicly committed to engaged intellectual activity, thoughtful discourse, and spiritual values which proclaim the dignity and equality of each individual before God, and to discerned action to promote social justice. In a national election where much of the discussion of race, religion, identity, and immigration is polarizing and intolerant, as a community we are called to engage these issues with respect for one another, patience with disagreements, and a commitment to deeper dialogue that promotes inclusion rather than division.

Over the past year, many students have expressed to me their desire to engage topics of race, inequity, and social conflict in the classroom with their faculty. These students realize that unique disciplines have different entry points into these issues, and they know that for some subjects the relationship is quite indirect. But with these issues so dramatically affecting their lives, students appreciate how faculty can stimulate thoughtful classroom dialogue on these and other complex societal issues. In some cases, faculty might engage these questions through the content of their courses, while in other circumstances faculty may provide a space in class or in the office for conversation and reflection. Last semester, a student shared with me how comforted she was when a math professor spent ten minutes at the beginning of class discussing with the students a recent violent incident which had specific impact on the black community. That simple acknowledgement and concern, she said, allowed her and others in the class to move on to the scheduled lesson plan with new focus. Similarly, student life professionals, coaches, and the directors of campus programs and services engage students on these issues in settings outside of the classroom where diverse communities regularly encounter one another and work together. Orientation programs for new students also offer an important venue for introducing critical issues, and through our chaplaincy, interreligious dialogue on shared values may lead to shared commitments for change.

Clearly, to support such engagement, we who are faculty, staff, or administrators need to work with each other to draw on our diverse expertise and to model in dialogue and action with each other what we hope for in our students. I am currently in conversation with various campus divisions about their work and their thoughts on how to engage these issues this coming fall. Many offices have already begun planning conversations, programs, and opportunities for dialogue and sharing as the semester begins. In addition, I am working with the Board of Trustees on these important concerns. Details about campus-wide programming on these issues will be shared at the start of the semester.

Dialogue alone won't instill trust or friendship, as these gifts are the result of choices which lead to shared vulnerabilities, shared experiences, and shared commitments, but dialogue is a beginning. As a liberal arts college with a clear mission and values, we are a small enough community to get to know one another and we are large enough to have significant resources among our faculty, staff, students, and alumni to support meaningful interactions. If anyone would like to suggest specific ideas on how we might see these issues engaged, please send your thoughts to me at hcpresident@holycross.edu, and they will be shared with appropriate campus leadership.

As we prepare for a new academic year, I hope we will each take time to practice self-care, and to reflect on the state of our country, the needs of our world, and the possibilities that are before us here at Holy Cross. In the face of the difficulties we see, let us ask God to give us the strength we need to continue to engage each other and our world with hope.

Sincerely,

Philip L. Boroughs, S.J. President