Vincent Boudreau
Dear Members of the City College Campus Community,
I’m writing to update you on recent events on campus and to provide you with some guidance about tomorrow. As you likely know by now, there is an encampment of demonstrators on our quad, and it is posing significant difficulties for us.
Throughout our history, inclusive of these last few months, we have respected the right to protest and the values of academic and speech freedom. Events since October have put those commitments to the test, but we have endeavored to reconcile the tensions that often exist between supporting free speech and tending to the safety and well-being of our entire community.
This encampment, however, poses significantly different and heightened challenges. Most importantly, this is not primarily a CCNY demonstration, and perhaps not primarily a CUNY demonstration. The significant inclusion of un-affiliated external individuals means that we don’t have established connections to them.
Specifically, this demonstration has been more contentious and violent than anything we’ve seen on campus before. Today, we distributed a letter to members of the encampment detailing specific examples of threats to the safety of people within and outside the encampment, so that all of them understand the full scope of the activity. We also want all of them, and those of you reading this note, to understand that in no way does our response to this particular and extraordinary threat overwrite our more fundamental commitments to free speech, academic freedom, or the right to peacefully protest that comply with CCNY and CUNY regulations.
But, in view of these developments, we are instructing the demonstrators encamped on our quad to dismantle their encampment and restrict their future activities to those permitted under CUNY guidelines for assembly, free speech and protest.
Given the situation, we are moving all Wednesday classes and work to remote, remaining remote until conditions permit a return to normal business operations. We are also urging all members of our community to stay away from campus. Essential staff members will receive more specific information on whether and how to report to the campus. If for some reason it is essential that you come to campus, make sure you bring your CCNY ID and that people know of your plans—supervisors, deans, etc. In addition, a second guidance is forthcoming that will detail, with specifics, how to re-establish your remote access across academic and business units, including guidance for students.
The situation on campus is very fluid and we will endeavor to keep you updated. This is obviously a wrenching moment for the CCNY community and for me personally. I know that you all join me in the fervent hope that this encampment can be brought to a peaceful conclusion.
Sincerely,
Vince Boudreau
President