Special Campus Memo: A Case Study presented by the President's Office

Dear Grinnellians,

College campuses across the county have been struggling with the intersecting issues of inclusivity and free speech. Among the difficult situations that present such challenges are bias/hate-motivated incidents that disrupt an entire community. We are neither immune to the possibility of these incidents, nor the difficulties that arise in their wake. It is important to make sure that in the aftermath of such an incident, our community is prepared to appreciate the complexity of issues and to better understand the roles of responders.

I invite you to attend "CASE STUDY: A Community Responds - A Bias/Hate Incident Raising Issues of Free Speech and Inclusivity," Tuesday, Nov. 28 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in Sebring-Lewis Hall. One of the most compelling events of this semester, it will be a real-time simulation with a panel of key campus and community members. Loosely modeled on the award-winning Fred Friendly Seminars that appeared on public television between 1984 and 2009, the forum will present a unique opportunity to examine a situation in the absence of the glare of public scrutiny and the intense emotions that are typically present in a real-life incident.

Using a case-based approach with the Socratic teaching method often used in law schools, moderator Angela Onwuachi-Willig '94, Chancellor's Professor of Law at the University of California, will engage participants who will assume hypothetical roles in the simulation. Participants will react in real time to explain openly and objectively their reasoning and approach as they discuss how and why they might respond to a fictional incident in a fictional college community.

Among the questions that communities often confront include:  

• What are the best ways for colleges to respond immediately to support students, faculty, and staff who may be affected both directly and indirectly?
• In the aftermath of a potential bias/hate-motivated incident, how can communities better understand the significance and circumstances of the incident?
• How should a college respond when an incident prompts advocacy organizations of various perspectives to become engaged in the aftermath of the incident?

Panel members scheduled to participate in the simulation are listed below (with their actual titles).

Angela Onwuachi-Willig '94 (Moderator), Chancellor's Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley
Andrea Conner, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, Grinnell College
Morgane Garnier '19, 2016 Rosenfield Program Intern, Center for Constitutional Rights (2016), Grinnell College
Frank Harty, Legal Counsel for Grinnell College
Alice Herman '18, Scarlet and Black News Editor
Lakesia Johnson, Chief Diversity Officer, Assistant Vice President, and Associate Professor, Grinnell College
Raynard S. Kington, President, Grinnell College
Mike Latham, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean, Grinnell College
Debra Lukehart, Vice President for Communications, Grinnell College
Dennis Reilly, Chief of Police, City of Grinnell
Henry Reitz '89, Chair of Faculty and Professor, Grinnell College
Kathleen Richardson, Dean of the School of Journalism, Drake University, and former Editor, Des Moines Register
James Shropshire, Director of Campus Safety, Grinnell College
Mark Stringer, Executive Director, ACLU of Iowa
Summer White '18, President, Student Government Association, Grinnell College

This event is free and open to the public. Importantly, there will be an interactive component to the program, which consists of a one-hour role play with Professor Onwuachi-Willig and the panelists, followed by 30 minutes of Q & A with the audience.

Thank you for putting this critically important event on your schedule. I hope to see you there.

Sincerely,

Raynard S. Kington

President