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September 10, 2004 To the Williams Community, I am writing to inform you about an occurrence that resulted in sanctions against a faculty member. At the end of the spring semester, a meeting took place in which a group of faculty members, one of whom is African-American, was conducting department business. One of those present raised a concern about the status of her own field of professional work relative to the fields of the others. At one point, she made a heated statement to the effect that she did not want her field to be "used as a nigger." The matter was promptly brought to my attention by several of those present at the meeting and a formal complaint was made against the faculty member who made the remark. Upon investigating, I concluded that the faculty member's behavior warranted the serious step of imposing sanctions on her, which I have done. I believe that the statement made at the meeting was a use of racist language that was meant to provoke or hurt the African-American colleague who was present. Over the summer, I and other administrators have been working with the department to determine how best to move forward toward the goal of ensuring an environment that is respectful of all the department's members. In recent years there have been a number of discussions concerning the extent to which various members of our campus community feel it to be one that is sufficiently welcoming and supportive of all. President Schapiro's attached letter addresses these broader issues. I am confident that a community as strong as ours can seize this challenge to make Williams a better place for all its members. Sincerely, |