Building a Stronger Oglethorpe

Dear Oglethorpe Community,

As many of you know, there is an Instagram page where presumably current and former students have anonymously expressed traumatic personal experiences. It is evident that the people sharing these posts are in pain and warrant our compassion. No one deserves to experience the hurt they are expressing.

As a university we must strive to engage in critical – and sometimes difficult – dialogue in order to bring about needed growth and change. My hope is that students, faculty, and staff will utilize the established channels to report incidents so that we can follow-up, investigate, and address any concern brought forward. As you heard from Dean Michelle Hall last week, all members of our community are encouraged to attend our open forums and students have the following link to communicate concerns and experiences: https://oglethorpe.edu/student-complaint-process/

As a campus, we continue to develop more robust and frequent mechanisms for gathering information and addressing concerns. We ask that you watch your email and actively participate by providing your feedback this fall semester as we roll these new processes out. We hope these enhanced communication channels and additional ways to report grievances will better serve our community.

Activism is a vitally important part of our democracy and of our campus culture here at Oglethorpe. We must use our voices and take action when we witness injustice. Our growth as a community hinges on our ability to be responsible to one another and to facilitate a culture of empathy and understanding. 

We know that our faculty and staff are committed to Oglethorpe’s mission to educate students to be citizens in a global world, ready them for responsible leadership, and empower them to pursue meaningful lives and productive careers. Even so, at times there can be discord in the intent and impact of words and actions. Therefore, we must come together to recognize our areas for growth, to lean into our discomfort, and to practice radical compassion.

Let us continue this important dialogue in a manner that facilitates lasting change. We urge you to join us in this journey toward building a stronger, more inclusive Oglethorpe.

Sincerely,