Dear
Cañada Community:
On April 25, a guest speaker was invited to campus by one of our
student clubs. The sponsoring club promoted the event and drew an
audience from our campus and the broader community. During this event the
guest speaker was interrupted by students who did not agree with the speaker’s
point of view. The students who disrupted the event will go through the College’s
discipline process.
I also want to discuss a point that I think is even more
important: respecting an individual’s right to hold and voice an opposing point
of view. It is embedded in our College mission that we guide students to understand and appreciate different points of view within
our diverse community.
As
an institution of higher learning, it is critical that Cañada College serve as
a safe and supportive educational environment where ideas are thoroughly
evaluated and discussed. We must do better to practice the tolerance and
respect we demand for ourselves. We must be able to agree to disagree in
a way that allows us to have constructive conversations about the issues and
conditions that matter on our campus, in our community and our country. I
ask that Cañada College students, faculty, staff, and our larger college
community be reminded of our virtues and values: respect, tolerance, and social
justice as we seek truth and knowledge.
There
will be many more events at Cañada College in the months and years to
come. There will be guests and speakers who hold views contrary to yours
or to you may even seem inappropriate or controversial. Cañada College
has – and always will – support the right of free speech and peaceable
assembly, and will continue to encourage events that foster thoughtful and respectful
dialogue.
Our
college is a vibrant, warm and tolerant place. As lifelong learners, we should
all welcome debate, diversity, and even controversy as part of our academic
community. I look forward to us all working together as we continue to reaffirm
these values.
Thank
you.
Sincerely,
Jamillah Moore, Ed.D.
President
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