President Valerie Smith Joins Colleagues in Condemning Hate and Violence, Supporting DACA Students
President Valerie Smith is one of more than 100 college and university presidents calling for President-elect Donald Trump to both forcefully condemn acts of harassment, hate, and violence, and continue the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
On Friday, Smith joined more than 110 colleagues in urging Trump to forcefully “condemn and work to prevent the harassment, hate, and acts of violence that are being perpetrated across our nation.” Additional signatories include President of Bryn Mawr College Kimberly Wright Cassidy '85, President of Kenyon College Sean Decatur '90, President of Brown University Christina Paxson '82, President of Marlboro College Kevin F. F. Quigley '74, President of Oglethorpe University Lawrence Schall '75, and President of Washington & Jefferson College Tori Haring-Smith '74.
In a letter published today addressed to the "country's leaders," Smith is one of more than 90 college and university presidents calling for a continuation of the DACA program, under which more than 700,000 young people who were brought to the U.S. as children have registered with the federal government in exchange for temporary relief from the possibility of deportation and a two-year renewable work permit. Cassidy, Decatur, Paxson, Schall, and Haring-Smith are also signatories.
In the days following the election, President Smith has reaffirmed a commitment to the College's core values, noting that "now, more than ever, we must continue the good and difficult work of creating a more inclusive, just, and compassionate community both on our own campus, and in the world."
