Letter from Bro

Here's the letter I received via email today from President Bro Adams regarding the incident at Colby last Sunday am. I've been getting updates all week about the incident and it still seems unclear what happened and why. On Monday, I received reports saying that a kid got so drunk someone had to call EMS. Some other kid interfered with the treatment. He reacted in a verbal then physical way. Security and police were called in and the kids were arrested. That story seemed straightforward enough. By Tuesday there were reports saying that the kids were treated forcefully and unfairly and perhaps this has something to do with race. Five days later it still seems pretty unclear... Let me know what you think.

Dear Colby Alumni,

I have received hundreds of e-mails and voice messages in response to my communications with all of you regarding the events of April 12. I cannot respond to each message individually in the thoughtful and timely manner they all deserve, so I hope you will understand my resorting again to e-mail in order to provide an update. Some common questions and concerns emerged in many of your messages.

Chief among them were:
-requests for specific information about the April 12 events and Colby’s response to them;
-expressions of shock regarding the video that shows Colby Security officers restraining two students;
-questions about a possible racial element to Colby’s and local law enforcement’s handling of the situation;
-how Colby will proceed in investigating the events of April 12.

At a forum on campus last night, I reiterated to members of the on-campus community that I find the video deeply disturbing. I understand why, in the absence of other information, students and others would respond to the video with expressions of anger and fear. The host of emotions called forth by images of security officers restraining students is complex, and the complexity deepens because the officers are white and the students are of color.

While I acknowledge the power of those images, I also recognize that the video depicts only a very brief portion of the time in which the Colby personnel, students, and law enforcement officers interacted. A full and complete understanding of the facts and circumstances of that morning is required if we are to have any hope of addressing productively the many concerns raised. As I did in my last message to you, I underscore my feeling that we must not rush to judgment in the absence of that complete understanding, even while I acknowledge the many requests that Colby act quickly. We do not yet know whether any of the events was motivated by racial considerations. We do not yet know whether the methods used constitute excessive force.I understand that these are questions that demand answers and that the pace of our investigation and the scarcity of detail surrounding it are clearly of concern to many of you. So I will share with you what I have told students about how the investigation has been mounted and how it will proceed.

Beginning early on Sunday morning, Associate Dean of Students Paul Johnston, Coordinator of Multicultural Programs Joseph Atkins and Richard Nale from Colby’s Human Resources Department have been conducting interviews with witnesses. They were selected to conduct Colby’s initial investigation because of their knowledge of Colby policies and federal laws surrounding student privacy issues and employment regulations and because each is experienced in gathering information immediately following an event. Experience, not only at Colby but in other settings, suggests that the sooner such interviews are conducted, the more complete and accurate a picture of events will emerge. Paul, Joe, and Richard have been unable to interview all potential witnesses because some have not responded to requests from them, but they hope to conclude this phase of the investigation shortly, joined by Director of Equal Employment Opportunity Cora Clukey as we make the transition into the next phase.

At the forum last night, students asked whether it would be helpful for Colby administrators to receive information germane to the investigation from students who were not present – for example, from students who have had interactions with Security that they believe may be exemplars. Vice President Doug Terp and I agreed that the wider scope could indeed be helpful and encouraged those who wanted to talk to us, to Dean Jim Terhune or anyone on his staff, or to the investigators to do so.

Since Monday, I have worked to identify a person unconnected with the College who will evaluate the facts and provide an independent determination of what happened. This independent investigator will have the full cooperation of the College administration and will conduct his or her inquiry as he or she chooses. I cannot provide details now of how or when the conclusions of that investigation will be shared, but I hope to have more to say about this soon.I will continue to keep you informed as to the progress of the investigation and Colby’s response to these events. In the meantime, the College also is maintaining a Web page that contains, in addition to our communications about the matter, links to the media coverage of which we are aware. The address of that site is: www.colby.edu/april12incident. By tomorrow, we hope, a complete video of last night’s forum also will be posted on the site.

I am grateful to all of you who have engaged in these discussions. As difficult as it is to hear and to read some of the more negative criticism, my sense of the power of the Colby bond has been deepened by the thoughtfulness of your comments and your clear commitment to making this College stronger in every way.

William D. Adams
President