Events in Charlottesville, Virginia, warrant a pause and reflection. The turmoil and hate we saw are the most extreme expression of intolerance for difference. It is the antithesis of what we seek at Denison.
As a small, Midwestern, liberal arts college, Denison is remarkably diverse, across lines of race and ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity, economic status, religion, and political perspective. That is entirely by design; a Denison education rests on our belief that engaging with difference, in many forms, makes our thinking better. It is also a source of our community’s strength.
Denison’s diversity is one of the attributes that attract many of us to Denison. We experience its effects on our lives as so profound and so positive.
Does everyone embrace difference, all the time? Not always. For many, the degree of diversity that Denison offers is entirely new. Navigating differences in others’ thoughts, beliefs, and experiences is the hardest work we can do, because it involves questioning our assumptions and expanding our perspectives.
It’s also the most important. Ours is a campus where we try to make space for the fact that we’re all learning, and we try to repair harm when it happens. A vibrant academic community is one where we are open to all we can learn from others. Students do this work, faculty do it, and staff and administrators do it.
We believe in what we're doing together.
Read President Weinberg’s message to the community about the events in Charlottesville here.
