Letter to the Emory Wheel

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Letter to the Editor: Emory More Than Willing To Work With Arrested Students

By Nancy Seideman
Posted: 03/30/2012

To the Editor:

A recent Wheel Op-Ed ("Emory's Use of Legal Force Excessive," by Alex Robins, March 27, 2012) misrepresents the University's publicly stated position regarding the legal proceedings involving individuals arrested during a campus protest last April.  Here are the facts:

On numerous occasions, in a meeting with the four arrested Emory students (May 12, 2011) and in letters sent to the individuals (June 29, 2011 and again on August 18, 2011), Emory has offered to work with the arrested individuals to seek dismissal of the pending charges by collaboratively approaching the prosecutors, asking only that the students commit to adhering to Emory's policies, including our facilities use policies and agree not to bring a lawsuit against the University in connection with these events. 

This offer also was made publicly at a special joint University Senate and Faculty Council meeting on September 20, 2011 and reported on in the Emory Report.

To date, the arrested individuals have either rejected or ignored this offer. The offer still stands.  

For the past year, the Emory community has been engaged in two campus-wide activities that will further strengthen dialogue on several important issues:  the Committee on Class and Labor is charged with examining the effect of class and status on the work experience at Emory, and a Task Force on Dissent, Protest and Community is proposing a set of principles designed to help the University community assess and develop policies on dissent and protest.

These inclusive, constructive and positive forms of engagement best represent how Emory chooses to work and live together as a community.

Sincerely,

Nancy Seideman
Associate Vice President University Communications
Emory University