Oct. 6, 2020
Dear Students:
As we begin our second month of learning this semester, I wanted to reach out to you and raise your awareness toward a few issues we are all dealing with as members of the Trocaire College community and residents of this great region.
First of all, I want you to know that the college’s faculty, staff, and board members are in awe of the courage you have shown in continuing your education during these challenging times. We know that Trocaire students are resilient and focused, but you have taken it to another level. We are also very grateful of the work you have done to keep yourself safe and others around you, including complying with our COVID-19 safety protocols. Let’s keep it up and continue to minimize the impact of the virus on the Trocaire community.
As if the 2020 year has not been challenging enough with the pandemic, we have seen a number of societal issues come to the forefront in our daily lives: the deteriorating public dialogue around major issues such as affordable health care, the substantial and negative economic circumstances many members of our community are experiencing, immigration, integrity of voting in an election year, and most notably race relations.
It seems at times that we have lost all elements of decorum and forgotten how to talk with our family members, friends, and neighbors, and how to work together to address many of these challenging issues and in some cases, deep-seeded hatred. That is not who we are as a nation, and definitely not what the Sisters of Mercy have instilled in us over the 60+ years history of this college.
As we work toward a successful conclusion of the fall semester, I want to encourage you to keep up the good work. The upcoming colder weather, darker days and longer nights will test us, but we must remain positive about why we are here and what we are trying to accomplish. This is also a moment to take control of those things that we can, which can be a powerful way to return to some form of normalcy in a uniquely challenging year. With that in mind, I urge you to:
- Stay focused on your studies and continue your efforts to remain safe and well.
-
Seek help from your faculty and from Student Services offices as soon as you begin to encounter academic or personal difficulties. Please do not wait until later in the term or the end of the semester.
-
Make sure you have registered to vote (the deadline is Oct. 9, so act fast), and please exercise your right as a citizen of this great nation and let your voice be heard, either by mail, early voting or voting on Election Day, Nov. 3.
-
As we approach the end of the Census 2020 reporting period, we all have a wonderful opportunity to make sure that everyone in this community counts and that the region can benefit from state and federal support that is often influenced by valid census data. Many of us are blessed to speak other languages in addition to English. I urge those of you who have that skill to help your eligible ethnic communities complete the census, and to not let the language be a barrier to complete this vital decennial duty.
I leave you with this quote from Catherine McAuley, the foundress of the Sisters of Mercy: “I have great confidence in you to do what you think is best. State your opinion and always act in courage.” So, keep up the good work, and all the best to you and your families.
Sincerely,
Bassam M. Deeb, Ph.D.
Trocaire College President
