Dear Parents and Family Members,
As we enter the heart of the semester, I hope your student is thriving and making connections across campus. During such a mild winter season here at our New York City campus, I find myself looking ahead to spring, a time of regrowth and renewal.
Here at The New School, we are certainly in a season of renewal. After the challenges we faced as a community in the fall semester, I’m proud to be co-chairing the Student Remedies Task Force, alongside co-chair Mikayla Durham, a student at Eugene Lang College and the Director of Engagement in the University Student Senate. Through various listening sessions and meetings, the Task Force will identify and share immediate and long-term recommendations.
As I shared with your students earlier this month, this year’s national theme for Black History Month, set by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), is Black Resistance. This theme explores how “African Americans have resisted historic and ongoing oppression, in all forms, especially the racial terrorism of lynching, racial pogroms, and police killings” since the nation’s earliest days.
Unfortunately, the struggle for equity, inclusion, social change and justice continues. Black people continue to experience systemic disparities and inequities at a disproportionate rate. We must continue to challenge systems of oppression and work to amplify Black voices because Black lives, Black history, and Black stories matter. The Division of Student Success remains committed to supporting an inclusive academic experience for all students.
While our world continues to face many challenges, including the tragic earthquake in Türkiye and Syria, I often find comfort in the power of community. I’m tremendously proud of a group of New School students from Turkey who coordinated a clothing and supply drive in our University Center last week. As we look forward to the remainder of the semester, I hope you’ll encourage your student to seek out community here at The New School. Together, each of us is stronger.
I wish you and your family well and appreciate your continued partnership in supporting your students.
In New School Pride,
Rob MacK
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