Dear members of the Acadia community,
At Acadia, our mission is to help prepare our students for a transforming world.
Like many of you, I have watched with dismay the terrible events unfolding in Iran as brave people, especially young women and students, protest the senseless death of Mahsa Amini, who was only 22 years old. The reason? The way she wore her hijab was deemed “unacceptable” by government authorities.
At our core, Acadia encourages innovation, ideas, and issues to be shared and thoughtfully examined, and we strive to celebrate our differences and learn from one another respectfully.
It is, therefore, especially distressing to see reports of Iranian security forces clashing violently with university students in Tehran.
Violence and oppression undermine fundamental freedoms and are directly impacting Iranian scholars and academics, and, indeed, all of us.
Acadia stands in solidarity with our sister institutions and with Iranian scholars, academics, and citizens here and abroad as we condemn these disturbing events and join those calling for the violence to end immediately.
As the situation in Iran continues to evolve, we understand that you may want to talk with someone. Please review the resources below that are available to support you.
Sincerely,
Peter
Dr. Peter Ricketts
President and Vice-Chancellor
