Campus Climate, Rutgers–New Brunswick Community Response

December 7, 2023

Dear Rutgers–New Brunswick Community,

Many of you know firsthand that our campus community continues to experience hurt, anxiety, and division related to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. As I have stressed in my recent messages to you, it is vitally important that we take steps to care for ourselves and for each other at this time of crisis. I have also made clear—and want to reiterate—my commitment to fostering a campus environment that is safe, inclusive, and open to a free exchange of ideas and viewpoints, including ones with which we may strongly disagree.  

In furtherance of this commitment, I have worked with my leadership team to devise a set of action steps that Rutgers–New Brunswick will take in the coming days and weeks, or in some cases has already taken. These steps include the creation of chancellor advisory groups to help address, among other issues, the extremely troubling rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia on our campus and more broadly. We will also work to ensure that our policies and procedures, especially as they pertain to incidents of bias, harassment, and discrimination, are clear, easily accessible, and consistently applied.

Such policies are especially important during periods of turbulence, as they help us ensure personal and institutional accountability while also contributing to the safety of our community, which is paramount. To this end, I will be working with deans and other campus leaders to implement a new process for scheduling events on campus in a way that will facilitate greater coordination among our thousands of spaces and allow for appropriate safety measures to be put in place.

Without a doubt, these last two months have been challenging and have taken their toll in a variety of untold ways. But as difficult as they have been—and as difficult as the road ahead may be—I remain confident in our ability to come together and work in support of a community that respects difference, seeks knowledge and understanding, and believes in the power of our mission to change the world for the better.

Francine Conway, Ph.D.
Chancellor and Distinguished Professor
Rutgers University–New Brunswick