Dear Campus Community,

During the 2018 Spring Semester, I charged the Slocum Legacy Committee with discussing the legacy of President William F. Slocum in light of his sexual misconduct, and asked that the committee provide recommendations to me outlining how to appropriately represent this legacy at CC.

Formation of the committee followed the Board of Trustees' decision in February to remove the name from Slocum Hall and Slocum Commons and to rescind the honorary degree awarded to President Slocum in 1917. Since April, the committee - comprised of faculty, students, staff, and a trustee - worked to prepare a report and recommendations, which can be viewed here.

Summary of recommendations:

• Display a temporary exhibition on campus describing the decision to remove President William Slocum's name from Slocum Hall and Slocum Commons. The project could include evidence of Slocum's positive accomplishments toward creating a sustainable future for the college, but focus on the evidence surrounding his resignation following allegations of sexual misconduct, as well as the faculty and community response. This temporary exhibition, in lieu of a permanent placard in South Hall/South Commons, would be followed by a more permanent display housed in Tutt Library Special Collections.
  
• Remove the portrait of Slocum currently hanging in Palmer Hall, and place it in an appropriate, non-public repository on campus.
  
• Remove Slocum's quote from the monument on the Tiger Trail and replace it with a new inscription in consultation with the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.
  
• Note in historical records the awarding and rescinding of Slocum's honorary degree, with dates. In those instances where a historical progression of presidents is listed or depicted, his name (or image) should be retained in its current form.
  
• Engage in a transparent, collaborative process to determine permanent naming for temporarily renamed South Hall and South Commons.

I have accepted the committee's recommendations and the college will begin implementation immediately.

The recommendations about the portrait, historical records, and the Tiger Trail monument will be implemented this summer and I will work with community members on the development of a temporary exhibit.

Thanks to Professor Tricia Waters and the members of the committee for their work and the care with which they considered these significant and complex issues. The Slocum Legacy Committee was comprised of four faculty members, Professors Susan Ashley, Michael Grace, Nadia Guessous, and Tricia Waters (chair); three students, Caleigh Cassidy '18, Ariel Filion '19, and Noah Hirshorn '20; staff members Paul Buckley, assistant vice president and director of the Butler Center, and George Eckhardt, campus planner; and Trustee Jerome DeHerrera '97; with assistance from Hanna Bautz '18, special projects coordinator.


Best Regards,

President Jill Tiefenthaler