How far we’ve come and how far we have yet to go.
[REGISTRATION LINK INCLUDED BELOW] A thank you and invitation from BC CJP
We, the Bethel College Community for Justice and Peace, want to thank all of you who have supported our organizing efforts this semester around the issue of safety and policing at Bethel College. We want to thank all the students, faculty, staff, and alumni who have written to or spoken with the President, administration, and Board of Directors about their concerns.
We would not be where we are as a community without your support and commitment to Bethel College. In the last few months, it has been wonderful and powerful to be a part of this community coming together to support each other and Bethel College, and to see how important Bethel is to so many people across the country and around the world.
We want to acknowledge the historic events that have been made possible by your support. First, together, we have successfully organized enough support to generate a college-sponsored and much needed community event where all individuals can share their perspectives, experiences, and thoughts, hosted by the Bethel College Office of Culture and Belonging. This will be, to the best of our knowledge, the first ever such nation-wide community engagement of its kind for the College.
Second, we want to recognize that your messages to the Board of Directors did not go unnoticed. On October 15, many of us who had emailed the Board got an email response. In it, Wynn Goering, the Chair of the Board–writing on behalf of the Board–acknowledged our concerns and affirmed that “there might be alternative ways to accomplish the goal of a more secure campus environment. We agree!”
While we have made good progress in our efforts on this issue, we still have a long way to go. An important next step is for us to participate in the long-awaited “Community Conversation.”
Please register and participate in this important event. The invitation to this event is very broad and includes: current BC students, current/former BC faculty, current/former BC administration, current/former BC staff, current/former BC Board members, BC alum, and North Newton/Newton area community member.
Here is the sign-up link: https://forms.gle/5hkaK6Wje6HwAsNc6. Please sign up if you are available. Registration is required for participation and closes on Friday.
We look forward to seeing you on Sunday, November 10th, from 2-5pm CST.
BC CJP
Tara Atchison Peter Buller Abigail Chappell Deckert Josué Coy Dick Pandora Freeman Abigail Grittman Jenna Johnson Moses Sawatzky Isaiah Smith Joshua Suazo Micah Wenger