Update Regarding Wednesday’s Career Fair

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff, 

We are writing to provide an update to the HMC community about Wednesday’s Career Fair, which was sponsored by the Office of Career Services (OCS) and open to all students at The Claremont Colleges. We are very sad to report that four HMC staff members were physically harmed during protest activity that turned unpeaceful. Our intention here is to share information so that we are able to better work, learn and live together as we move forward.

On Monday, Sept. 23, we learned that HMCDissenters/Mudders Against Murder had issued a call via social media for people to gather for a “rally to shut down War Profiteers on HMC Campus” outside the Career Fair. Their message was shared by other social media accounts both within and outside The Claremont Colleges community. 

In light of this, and to ensure that all students could access the employers and graduate school representatives at the Career Fair uninterrupted, the College made logistical arrangements to better secure the Linde Activities Center (LAC) and requested additional fencing and safety officers to provide support on site as a precautionary measure. The purpose was not to prevent the protest, but rather to keep it from disrupting the activity inside.

Students attending the Career Fair were asked to swipe in at registration tables to access the event and were told they would not be allowed to bring bags inside. They were encouraged to bring resumes to leave with employers and graduate school representatives.

Wednesday morning, just before the event began at 11 a.m., protesters arrived outside the LAC. Our understanding is that the protest began peacefully, with approximately 40 protesters chanting and holding signs on the grassy area across from the entrance to the LAC for about 45 minutes. Although the protesters were not readily identifiable with their heads and faces fully covered, none was asked for identification or told to leave. 

At about 11:45 a.m., a group of protesters approached and pushed the registration table, pushing the table into the abdomens of the Division of Student Affairs staff members who were helping students check in to the event. Another DSA staff member was briefly pinned by one of the tables due to the actions of the protesters and sustained bruises. Protesters jumped over fencing and pushed a campus safety officer aside, reaching the doors to the LAC. They pushed aside and elbowed another member of the DSA staff trying to gain entry to the LAC. They then banged on the doors and glass windows attempting to gain access. At some point, protesters also jumped on top of the registration tables and vandalized HMC-owned computers and splashed paint on the front of the LAC and the patio using paint or paint markers. We are working with the HMC staff members to provide them with appropriate support following yesterday’s experiences.

Following the above escalation, Campus Safety used an LRAD (Long-Range Acoustic Device) to issue a loud message warning protesters to disperse because their actions were in violation of both the 7C Demonstration Policy and California law. In addition, we also have heard reports that Campus Safety/CSC Security officers pushed protesters when they attempted to push past the officers and gain entry to the LAC. We are in conversation with Campus Safety to better understand this exchange. Moreover, the DSA team will follow up with our student protesters to offer support.

We are deeply concerned that protests on our campus have escalated resulting in physical harm and confrontation between protesters and members of our staff. While we remain committed to respecting—and supporting—the right to protest, we must ensure the safety and wellbeing of our students, staff and faculty. There is still a great deal of information we need to gather to more fully understand the nature of what happened and how the situation escalated. Our hope is that by seeking to understand what happened more fully, we can take informed steps to better protect our community and allow the essential work of teaching and learning to continue while also encouraging community members to express their views safely and respectfully. 

HMC is a community that lives by the guiding principles established in the Honor Code:

1. Thoughtful respect for the rights of others; 
2. Honesty and integrity in both academic and personal matters; 
3. Responsible behavior both on and off campus; 
4. Appropriate use of campus buildings and equipment, and; 
5. Compliance with College regulations and policies.  

We believe there is the possibility that the escalation of the initially peaceful protest included Honor Code violations. We are eager to work with student leaders on next steps forward. We also encourage any member of our community who has additional details about these activities to share what you know with us or with any trusted member of the HMC community to better assist in our efforts to more fully understand Wednesday’s activities so that together, we can uphold our community standards. 

Finally, we wish to extend our sincere appreciation to the many staff and faculty members who attended and helped ensure that the 400 students who wanted to visit the 40 potential employers and grad school representatives were able to do so. We greatly appreciate your efforts toward helping our students access these important resources. 

Thank you,

Harriet B. Nembhard, president
Karen Angemi, chief of staff and secretary to the board of trustees
Thyra Briggs, vice president for admission and financial aid
Tom Donnelly, vice president for academic affairs and R. Michael Shanahan Dean of the Faculty
Andrew Dorantes, vice president and chief operating officer
Timothy L. Hussey, vice president for communications and marketing and chief communications officer
Cindy Martinez, vice president for student affairs and dean of students
Kimberly Stafford, interim vice president for advancement
Joseph Vaughan, chief information officer and vice president of computing and information services