Update on campus tensions

Dear members of the MIT community, here on campus and around the world –

In response to the tragic violence in the Middle East, a protest and counterprotest in Lobby 7 last Thursday have stirred considerable distress, confusion, conflicting claims and false rumors, on campus and well beyond.

Some of you reading this are MIT parents, with concerns about the atmosphere on campus. Some of you are alumni or friends of the Institute, trying to piece together a picture of events from afar. Some of you are members of our campus community, curious about what happened or concerned about what you saw, experienced or have since heard.

And I expect all of you are wondering where we go from here.

So I want to offer two things now.

• To make sure we all have the same facts, we’ve prepared this written update, which specifies what we’re doing to keep campus safe, clears up some false rumors and answers some common questions about what happened.
• To focus on how we move forward as a community, I’ve prepared this video and a transcript of my comments.

Sincerely,

Sally Kornbluth
President