2020-21 Statements

Update From A Too-Quiet Campus

March 25, 2020

Tags Public Statements

Dear Students,

I hope this note finds you safe, healthy, and enjoying time with your families. Next week classes resume, though not in the way any of us expected a few weeks ago. Our world has been turned upside down, and none of us knows exactly how long the crisis will last.

Fortunately, Hamilton is an adaptable, creative, and caring community. Whatever challenges arise in the weeks and months ahead, we will meet them head on—and well.

It won’t be the first time.

In 1917, for example, as chronicled in Maurice Isserman’s wonderful history of the College, On the Hill, Hamilton students were caught up in the tumult of World War I. Of the 46 seniors in the graduating class that year, 37 served in the war. Many students from other classes left school to enlist in the armed forces as well. Most of the students who remained on campus enrolled in the Student Army Training Corps, lived in South and Carnegie, and took courses on military tactics and strategy. As the war ended and Americans looked forward to resuming their lives, the “Spanish flu” of 1918-19 struck, killing at least 50 million people worldwide. At Hamilton, so many students fell ill that Carnegie was converted into an infirmary.

The College has weathered many other crises, from the Great Depression, to World War II, to the Great Recession of 2008. In each case, we have emerged stronger. The current pandemic will be no exception.

As I write this, I am looking at a campus that is all too quiet—and blanketed with snow! Only 55 students, who cannot go home, remain. We are doing what we can to keep them engaged, safe, and well.

In accordance with Governor Cuomo’s recent executive order, almost all faculty and staff are working remotely. But the College is still operating, and faculty are sharing online teaching tips, trying out virtual platforms, and finding creative ways to continue teaching and advising in a world gone Zoom.

We are also exploring ways to connect you with your fellow students and the College, outside the virtual classroom. Ideas under consideration include virtual Student Assembly meetings, concerts, and service opportunities. Suggestions, of course, are welcome.

Since admitted students can’t visit the campus this spring, Monica Inzer and her colleagues in Siuda House have organized a series of YouTube live events, virtual experiences, panel discussions, and opportunities to meet current students. By all indications, a wonderful new class will join us in the fall.

For me, August can’t come soon enough. As I walk the campus (staying six feet away from others, sadly, is no longer an issue), I am struck as always by its beauty. But I am so eager for it to fill again with laughter, excitement, and energy.

Seniors, I know you are waiting for word about Commencement. Many of our peers have already announced postponements. We continue to monitor public health developments closely and will make a decision soon. We know how much Commencement means to you and to your families, especially in a year that has robbed you of the joy of senior spring. Whatever happens, you have my promise: we will bring you back to the Hill to celebrate your achievements with the pomp and circumstance your time at Hamilton deserves.

Until we can see each other again, please stay safe and trust that this too shall pass.

David