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The following was sent from President John Keenan to students on August 31:

I’m excited to welcome you back for the fall semester. While campus was calm over the summer, the national stage was not. We were shaken by the hatred on display in Charlottesville and proud that peaceful protest and calls for equality were prominent in Boston.

Controversial, divisive issues will continue to challenge our country. Institutions of higher education must be places for constructive conversation about difficult topics. Salem State’s students, faculty and staff have a proud history of not only standing up for what they believe in, but doing so respectfully.

While public safety is our top priority, we welcome open, informative discussion that is peaceful, and we ask you to remember that your words and actions must not interfere with another student’s ability to receive an education.

As you return to campus, please keep in mind what I refer to as “The Salem State Way”: to be engaged and interested in issues affecting you and the world around you; to convey your opinions thoughtfully while considering the views of others; and most of all, to be respectful.

This is how we honor the free exchange of ideas that makes college so rewarding, as well as the right to freedom of expression that makes us lucky to live in this country.

I look forward to the dialogue we will share moving forward.

Thank you,

John Keenan

President