Statement from Yale College Dean Jonathan Holloway to the Yale College community

Yale College Dean Jonathan Holloway sent the following message to the Yale College community on Dec. 15.

To the Yale College community,

I am writing to update an earlier message, with a note of thanks to the leadership of the William F. Buckley, Jr. Program, which contacted me after I shared findings from a review of allegations of spitting following the Buckley Program’s November 6 conference. The leadership brought to my attention an incident of spitting reported by one student attendee who said that he felt someone spit on the back of his neck as he left the event. He did not see this person, and we have not been able to identify the person or indeed learn whether or not it was a Yale student.

Because I am aware of one other unrelated incident of reported spitting, I want to take this moment to stress, although it should go without saying, that spitting on another person violates the university’s policies on free expression and is not an acceptable form of protest. Students engaging in such actions are subject to discipline. As I wrote on December 9, I have asked my staff to expand training to student groups about peaceful dissent and protest. I reiterate that I am eager to begin the work of creating a constructive, inclusive, and respectful climate.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Holloway
Dean of Yale College
Edmund S. Morgan Professor of African American Studies, History, and American Studies