Diversity and Free Expression at Washington College
Diversity and free expression are core values of a Washington College education. Our
campus culture welcomes and celebrates a broad spectrum of backgrounds and perspectives,
and we strongly believe that giving voice to diverse communities is an essential component
of a rich and vibrant liberal arts experience.
The students, faculty, staff, and Board of Visitors and Governors of Washington College,
welcome, invite, value, and support a diverse community of individuals. We strive
to create a place where all can study, work, and thrive. We believe in the worth,
dignity, and safety of human beings of all races, ethnicities, nationalities, gender
identities and/or expressions, sexual orientations, socioeconomic statuses, cultural
backgrounds, cognitive or physical abilities, emotional and behavioral characteristics,
ages, and educational levels. In the pursuit of academic excellence, we endeavor to
be a community made up of people from a variety of backgrounds with differing perspectives,
life experiences, religious, philosophical, and political beliefs, lifestyles, and
ideologies.
We pledge to create a respectful and supportive environment for collaboration, empathy, and the building of meaningful relationships among members of Washington College. We commit to fostering a more equitable, inclusive, and engaged community that embraces all the complexity that each person brings to campus.
- We will empower all members to contribute ideas, ask questions, contest assumptions, and revise points of view through civil debate.
- We will confront and challenge attempts to dehumanize others through prejudiced attitudes, behaviors, and practices that exclude, demean, or marginalize any individual or group.
- We will encourage alumni, parents, visitors, guests, and the wider community to respect and embrace the values and behaviors that we embody.
Our promise is to cultivate a continuous desire and ability to understand and meaningfully engage with different perspectives and experiences. We seek to contribute to the full intellectual and emotional development of every person and to the enrichment of our local, regional, national, and global communities.
Washington College Principles of Free Expression
Washington College is steadfast in its commitment to academic freedom and free expression. As an institution of higher learning, Washington College is a place in which a broad spectrum of ideas can be voiced, heard, engaged, and debated without fear of suppression or personal harm. Political, religious, economic, and cultural viewpoints seem to divide our world, yet learning proceeds by exploring and understanding them.