Every Campus a Refuge

Dear friends,

Inspired by the UN and EU’s call to nations to take in refugees and the Pope’s call to every parish in Europe to host one refugee family, we – Guilford students, faculty and administration – have begun mobilizing and hope to act with urgency as a community to host one refugee family on Guilford’s campus grounds. In so doing, we hope to set an example for other colleges and universities and create an action plan for campuses around the world to do the same.  Here are some ways you, your students, or your department can be involved as Guilford seeks to live its core commitment to principled problem-solving:

1) Please come to the informational panel “Human Flotsam: Perspectives on the Current Refugee Crisis” on Tuesday, Sept. 29th in Bryan Jr. Auditorium at 6:00 p.m.  Professors, refugees and community organizers and activists will speak on the many facets of the current crisis. Q&A to follow.

2) Please come to the “Call to Action” meeting which will take place directly after the panel. We will meet to see how we can come together – what ideas, skills and expertise we can bring – to make this dream a reality.

3) Please be part of a group “Guilford College Welcomes Refugees” picture on Wednesday, Sept. 16th at 1:45 p.m. on the quad in front of Hege-Cox (art building) which we hope to use online as we set an example of leadership to other campuses in the U.S. and around the globe.

4) In the vein of the America Welcomes movement, please take an individual picture or a departmental picture that visually includes the name of Guilford College and your Department and email it to us so that we can post it on our “Every Campus a Refuge” social media pages (up and running soon!); or post yourself using the following hashtags: #refugeguilfordcollege #refugeeverycampus

5) Consider what skills, expertise, resources or material goods you or your department might be able to contribute to the effort of hosting a refugee family on campus and let us know.

We are so thankful to be at a place like Guilford where so many, including our President, are invested in and excited about this Guilford-to-the-core problem-solving effort.

Many thanks,

Diya