Diplomatic Congress diplomatic.congress@fandm.edu
Feb 13, 2020, 8:48 AM
A Statement of Solidarity
Dear Members of the F&M Community,
As you may be aware, there has been much social unrest due to the outbreak of COVID-19, also referred to as the novel (new) coronavirus. As of Wednesday, February 5th, the Pennsylvania Department of Health issued a new advisory that those who traveled from China within the last two weeks should self-isolate until 14 days after the date of their departure from China. Some F&M students have fallen into this category. They have thus been contacted by the Wellness Center and have completed or are currently completing the temporary isolation.
The Diplomatic Congress stands in solidarity with the students who may have been impacted by this PA Department of Health decision, and we extend our support to the communities whose sense of belonging might have been questioned in recent discourse. Some in national discourse have used the virus as justification for their xenophobic and racist beliefs against Asian and Asian Americans. The Congress emphatically condemns this behavior, especially within our Franklin & Marshall community. We encourage all students to support our fellow peers who have been impacted by the PA Department of Health request, and insist that we all do our part in making students’ transition back into campus life as smooth as possible.
As always, the Diplomatic Congress is committed to creating a strong community that is a safe space to learn, grow and thrive – free from hatred of any kind.
In Solidarity,
The Diplomatic Congress
P. Griffin Sneath ’20 (he/his) – President of the Student Body
Shubh Punj ‘21 (he/his) – Vice President of the Student Body
Zoey Pham ‘22 (she/her) – Treasurer
Will Kay ‘20 (he/his) – Parliamentarian
Adriana Dias ‘20 (she/her) – Communications Director
Ayana Stuart ‘21 (she/her) – Executive Officer, Social Justice & Equity