April 16, 2025: Security at Memorial Last Night

Wednesday, April 16, 2025 email from President Sarah Bolton to campus regarding the appearance of private security staff on campus.

Dear Whitman Students and Colleagues,

I am writing to address questions I have received about the presence of a private security staff person at Memorial Building last night and to apologize for actions that may have caused fear in our community. A security company was asked to provide extra support to Whitman Security staff in response to concerns about an increased risk of vandalism to Memorial Building. The company is the same one that has been working with Whitman since October,  when they were hired to maintain an increased security presence on Isaacs to ensure the safety of our students after shots were fired in the area of two fraternities.  

Yesterday, the company was asked to provide a security officer to help the on-duty Whitman Security staff. The sole role the staff from the outside company were instructed to undertake was to watch Mem and call Whitman Campus Security if they observed vandalism or other concerns taking place. (It’s important to note here that chalking on and around the Mem steps, as has been taking place frequently, is not vandalism. Vandalism would include actions that cause damage, like throwing or spraying paint, which has taken place several times and has also been threatened again recently.)

I realize that any unexplained and unfamiliar security presence on campus can be very alarming to many of our community members during the current uncertain times, especially as troubling immigration actions against international students and faculty have been so widespread across the United States.  I want to express my sincere apologies for bringing in this contract company to assist without communicating about it to the campus in advance, and for the fear that the unexpected presence of outside security may have caused to members of our community. 

The safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff is our top priority, and moving forward we will be especially attentive to how we communicate about external security presence on campus to ensure that we are not creating fear or uncertainty through a lack of information. 

Sincerely,

Sarah Bolton