The below email was sent to students, faculty, and staff on 11/27/23.
Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,
I write to give you an update about the Haverford student, Kinnan Abdalhamid, who was shot while walking with two of his friends on Saturday in Burlington, VT. He is recovering and has been receiving support from our colleagues at Haverford. We continue to hold Kinnan and his two friends in our thoughts. Given that Kinnan and his friends are Palestinian, this heinous and unprovoked attack is being investigated as a potential hate crime. Although a suspect has been arrested, the authorities have not yet reached a conclusion about the motive of this act of violence.
We recognize that incidences of hate and violence against Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian people are on the rise nationally. Understandably, these events may raise fears among our students, faculty, and staff about their own safety on or around our campus. We are mindful of this concern and are working with Campus Safety to take steps accordingly.
As we have reiterated before, we ought to be mindful not to make assumptions about the views of others, to be respectful when engaging different perspectives, and to recognize the impact of our words and actions on one another. This is a moment to extend to each other kindness and care --- being especially mindful that many are hurting and feeling vulnerable during these difficult days.
For anyone who is struggling, please reach out for support---whether that is from a member of the Dean’s Office division, a faculty member, or a supervisor --- and we will try to provide needed resources.
And for those who are interested in supporting our Haverford colleagues, Haverford is holding a candlelight vigil on Tuesday, November 28th at 4:30 PM on Founders Green.
Words are inadequate to capture the many different needs of our community at this time. I hope that we can find it within us to be generous and kind to each other and to recognize that by working in collaboration, we can make our community stronger.
Sincerely,
Kim Cassidy
President