Hello everyone,
I am a current student, fourth year to be exact, am writing to prospective students and their parents/guardians about the recent events in Grinnell. You deserve to know.
Although Grinnell prides itself on social justice, diversity, and academics, there are major systemic issues here that will greatly impede with your education here.
Racism on campus and off campus has gotten worse and worse over my four years here. Currently, students’ cars and college property is being vandalized with racial slurs and threats. Black students and other students of colour get harassed but not only a select group of townspeople but also by their fellow students. By harassed, I mean they are experiencing racial slurs being hurled at them at college events and and a truck with a confederate flag often comes through campus to yell at students as well. Additionally, micro aggressions are rampant in the classroom. Grinnell has a reactionary approach to all the things stated. Administration does not hold racist students accountable what so ever and blames people of colour.
Secondly, there have multiple suicide attempts and unfortunately one student died by suicide yesterday. Rather than addressing this issue, all Grinnell did was send condolence emails and told students to talk to counselors. Professors were encouraged to cancel class or hold space for traumatized students but many didn’t. Life at Grinnell resumed as usual while students are having to come to terms with the fact that their friend has died. Some professors even chastised students for missing class because of this horrific event. This institution cares more about academic rigor than students’ mental health. This has proven to be dangerous and will continue to cost lives.
Grinnell is broken and students here are rapidly declining in their well-being.