Debora Spar

Barnard President Debora Spar responds to recent student and faculty concerns regarding this year’s commencement speaker in a letter to-the-editor published on the Spectator website late this afternoon. Spar says that hearing from students and faculty about the lack of diversity in commencement speakers has pushed her office to begin working with the medalists who will appear at commencement to potentially address Barnard students in some capacity as well.

The medalists are bestselling author Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche, Catholic social justice advocate Sister Simone Campbell, and MIT professor Shafi Goldwasser, in addition to New America CEO Anne-Marie Slaughter, who will speak at commencement.

This Wednesday, Barnard senior Mariam Elnozahy published a Spec letter to-the-editor speaking out against the in-congruence between the results of this fall’s Barnard senior survey on commencement speaker input, which called for diversity; and the actual chosen candidate, who is a white woman from a privileged background.

On Thursday, 47 Barnard faculty members sent a letter to-the-editor echoing and supporting Elnozahy’s sentiments.

Read Spar’s full letter here.

DSpar via HerLittleStory