Clarkson Golden Knight Community,
Please take time today to reflect on events of the last few weeks that impact our local and global communities.
For members of our Potsdam campus, many of us continue to struggle to make sense of the murder of SUNY Potsdam student Elizabeth Howell. On the global stage, we are all watching unfold the unspeakable horrors taking place in Ukraine as thousands of people are fleeing their homes and seeking safety as the Russian government assaults international law and the way of life for a democratic nation.
It often is all too easy to take for granted our personal safety and the freedoms afforded to those living in the United States, including the ability to speak freely when we see injustice as well as a dedicated armed services who keeps our homeland safe from harm’s way.
Several members of our community reached out over the weekend upset by the fireworks display we held Saturday night in Potsdam as part of an alumni weekend — both for the lack of an alert to campus that some thought could be more random gunfire and others for the act of celebration on campus at a time when people were contemplating the humanitarian toll taking place by those fighting for their very rights and lives. We will do better on these fronts moving forward and acknowledge that as Golden Knights, we must continue to live our Clarkson values to be caring and show diligent support for one another, including all of our faculty, staff and students who are impacted.
Students may request support from the Student Health and Counseling Center either by calling 315-268-6633 or campus ext. 6633. It is located on the first floor of the ERC, Suite 1300. The center is open Monday through Friday from 8:00am – 4:30pm. Any students experiencing a mental health emergency after hours or on weekends may request contact with the on-call counselor by contacting Campus Safety and Security 315-268-6666.
Staff or faculty who want grief support may contact the Employee Assistance Program through Cigna at 877-622-4327.
There are also many in our community who would like to support those in need beyond our campus.
Our Office of Development & Alumni Relations will aid in funding memorials for Howell and initiatives that support our alumni in need in the Ukraine war zones. Please reach out to Matt Draper, Vice President for Development & Alumni Relations, at mdraper@clarkson.edu.
Tony Collins, President
