To the CMC Community from President Pamela Gann:
As I communicated earlier this week, the Claremont Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have completed their investigation into the alleged vandalism of CMC Professor Kerri Dunn's car on March 9, 2004. The press release issued by the Claremont Police Department stated that the police and the FBI have concluded that Professor Dunn vandalized her own car, and that they have reported these findings to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. Professor Dunn has, however, continued to deny any involvement in the alleged crime, and we should all respect her Constitutional rights to due process, including the presumption of innocence.
Professor Dunn is currently employed at CMC pursuant to a one-year, visiting contract that is scheduled to end on June 30, 2004. Professor Dunn is now on a temporary, paid leave of absence while the College completes its own investigation and review of this matter. Such an investigation and review is important and necessary prior to taking any further personnel actions because Professor Dunn denies any involvement in this incident and the College is not aware of the full details of the police investigation. The College has also arranged for other faculty members to teach Professor Dunn's courses for so long as necessary.
While we await further details, the conclusion of law enforcement that an alleged hate crime may have in fact been a hoax is a shocking and disturbing surprise to our community. We are therefore working actively to address the wide range of emotions that all members of the College are understandably feeling in response to this news. With particular respect to our students, we are focused first and foremost on their safety and welfare. We will continue to maintain security and escort services at elevated levels for as long as necessary, and to make available a variety of formal and informal counseling opportunities. We will also continue to develop programming to ensure that all students feel welcome and safe to study at CMC, and are able to focus on their academic work in a positive and productive manner. Finally, we are also working with our faculty to schedule additional class time to compensate for the time lost on Wednesday, March 10.
Just as our students, faculty, and staff may be experiencing a wide range of reactions to this news, I anticipate that other members of our community outside Claremont may also be experiencing a variety of reactions. I can only emphasize that, irrespective of whether the incident was real or a hoax, the tremendous response of our students and faculty in coming together on Wednesday, March 10 was very positive and should not be forgotten. Their actions exemplified the leadership skills and sense of civic responsibility that we seek to develop in our students, and highlighted CMC's mission as a residential, liberal arts college in which we seek to ensure our students, faculty, and staff feel welcome and free to teach, study, and work at CMC to the best of their abilities.