Editor's note: The below motion was on the agenda for the September 5th, 2023 faculty meeting, the first of the academic year. It passed, unamended, 110 to 2 with 8 abstentions. The meeting began at 4:10 pm in the Bradford Auditorium, Kirner-Johnson 125. According to the Faculty Handbook, any member of the Hamilton College community is permitted to observe the meeting, though are only allowed to address the faculty if recognized by the Chair. This and other faculty governance documents can be accessed via Hamilton's website for those with appropriate credentials.
Motion from the faculty recognizing Reverend Jeff McArn’s 27 years of service to the Hamilton College community.
MOVED, that the Faculty of Hamilton College join the 18 members of the Presbytery of Utica, the Black and Latinx Student Union, the Center for Intersectional Feminism, and the Hamilton Alumni Student Coalition in their sadness at the removal of The Rev. Jeff McArn from our community and express its appreciation and full support for McArn, who has served the Hamilton College community for 27 years with compassion, integrity, inclusion, and distinction, first as Protestant Minister and later as Head of the Chaplaincy; and, further, that the Faculty celebrate:
the range of faith opportunities McArn has offered Hamilton’s Protestant community, including weekly services, Advent Reflections, Easter Vigil, and Outdoor Stations of the Cross;
the relationships McArn has initiated, sustained, and deepened among and beyond Hamilton’s many faith communities, including those that have been historically marginalized in the United States, and the deep interfaith understanding he has fostered;
the many community-service opportunities, including the COOP, that McArn has helped create and support, positively impacting both campus and the surrounding area, such as Utica; the contributions McArn has made to the College’s curriculum both as a resource for faculty and as an instructor of our students;
the engagement McArn has undertaken with the Oneida Indian Nation, and the opportunities that engagement has created for Hamilton to become a partner in honoring Oneida culture, tradition, and history;
the ability McArn has consistently shown to console those within our community who struggle with depression, trauma, grief, and losses of many kinds;
the leadership McArn has demonstrated in making the Chapel a welcoming space of pastoral care and spiritual community for a variety of constituencies–including the Disabled Student Network, Hillel, the Zen Center of Syracuse, and the Muslim Students Association–and in hiring Hamilton’s first Interfaith Program Coordinator;
the variety of programming McArn has offered the community, including the Common Read initiative for incoming first-year students, the “Why I Teach” luncheon series, and “Soup and Recoup,” among many others;
the support that McArn provided to the Jewish community by seeking and advocating for funding for Jewish leadership, facilitating observance and the building of community in the absence of institutional backing for expanded leadership, making space to develop student leaders, and helping maintain coherence through the trying moments of the pandemic;
the diversity and inclusion McArn has pursued through his sustained social justice activism, alongside faculty, staff, and students, including his close work with the National Abolition Hall of Fame, Johnson Park Center, and Interfaith Coalition of Greater Utica;
the enthusiasm and good grace McArn has exemplified through 27 years of community engagement, modeling and cultivating decency, respect, and kindness among us;
and, thus, MOVED finally that the Faculty seeks opportunities to re-engage McArn in Hamilton College’s educational mission.
Rationale
The Faculty are deeply saddened by the loss of McArn. This motion is intended to create a record of Rev. Jeff McArn’s extraordinary record as a community liaison and College Chaplain, and as an invaluable resource for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging–stated goals of Hamilton’s educational mission. It is the hope of the Faculty that our perspective on the issue may enable college leadership to find a way forward for our community which includes Jeff McArn.
Signatories
Vivyan C. Adair (Women’s and Gender Studies)
Frank Anechiarico (Government)
Mark Bailey (Computer Science)
Rhea Datta (Biology)
Chris Georges (Economics)
Gordon Jones (Physics)
Naomi Guttman (Literature and Creative Writing)
Robert Knight (Art)
Jaime Kucinskas (Sociology)
Sharon Rivera (Government)
Lisa Trivedi (History)
Stephen Wu (Economics)