Dear Spalding Community,
As you may have heard, the Kentucky Attorney General announced today that three charges of wanton endangerment will be brought against one Louisville Metro Police Department officer involved in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor. Two other officers in the case were not charged.
Individuals in our campus community may disagree with the findings of the grand jury. For some of you, particularly the Black members of our community, today’s news may be traumatic if you believe justice has not been served. For those who are hurting, who are sad, who are angry, who need a human connection to get through this trying time, please know that the community at Spalding is here to support you.
An Emotional and Support Response Team will be holding a series of in-person and online gatherings today and tomorrow (Thursday, Sept. 24) that were detailed in an email.
We anticipate that today’s decision from the grand jury will inspire protests against racial injustice. It would be no surprise if the protests are larger than the daily demonstrations that have occurred downtown this summer, and it is possible that they may extend to the streets of our campus.
As we announced earlier today, all remaining face-to-face classes today have been moved online as a precaution, due to the potential large crowds and impact on traffic downtown.
Classes to stay online-only Thursday and Friday
We have since made the decision to keep all face-to-face classes online-only the next two days – Thursday, Sept. 24, Friday, Sept. 25. Students in clinical or practicum placements should contact their program director or chair for guidance.
Employees who are not essential to the care and service of our residential students should plan to work from home for the remainder of the week.
If you are still on campus or heading downtown, please be aware of the situation as police have restricted vehicle access from Market to Broadway and Second Street to Roy Wilkins, north of our campus. It is important to note that the majority of protests this summer have been peaceful and lawful, and most often they have occurred about a mile from campus. However, if it makes you feel safer, avoid or leave campus.
Campus safety steps
At this time, we are not aware of any danger and are not fully closing campus, but we will take precautions to ensure the safety of our students and employees during what is likely to be a period of high emotion and unpredictability in our city.
- Exterior doors to campus buildings may be locked and accessible only by a key or, where applicable, an Eagle Card ID. Please wear your Eagle Card ID as a badge, and if you don’t have a key to a particular building that may be locked, you should coordinate with someone inside to let you in when you arrive, or call Campus Safety at 502-873-4444.
- Campus Safety officers will be present at both residence halls and stationed at key areas around campus.
- Boxed meals will be delivered to students in the residence halls at 6 tonight, and food service to the halls will continue in the coming days.
- Any member of the campus community may call Campus Safety at 502-873-4444 to report concerns, to have an officer assist you to your car or about campus, or to help you get in a building.
As a compassionate institution devoted to social justice, Spalding will continue to support calls for justice and peaceful and lawful protests. This is a moment in time that requires strong, courageous voices, and we will support any members of our community who wish to protest peacefully, lawfully and safely and have their voices heard.
For those who may wish to participate, we encourage you to return before dark. As a reminder, a county-wide curfew has been issued starting at 9 tonight.
Please continue to check your email as we will share any important information regarding conditions on campus. Also, if you have not already, make sure you sign up for Spalding’s E2Campus alerts to be sent to your phone or email.
Stay safe, stay strong. We support you.
All the best,
Tori Murden McClure
President, Spalding University