Dear members of the McMaster community,

The shock of the appalling atrocities committed during the Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel this past weekend continues to be felt around the world, and within our own McMaster community.

Given the horrifying nature of the attacks and the war now unfolding in Israel and Gaza, there are many people across the university who are feeling this conflict at the deepest levels. We are hearing from students, faculty, alumni and members of the community who are experiencing fear, anger, sadness and despair.

Our role as an academic community is to help students, faculty and staff understand more clearly the events that are happening and what it means for those in Israel and Gaza, the Middle East and globally. We encourage you to take every opportunity to advance your own learning in these critical areas.

While free speech is a core value of the university, there is no room for hate of any kind at McMaster.  We recognize there are many divergent views regarding the conflicts in the Middle East, and our role should be to foster dialogue and discussion. We need to be held together by a commitment to learn, understand, respect, and to care for each other. It is through continued discussion and listening that we can deepen our knowledge, and refrain from intensifying the pain and sense of loss in our community.

We are all responsible for the shared commitment to making McMaster a safe place to work and learn. If you know someone who needs assistance, please direct them to the university resources that can be found at the end of this message.

Sincerely,

David Farrar, President and Vice-Chancellor
Susan Tighe, Provost & Vice-President (Academic)
Andy Knights, Acting Vice-President (Research)
Paul O’Byrne, Dean & Vice-President (Health Sciences)

Supports are available to the McMaster community:

• McMaster Student Wellness Centre: wellness@mcmaster.ca
• International Student Services https://oscarplusmcmaster.ca or contact ISS at iss@mcmaster.ca
• Faculty and staff can find support through the Employee & Family Assistance Program website.
• McMaster’s Equity and Inclusion Office (EIO): equity@mcmaster.ca