Dear Members of the Newberry College Community,
As you may have heard in the news, four young men of the surrounding Newberry community were shot and killed this past weekend. All victims were between the ages of 15 and 19, and the shootings were in our own community. This loss of precious young lives is heartbreaking. With all the recent violence in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, across the country and across the world, this incident is a stark reminder that we are not immune from such tragedy.
First and foremost, Newberry College extends our most sincere condolences to the families devastated by these tragedies. Our thoughts and prayers extend to the impacted neighborhoods. We express our deepest gratitude to our partners in the Newberry Police Department, the Newberry County Sheriff's Office, and the Newberry County School District. We thank you for your leadership and we pray the healing process can begin within the neighborhoods struggling to find the strength to recover.
In this difficult time, we need to come together as a community, support those impacted, and work together to help prevent such violence in the future. It is time for transformative change, and it must begin with us. Transformative change is about building bridges and meaningful relationships. We must not only see the divine complexity in each other, but we must see the strength in our unity. By embracing our differences, we stand undivided, where empathy and civility can defeat hatred and violence.
On our own campus, we will conduct a thorough review of our safety practices and procedures. We will continue creating a safe and welcoming campus, where everyone feels a sense of belonging. As we do so, we become part of the solution for developing a more caring and inclusive community. Our campus security staff will continue to collaborate with local law enforcement professionals to ensure the safety and security of our campus and the surrounding community.
Transformative change is long overdue. Let us be the change that we want to see in the world.
Original source can be found here.
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