Why We're Here

We are a coalition of Connecticut College community members who are committed to collecting, documenting and sharing stories of incompetence and failure under the Katherine Bergeron administration. 

Born out of an occupation of administrative offices in Fanning since 1 pm on May 12, 2016, this blog is a platform upon which such narratives can be widely disseminated to the greater Connecticut College network of students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents and New London community members.

The student occupiers initially entered Fanning to inquire about the differential treatment of alleged bias incidents on campus, particularly why some bias incidents warrant all-campus communications and administrative actions while others do not. After too many hours of circular conversations, they came to realize that the problems at the College are deeper than we previously understood. Specifically, through this process, they came to realize that the President has cultivated an environment of control, surveillance, job exploitation, and repression that inhibits the work of the College. Instances of this are:

• All mass communications are extensively filtered, if not censored, through the Communications Office, which deeply fetters the ability of other offices and departments to do their work. 

• The Office of Institutional Equity and Inclusion does not have adequate agency to act on behalf of campus community members. Instead of being a real representative of  equity issues on campus, the office has now become a functionary of the President.

This creates a campus climate that actively undermines the ability of students, staff, and faculty to teach, learn, and work with each other through authentic inquiry and deliberation.

The concentration of power in the Office of the President and the Office of Communications is not only detrimental to but potentially violates the College’s commitment to the value of shared governance. It has become evident that all the voices in the various offices on campus are now filtered through the Office of Communications to reflect the voice of the President. The checks and balances that used to be in place are no longer authentically functioning under this administration. 

Add your voice and your complaints against this administration to our growing list. Comment on this blog, write on our Facebook page  or email us at occupyfanning@gmail.com with any and all grievances against the Katherine Bergeron administration. All e-mailed responses will be kept strictly confidential. 

Join our coalition against administrative incompetence!