Dear Members of the Barnard Community,
I write to acknowledge how challenging the past year has been for our community and to offer ongoing support from the College.
Many of our classmates, colleagues, and friends continue to be in pain every day as they mourn those killed and taken hostage during the terrorist attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023. Many of our community members feel daily pain as death and displacement in Gaza, Lebanon, and the Middle East continues to increase. And many of us have experienced divisions and alienation on our campus.
Writing any message about this grief feels fraught, but I believe it’s important to recognize the profound sadness of this time. I hope we will all take time to reflect and mourn and to support each other as we seek opportunities to heal ourselves, our community, and the world.
It is normal to feel apprehensive right now, and I remind you of various resources that continue to be available to you:
For Students:
The Rosemary Furman Counseling Center (located on the first floor of Hewitt Hall)
Hours: Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Crisis appointment hours: Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Phone: 212-854-2092
Email: counseling@barnard.edu
Primary Care Health Services (located on the lower level of Reid Hall)
Hours: Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Phone: 212-854-2091
The Wellness Spot (located in 119 Reid Hall)
Staff open office hours: Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Phone: 212-854-3063
Email: TheWellnessSpot@barnard.edu
Next week, we will also provide additional student-support spaces on campus if students would like to spend time together. We will share additional details in 411 tomorrow.
For Faculty and Staff:
Please reach out to our Employee Assistance Program, which provides short-term counseling and referrals for employees and their families when they are experiencing life challenges. You may also call 877-240-6863 or email answers@HealthAdvocate.com.
Now more than ever, we must demonstrate care and compassion toward each other and play our part to help heal our fractured world. Through the pursuit of knowledge, learning, and deep understanding, I hope we can meet this challenge here at Barnard.
Please continue to take care of yourselves and one another. To our community members celebrating Rosh Hashanah, which begins at sundown today, I wish you shanah tova.
Very truly yours,
Laura Ann Rosenbury
President, Barnard College