Posting on behalf of Mark Roosevelt (who doesn’t have the Facebook, Google, etc. account required to join Medium.com).

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To the signatories,

I received your open letter offering feedback on my convocation address and find myself in sympathy with a majority of the sentiments expressed in it.

As a newcomer to St. John’s, I was unaware of the broader context in which my comments might be viewed. I certainly regret that these comments were seen by some as a dismissal of the facts of trauma and its aftereffects.

I apologize for any such implication.

Many students have suffered trauma, this suffering is real, and it warrants abundant support. I just do not believe that trigger warnings are the best form of support. I will quote Richard McNally, a professor of psychology, a director of clinical training, and the author of Remembering Trauma:

“However, trigger warnings are counter therapeutic because they encourage avoidance of reminders of trauma, and avoidance maintains P.T.S.D. Severe emotional reactions triggered by course material are a signal that students need to prioritize their mental health and obtain evidence-based, cognitive-behavioral therapies that will help them overcome P.T.S.D. These therapies involve gradual, systematic exposure to traumatic memories until their capacity to trigger distress diminishes.

“Rather than issuing trigger warnings, universities can best serve students by facilitating access to effective and proven treatments for P.T.S.D. and other mental health problems.”

But the way I read your letter, you are not really advocating for trigger warnings at St. John’s. You are making a statement about what you see as a general atmosphere of non-support. I believe that the central message of your letter was this:

“We have seen little evidence over the many class years the undersigned represent that St. John’s has meaningfully accommodated students recovering from trauma, or taken steps to prevent trauma to students from occurring on campus. There are concrete steps the administration could take to address that, beginning with not making speeches like this one.”

In the future, when I speak of my opposition to trigger warnings I will make every attempt to do so in a way that does not endorse toughness over kindness. That is not where I come from.

As to the larger point, I will explore the unsupportive atmosphere you believe exits as well as what concrete steps might be appropriate to address it. In that regard, I welcome concrete suggestions from any of you.

You can reach me at sfpresident@sjc.edu.

Thank you for your engagement.

Best,

Mark