Dear students,
As we approach the upcoming presidential election, I want to reflect on this important moment in our nation’s history. For many undergraduate students, this will be the first presidential election in which they are eligible to vote; for others, this election represents a quadrennial opportunity and responsibility. In 2016, another presidential election year, 47.1% of Bentley students who were registered voted, according to the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement, which teamed with Bentley’s Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Center to measure our students’ participation. In 2020, 66.4% of registered Bentley students voted. I hope that impressive increase will continue this year, and I encourage everyone who has this important right to cast their ballot.
I think we can all agree that the national discourse surrounding this year’s election has become heated. It often seems that people on opposing sides spend more time and energy arguing with each other than considering others’ views. Here at Bentley, we can’t control the political debate across the country. But we can control how we interact and converse with each other.
Our core Bentley values call for us to show respect in our interactions, treat others with kindness and seek to understand those with beliefs different from our own. Understanding others’ ideas, especially when they differ from our own, broadens our knowledge and allows us to appreciate the world from diverse perspectives. Discussion is as much about listening to others as it is about voicing our own thoughts. That should apply in our classrooms, our offices and every other place on our campus and in our community.
I know this may be a stressful time for some of you, and I encourage us all to be supportive of one another. As always, the Counseling Center is available to speak with students by calling 781-891-2274.
So as the election approaches — and in the days and weeks that follow it — I hope we will engage in thoughtful discussions about the important issues facing our country. On this campus, we have an incredible opportunity to articulate our thoughts, practice respectful dialogue and learn about ourselves and those around us.
If we allow our Bentley values to guide our actions, this time in our nation’s history can be a formative learning experience that shapes us as individuals and as a Bentley community long after the votes are counted. Please take care of yourself — and each other.
Most sincerely,
President Chrite