HOW I SENT A PRIVATE 340-WORD MESSAGE TO
PRESIDENT ROWE AND WHAT THAT MESSAGE SAID
BY FORMER GOVERNMENT PROFESSOR DAVID DESSLER
December 9, 2019
First, I went to LinkedIn. Here is the profile of someone I call a "student." This is Diane Alleva Cáceres, BA Economics W&M 1987, MA Government W&M 1989.
She and her twin sister Lynn were W&M swim team co-captains.
I am in contact with a group of 79 students (not counting the students in my classes in the fall of 2015). Diane is the oldest of the group.
I will be 65 years old on March 30, 2020. Just over three weeks later--April 23, 2020--Diane will be 55 years old.
The youngest student in the communication web I have established is a woman seeking her B.A. in Chemistry at William & Mary. She is a junior. She, too, has a birthday in the spring. She will be 21 years old.
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It should be noted that almost no one associated with William & Mary who receives communications from me wants to receive them. Very few people take me or my messages seriously.
I am aware that anyone associated with me feels embarrassed. I am sorry about that. What I have had to do has been embarrassing for me, too. It has also, unfortunately, been necessary.
I am proud of the faculty and administrative leaders at W&M I have followed in this journey, and I am even prouder of the students who have fought for their own rights. That's what my story is about: student rights. It is not about me, my job, my income, the location of my residence, or my career track. It is about the rights of students at the College of William & Mary, especially the undergraduates. In particular, it has been about the right of students to have adequate mental health care at the College, and to participate in its provision.
She and her twin sister Lynn were W&M swim team co-captains.
I am in contact with a group of 79 students (not counting the students in my classes in the fall of 2015). Diane is the oldest of the group.
I will be 65 years old on March 30, 2020. Just over three weeks later--April 23, 2020--Diane will be 55 years old.
The youngest student in the communication web I have established is a woman seeking her B.A. in Chemistry at William & Mary. She is a junior. She, too, has a birthday in the spring. She will be 21 years old.
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It should be noted that almost no one associated with William & Mary who receives communications from me wants to receive them. Very few people take me or my messages seriously.
I am aware that anyone associated with me feels embarrassed. I am sorry about that. What I have had to do has been embarrassing for me, too. It has also, unfortunately, been necessary.
I am proud of the faculty and administrative leaders at W&M I have followed in this journey, and I am even prouder of the students who have fought for their own rights. That's what my story is about: student rights. It is not about me, my job, my income, the location of my residence, or my career track. It is about the rights of students at the College of William & Mary, especially the undergraduates. In particular, it has been about the right of students to have adequate mental health care at the College, and to participate in its provision.
Starting with Diane Alleva Cáceres, I searched for a profile I could use to get a message to President Katherine Rowe.
I found a person with these interests.
He had this work experience.
Oh, it was not a he. Ladies and gentleman, this is the President of the College of William & Mary in Virginia, Katherine A. Rowe.
Here is an annotated screenshot from a discussion with two students on Monday afternoon, December 9, 2019. We use Zoom when necessary.
To send a private, unobstructed message to President Rowe without anyone but Dr. Rowe knowing, and with her knowing that no one else would know, I did three things. First, I waited for a weekend. This event happened on Sunday morning, December 8, 2019, at 9:24 am CDT. Second, I paid $29.95 for Premium membership on LinkedIn. Third, I hit "Message" on President Rowe's profile above. (I did not hit "Connect." Connection with the president is not a possibility. Also, further communication is not possible at this point. I am reporting here only a one-time communication, but it is a huge one.)
If you read below what I sent Dr. Rowe and how I sent it, you will have no doubt that she received a clear, informative message from me. It could not have been blocked or monitored. Dr. Rowe probably read it at home very shortly after I sent it.
It is clear that President Rowe got the message, read the message, and internalized the message, and until she finds out about this web page, she did so thinking that no one would know. I am guessing this page will be a surprise her when she finds it. I am not telling her it is here.
When Dr. Rowe reads what I have written on this page, she will see that I am being honest and open (there is no deceit, no attempt to trick). My goal is to get her to trust and respect me in the way one must trust and respect a teammate in a spirited ethical community. She must trust me to know what I'm doing. She must know that I have her back and I will even call my own fouls. If I screw up, I will let her know.
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WHAT I WROTE
Below is the message I sent to President Rowe, with appropriate redactions. This message is word for word, with some words missing (the white spaces are the redactions).
The subject line that President Rowe saw before reading any text said:
"Provost Agouris / memory of Paula Blank"
I am absolutely certain she read the 340-word message, just as I am certain that W&M faculty actually believe Rowe opposes my efforts, rather than supports them.
