To the editor:
I’m writing to ensure clarity regarding the Center for Career Exploration’s recruiting policies in response to the Jan. 31 article titled “Center for Career Exploration will stop inviting fossil fuel companies to recruit on campus.” We were grateful for the conversations with students from Sunrise last year. We did not, however, modify our recruiting policies. Nor did we reach any formal agreement with a student organization to restrict access to any employers, which the article previously stated. Rather, our policies and practices remain consistent with Brown’s Faculty Rules and Regulations, which explicitly state:
“Brown students have the freedom both to consult with recruiting organizations to seek employment interviews and also to express their views (about) those organizations, providing they do so in legal ways that do not infringe upon the rights of others.”
Students can and should make their own choices about which employment opportunities to pursue, and we’re confident in their ability to do so successfully. Our primary goal is to support students in identifying and securing positions that align with their own individual skills, values, interests, and goals. Accordingly, we welcome any company or organization that follows our recruiting policies to post jobs on Handshake and participate in on-campus recruiting activities (such as career fairs, employer information sessions, and interviews) through the Center for Career Exploration.
Staff at the Center recognize that individual students may not be interested in engaging with every employer who posts jobs at Brown or visits campus. Our role is not to be the arbiter of students’ engagement with employers. Instead, we work to facilitate opportunities for connection and career exploration. In this spirit, we welcome the opportunity to work with any Brown community members who are interested in expanding the range of opportunities available to our students.
Matthew Donato
Executive Director, Brown Center for Career Exploration
Associate Dean of the College
