CW // mention of suicide

On Thursday, April 1st, Provost Peggy Agouris held office hours discussing student concerns over the College of William & Mary’s decision to not expand pass/fail options for the spring 2021 semester. One student brought up their concern that the added stress of the pandemic may drive students to self-harm. To the best of that student’s recollection, the exchange went like this:

Student: “I’m worried my friends are gonna kill themselves.”

Provost Agouris: “Give me a break. Why do you think pass/fail is going to fix everything wrong at this school?”

This callous reply from a high-level member of the William & Mary administration is more than disgusting- it’s absolutely unacceptable. Provost Agouris is in charge of all academic and research programs, academic budgets, institutional planning, space allocation and faculty development. She co-chairs the university's strategic planning and business innovation committees. (https://www.wm.edu/about/administration/provost/about/provost/index.php)

Provost Agouris is the deciding factor behind so many aspects of the university that play a large role in a student’s college experience. If she feels that student mental health is something to be ignored or disregarded, she does not deserve to be in a place of leadership at a university.

We, the undersigned, demand that Provost Agouris be let go from her position at the College of William & Mary.