Subject: [All Staff] Post-election message from President Beal
From: Presidents Office <[email-masked]>
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2020 16:42:26 -0800
List-Id: <allstaff.cca.edu>

Dear CCA Students, Faculty, and Staff,

The American democratic process is messy and imperfect. This immensely
consequential election, in the midst of this tumultuous year, has certainly
shown that to be true. It’s also a process that thrives on
participation—the more of us who actively participate in it, the more vital
it becomes.

Democracy is fluid, it needs close attention and continual reinvention. The
same is true of CCA in many ways. Over our college’s 113-year history,
we’ve evolved and changed through the active participation of our
community. In this year of reckoning for our nation, we’ve undertaken a
deep examination of how the structure of our institution serves or fails
our mission and values as a college. I’m inspired by the energy our
community has brought to this effort—especially our amazing students. As I
witness the compassion, commitment, and creative activism of this
community, it gives me great hope.

Our faculty, staff, students, and alumni have brought this same energy to
the front lines of our national democratic process: traveling to
battleground states to canvass, phone- and text-banking to get out the
vote, working to make sure our students—30% of whom were eligible to vote
in a U.S. presidential election for the very first time this year—knew how
to register and cast their ballots. CCA served as an official polling
place. Dozens of CCA artists contributed to the CCA@CCA Artwork Campaign
<https://www.cca.edu/newsroom/art-in-action/> and many more used the power
of their art to support the ideals and values that are at stake.

As we head into the weekend and the vote counting continues, we are being
patient with the process. I know many of us are also tired—worn down by
uncertainty and anxiety, exhausted by the divisiveness in our society that
this year has made so clear. I urge you to take care of yourselves and make
time for things that bring you joy. Here are some resources
<https://portal.cca.edu/thriving/student-life/updates/2020-post-election-resources/>
that may help if you need support.

The resolution of this election is not an end, but a beginning. We have
built a collective energy around our desire for a better future, a momentum
that we must not lose. This energy brought more of us to the polls than
ever before in this country’s history. It brought us into the streets to
denounce racism and injustice. Once every vote is counted, my hope is that
we will continue to use this energy to push forward, to continue our
work—in our college, our communities, and our country—as active, creative
citizens.

Take care,

Steve