Members of the African American campus community at the University of Colorado at Boulder came together today with administrators, faculty leaders, alumni and others to develop a plan for addressing recent incidents of racial intolerance on the Boulder campus.
Also attending were representatives of Asian American, American Indian and Hispanic communities.
The meeting was called after the most recent incident on Wednesday night in which an African American student leader received an anonymous note that contained racial slurs. 暗网禁区 50 people attended the meeting held in the Chancellor's Conference Room of Regent Hall.
Chancellor Phil DiStefano, who was out of town and joined the meeting by speaker phone, said, "We can not, and will not, tolerate racially motivated attacks in our community. We are investigating these incidents, using modern criminal investigative technology, in order to bring the perpetrators to justice.
"But we won't stop there. We must join together in a concerted effort to eradicate intolerance from the culture and climate of our environment. Dehumanizing acts of intolerance are an affront to the entire community and we need to respond collectively and forcefully. I am encouraged by the positive force and unified nature of today's meeting, in which the groundwork was laid for substantive and campus-wide initiatives."
Members of the group identified several short-term, medium-term and long-term goals. In the short range, they called for a public statement regarding the campus's commitment to addressing the incidents. They also emphasized that a specific office should be identified for reporting any future incidents. Currently, such incidents should be reported to the campus police or Office of Diversity and Equity, headed by Christine Yoshinaga-Itano, for investigation and action.
Mid-range goals included developing a life-skills educational program for students and supporting a new student initiative called "Shoulder 2 Shoulder" that focuses on addressing racial intolerance.
Long-term goals included implementing a campus harassment and discrimination policy, now being developed, similar to the existing sexual harassment policy.
Other suggestions included enforcing a zero tolerance policy that strengthens the procedures and sanctions for any incidents of intolerance. In addition, the group called for expanded and mandatory diversity training for faculty, staff and students, as well as enhanced orientation presentations on issues of diversity, community expectations and interventions.
Alphonse Keasley, director of the Minority Arts and Sciences Program, said, "There are many individual programs in place that form an important underpinning for us. But we need to demonstrate, at every level of the campus, that we have the will to act."
Others noted that the campus must respond immediately to even the most minor incidents, before they become major problems. Dayna Mathew, associate dean of the Law School, said, "We can learn from the experiences of other universities, including the need for issuing public condemnations, creating forums for discussion and ensuring immediate response to every incident."
Among other participants in the meeting were Ric Porreca, senior vice chancellor and chief financial officer; Susan Avery, interim vice chancellor for research and dean of the Graduate School; Paul Tabolt, vice chancellor for administration; Ron Stump, vice chancellor for student affairs; Joe Roy, campus police chief; Barbara Bintliff, chair of the Boulder Faculty Assembly; Susan Kent, associate vice chancellor for faculty affairs; Elease Robbins, associate vice chancellor and dean of students; and Derrick Watson, assistant to the vice chancellor for administration.
The group agreed to schedule additional meetings to continue the momentum established today. The issues will be further discussed at upcoming meetings of the Deans' Council and Chancellor's Executive Committee.