Supporting Our Community During Difficult Times

Dear Members of the ÒùÐÔÊÓƵ Community,

Like many of you, I have been following the protests in Minneapolis and throughout the country in response to the death of George Floyd, an African American man who died while in police custody in Minneapolis last week.  Derek Chauvin, the fired Minnesota police officer, has been charged with the murder of Mr. Floyd.

This senseless death occurred as we mourned the recent deaths of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia and Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, and while our African American and Latinx communities continue to face the disproportionate social, health, and economic hardships related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

These critical moments remind us that we all must continue to do the impactful and purposeful work necessary to address racial discrimination and social inequality.

To facilitate this work, we will create a space for members of our University community to reflect on the recent tragedies and to discuss opportunities to strengthen our support for our African American and Latinx communities on campus.

On behalf of the Cabinet, Dr. Chris Catching, our Vice President for Student Affairs, will lead this effort and will share more details about proposed plans shortly.

Stay safe and well.

Best regards,
Harvey Kesselman
President
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