Update June 19, 2020: The college leadership worked with our Diversity and Inclusion committee, the CSU Women in Science Network, and the Vice President for Diversity’s office on this statement of support for the Black community.
The College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State University publicly declares our unwavering support for the Black Lives Matter movement. We as a college community, including many of us who are people of privilege, share a commitment to be allies for Black and Indigenous people, and People of Color, and will work to become actively anti-racist. If each of us commits to daily action as a first step, we believe that our community can help the world become a safer and more equitable place for all oppressed individuals.
In a college-wide virtual town hall on June 17, Dean Mark Stetter shared his personal anti-racism pledge, and encouraged each member of the college community to make their own commitment to social justice, as part of the college’s ongoing efforts toward diversity, equity and inclusion.
June 2, 2020
Dear College Community,
Together we are processing an incident that spotlights a disregard for human life, from which we cannot not look away. The United States has been a beacon of freedom and liberty since its inception but we are far from perfect and we must listen, reflect and work towards respect and justice for all. Perhaps we can help to move from rage to action and help to begin to dismantle systematic racism and bias. This can only occur when we admit that racism and bias exists, it is dehumanizing, it is evil and as long as we continue to treat these actions as isolated events we increasingly jeopardize not only our principles but our humanity. Maybe as a college we can also be a beacon for change and help the world move forward.
President Joyce McConnell has spoken out on the atrocity of George Floyd’s death, and our Vice President for Diversity has issued a statement of support that begins with these words: “The weight of what needs to be acknowledged feels heavy. During this pandemic, the pain and unprocessed grief we are collectively facing are tremendously difficult to hold. While stories of communities coming together to support one another in the midst of COVID-19 are heartwarming and serve as much-needed reminders of the good in humanity, the fact remains there are people and systems among us that perpetuate violence and injustice.”
We know we have work to do. Society and our college community must speak out in support of one another and not retreat in silence. We are sharing this message with you here and on social media, in support of our Black and African American colleagues and everyone who has not been shown the basic respect that all deserve.
We know people are hurting. We see you. We hear you. We are with you. These links offer more support from a variety of CSU sources:
- Student Support Resources: https://studentaffairs.colostate.edu/resources/current-students/student-support/
- Office of Vice President for Diversity: https://diversity.colostate.edu/
- Office of Equal Opportunity: https://oeo.colostate.edu/
- Report incidents of bias: https://supportandsafety.colostate.edu/incidents-of-bias
In solidarity,
Mark and Colin
