We are listening

Like so many, we have felt the depths of grief and depression in the wake of continued racial discrimination and injustice. The violent, inhumane deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, and so many others, have sickened, saddened, and angered us.

We value Black lives and our hearts break for the countless Black victims of violence. We know our students of color, in particular, feel hurt, angry, and aggrieved. It is time for all of us to stand in solidarity for those who advocate for justice, to stand with and support those who peacefully stand up for their rights and the rights of others.

We want our Black students, alumni, faculty, staff, prospective students, and those who are invested in educating future storytellers and communicators in all our majors to know that not only do we see you – we are listening to you, we are learning from you.

We are committed to working actively to improve our systems and processes. As individuals and as a college, we must do more than merely make statements: Every year in the College we set goals to improve our efforts at equity and inclusion through faculty development, training and hiring initiatives, prospective student outreach, offering student resources and programs, student involvement on our Standing Committee on Diversity and getting input from our students, alumni and professionals. We have so much more work to do.

We reaffirm our commitment to condemning all forms of racism and advocating for equity and inclusion.

We are listening and welcome your partnership in action to help us move forward in our goals.