| Messages
To the Northeastern Community: Given a recent, distressing incident that occurred on our campus, I want to express my abhorrence of racism and religious intolerance. As I walk around campus and our surrounding neighborhoods, I continue to be impressed by the vibrant energy that enriches the Northeastern community. Many factors contribute to that energy. Diversity is foremost among them. Indeed, Northeastern is at its best when each member of our community feels welcomed and drawn to us because we celebrate and embrace diversity in all its dimensions. My hope and expectation is that we will be a leader, nationally and internationally, in this regard. In light of this expectation, we must also act as a leader in vigorously opposing racism wherever it manifests itself. Tolerance is not sufficient. We must be vigilant in recognizing racism, regularly assessing our own attitudes and actions, and conducting ongoing dialogues among all the members of our communities. The incident on campus that I referenced runs counter to all that I have discussed here. I hope that this was not action taken by students, faculty or staff, nonetheless, it did occur in our community. Let me be perfectly clear that acts of racist intimidation or discrimination are not acceptable, and we will respond to them to the full extent permitted by university policy and the law. We all have much to learn from each other on this topic. Next week we are hosting our third conference on race relations in higher education. More than 350 participants from 70 institutions will join us to consider the constructive steps we can take to enhance race relations on a national scale. Even if you are unable to attend the conference, I encourage you to actively engage in discussions about racism with your peers and other members of the community. This is indeed a time to not only reaffirm Northeastern’s commitment to opposing racism in all its forms, but also to explore ways to celebrate the diversity that enriches us all. | |