Dear Santa Clara University Community,
As members of the President’s Cabinet, we write to address an event that occurred at last night’s Diversity Forum. The assistant director of Campus Safety Services (CSS) participated in the event with a postcard on a bookshelf behind him that is widely considered to be an effort to undermine the Black Lives Matter movement and its universally important goals. We deeply apologize for this incident and the hurt it has caused.
SCU is striving to create a campus community where everyone is valued and can feel safe and respected. As part of that effort, we are deeply committed to racial justice and to healing the suffering caused by racism, which is core to our mission and values as a Jesuit, Catholic university. We have not always lived up to these goals, but we are working hard to make real progress. As we have communicated in the past, an audit of Campus Safety Services practices and procedures is underway and we are committed to ensuring the important role CSS plays in a way that is fair, safe and respectful to everyone in our campus community.
Diversity Forums are organized by our Inclusive Excellence Student Advisory Council in collaboration with the SCU administration to provide an opportunity for students, faculty and staff to come together in a safe space to advance issues of racial justice and learn from student experiences. These are vital conversations that can and should build understanding and help us move forward in our goals.
Last night’s incident has further damaged the trust and faith that we are working so hard to build. But we cannot let it derail the important work we have underway. We are steadfast in our commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of our students and to building a Santa Clara community where all are welcome.
Black Lives Matter.
With respect,
Renee Baumgartner
Director of Athletics
Bridget Colbert
Interim General Counsel
Michael Crowley
Vice President, Finance and Administration
Lisa Kloppenberg
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Jim Lyons
Vice President, University Relations
Eva Blanco Masias
Vice President for Enrollment Management
Molly A. McDonald
Chief of Staff
Kevin O’Brien, S.J.
President
John Ottoboni
Chief Operating Officer
Bob Owen
Chief Information Officer
Jeanne Rosenberger
Vice Provost for Student Life
Margaret M. Russell
Associate Provost for Diversity & Inclusion