An Open Letter from the Chancellor’s Workgroup on Diversity and Inclusion

Last month, members of a new University-wide Chancellor’s Workgroup on Diversity and Inclusion were announced. They have been meeting to address issues of concern, and will work toward developing solutions on how to further create a more diverse and inclusive climate at the University. The following is a communication sent Saturday to the Syracuse University community about their work.

As members of the Chancellor’s Workgroup on Diversity and Inclusion, we have been working to take concrete steps to address all incidents of discrimination, microaggressions, and patterns of marginalization on our campus. Along with several other working groups, task forces, and committees on campus, we understand the importance of creating and offering safer spaces specifically for historically and currently marginalized students, faculty, and staff in our diverse communities.

Our Workgroup, which includes 23 community members that represent undergraduate and graduate students, staff, faculty, and administrators, was nominated and selected earlier in the semester and has held several meetings over the last few weeks. We are tasked with consulting individuals and groups across our campus to identify concerns and to recommend tangible policies and programs that will help move Syracuse University toward a more diverse and inclusive climate for all members of our community.

Events like the demonstration on our campus this past Thursday in solidarity with the University of Missouri, and similar demonstrations on other campuses across the country, illustrate the vital importance of receiving all perspectives, experiences, and stories and examining and addressing all aspects of campus culture, policies, and curriculum so that all individuals feel more welcomed, safe, and visible on our campus. We urge all Syracuse University community members to provide input through the campus climate survey in the spring semester and through participation in the upcoming Community Forums being scheduled by our Workgroup.

We know we, as a community have much work to do, individually and collectively.  As members of the Chancellor’s Workgroup on Diversity and Inclusion, we are committed to receiving and understanding the concerns of our community members and to doing the work in a timely manner with the understanding that this will be a continual process.

We invite community members to contact us directly with their concerns and policy recommendations for ways to help us build a climate of mutual respect and support for one another.

Members of the Chancellor’s Workgroup on Diversity and Inclusion:

Keith A. Alford                                             kalford@syr.edu

Justin Bachman                                           jpbachma@syr.edu

Shobha Bhatia                                             skbhatia@syr.edu

Tammy M. Bluewolf-Kennedy                   tbluewol@syr.edu

Harriet N. Brown                                         hnbrown@syr.edu

Pedro Castro                                                pacastro@syr.edu

Francine D’Amico                                        fjdamico@syr.edu

Lily Ieroniawakon Deer                              lideer@syr.edu

Keith A. DiBello                                           kadibell@syr.edu

Bea Gonzalez                                               bgonzale@syr.edu

Tiffany M. Gray                                           tmgray01@syr.edu

Aaron Hodukavich                                      ajhoduka@syr.edu

Jane Hong                                                   jhong17@syr.edu

Sheila Johnson-Willis                                 sjohnson@syr.edu

Nithin Katragadda                                      nkatraga@syr.edu

Paula MacDonald                                       plmacdon@syr.edu

Suzette M. Melendez                                 smmelend@syr.edu

Cathryn R. Newton                                     crnewton@syr.edu

Mara Sapon-Shevin                                     msaponsh@syr.edu

Jordan Shelby West                                    jswest@syr.edu

Alex Umstead                                             aumstead@syr.edu

Barry L. Wells                                             blwells@syr.edu

Chante Williams                                        cpwill02@syr.edu