Graduate School Dean William J. Karpus emailed the following message to graduate students, graduate program coordinators, and directors of graduate study.
The death of George Floyd has deeply affected all members of our community, especially our Black and Brown students and colleagues. I would like to echo Chancellor Blank’s message, express how moved I was by Deputy Vice Chancellor Sim’s message, and reiterate our institutional commitment to combat racism, hate, and violence.
The safety and wellbeing of our students, staff, and faculty remains a top institutional priority. I condemn the acts of violence that occurred in our community while understanding that they express decades of pain, grief, and unmet basic human dignities.
I have confidence that our community can continue to drive change through peaceful activism. In addition to getting involved in institutional programs, I encourage those of us in positions of leadership and privilege to explore the resources Chancellor Blank shared and continue to educate ourselves to confront and address inequities around us.
Together, we are making progress in creating a more inclusive and equitable environment on this campus for all, but we still have much to do. The Graduate School is actively engaging with campus partners to create space for our community to gather and support each other. We will share additional event information with you all as it becomes available.
For those of you in need of immediate support, please utilize the following resources:
- SilverCloud provides resources for stress and anxiety management
- The Center for Healthy Minds offers resilience and mindfulness training
- LifeMatters provides individual support to graduate assistants and staff seeking help
Lastly, I encourage you to reach out to someone you trust for support. You are not alone and the Graduate School stands with you.
All the best,
Bill