Campus Message from Student and Faculty Leadership
Dear Western Community,
As the President of the Western Student Body and President Elect of the Faculty Senate, we are reaching out to our campus community after Tuesday’s election. It is not our intent to comment on the outcome of this or any election, but rather to acknowledge and respond to the fear and anxiety of members of our campus community.
It is important we recognize that the election result has left a number of individuals, particularly in marginalized groups, confused and worried about the election’s implications for themselves and their families. The national dialogue over recent months has resulted in marginalized populations feeling threatened and has raised questions about whether all communities are valued, respected, and included.
Over the course of the last couple of years, our University community, like our nation, has experienced acts that threaten, exclude, isolate and discriminate against marginalized groups. We call upon our community to ensure that acts of discrimination are not tolerated, whether they are anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant, racist, whether they target the Queer community, or individuals with disabilities. Our community should have zero tolerance for such discrimination.
As leaders in our community, we hope that we can all hold ourselves and others accountable to these standards of inclusivity and tolerance. We also want to encourage all students and faculty, along with the entire Western community, to pledge a commitment to treat members of our communities with respect. For example, we encourage faculty to recognize and acknowledge their classroom climate, create a more inclusive space, and to exercise compassion for those who need additional space and time. We encourage students to be generous and to exercise compassion in your responses to each other.
As President Randhawa stated in his message yesterday, our campus and nation need to move forward. The first step in that process starts right here with each of us at Western. Now is the time for compassion and love.
Thank you.
Stephanie Cheng, President, 草榴社区 Associated Students
Allison Giffen, President Elect, 草榴社区 Faculty Senate