President Ettling Acts to Improve Campus Climate, Expectations

A note to the campus community from President John Ettling:

I want to share with you tonight a set of tangible, measurable steps I just presented to the Student Association Executive Council. It is my commitment to see these specific actions taken to improve the campus climate and our expectations of each other and our region.

With this, I hold myself and my vice presidents personally accountable. These will happen, and the work has already begun.

We will:

•Establish a bias response-and-referral process that will address bias incidents. Responsible Party: President Ettling. (Fall 2018)

•Enhance the effort to improve the diversity of faculty and professionals. We will review our practices and report annually on our progress. Responsible Parties: Deans, Affirmative Action Officer Ames, Assistant Vice President Welch. (First Report December 2018)

•Implement mandatory, face-to-face training for all employees on diversity and inclusion. Responsible Party: All vice presidents. (Fall 2018)

•Engage students and legal counsel in a comprehensive review of our Student Code of Conduct. Responsible Party: Vice President Hartman. (April 2018)

•Request the Faculty Senate to charge the General Education Committee to institute a mandatory diversity requirement for all students. Responsible Party: Provost Morgan. (March 2018)

•Form a Social Justice Task Force, consisting of students, faculty, staff and campus leaders, to be led by external facilitators. Responsible Party: President Ettling. (March 2018)

•Send a letter to the SUNY Board of Trustees advocating for a change in the Display of the Flag Policy to support raising the Black Lives Matter flag and other flags that are representative of our student body. Responsible Party: Vice President Hartman. (March 2018)

•Create a Multi-Cultural Unity Space in the Angell College Center. Responsible Party: Vice Presidents Hartman and Larochelle. (December 2018)

•Increase University Police presence to ensure the safety of our campus community. Responsible Party: Vice President Hartman. (Happening now)

•Enlist regional leaders in discussion to address racism in our surrounding communities. Responsible Party: President Ettling. (Happening now)

This work is collective, but the responsibility is mine and that of my leadership team. We will also develop a presence for this on our website and communicate that to you.

I hope you will join me in creating the campus community we each desire and deserve.

John Ettling
President