[post] UofM Letter on Campus Climate and Issues of Bias and Hate

Dear Students:

The University of Michigan is deeply concerned about campus climate and issues of bias and hate, particularly around race, sex, color, religion, creed, national origin and ancestry, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status and personal characteristics. Division of Student Affairs staff have been and will continue to reach out to students and student communities to offer support and obtain feedback on how we can improve the campus climate. Students have informed us that many in the campus community are not familiar with existing mechanisms for reporting and receiving support for incidents of bias and hate, or with the outreach and educational efforts currently underway to support a more positive campus climate.

We are writing for two reasons:
1) To make you aware of current reporting mechanisms within the Division of Student Affairs for hate crimes and bias incidents;
2) To inform you of a wide array of outreach and education efforts currently underway.

1) REPORTING A HATE CRIME OR BIAS INCIDENT
What to Do: In an emergency, dial 9-1-1 to be connected to the UM Department of Public Safety (on-campus) or the Ann Arbor Police Department (off-campus).

In a non-emergency, contact any Division of Student Affairs office including:

• Counseling & Psychological Services, 764-8312 or www.umich.edu/~caps
  
• Dean of Students Office, 764-7420 or www.umich.edu/~dofs
  
• International Center, 764-9310 or www.umich.edu/~icenter
  
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Affairs, 763-4186 or www.umich.edu/~lgbta
  
• Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs, 763-9044 or mesa.umich.edu
  
• Services for Students with Disabilities, 763-3000 or www.umich.edu/~sswd
  
• Sexual Assault Prevention & Awareness Center, 998-9368 or www.umich.edu/~sapac
  
• Student Activities & Leadership, 763-5900 or www.umich.edu/~salead
  
• Ombuds Office, 763-3545 or www.umich.edu/~ombuds
  
• Office of Student Conflict Resolution, 936-6308 or www.umich.edu/~oscr
  
• University Housing, speak with your CORE, RD, RA, MPA/A, APA, or download www.housing.umich.edu/pdfs/BiasProtocol.pdf for more information.
  

(A downloadable flier with current Student Affairs report and support resources is available on Student Matters at www.umich.edu/~ovpsa/studentmatters.)

Support and Response: Students may feel more comfortable contacting Division of Student Affairs offices or other offices on campus. The response to such incidents may involve one-on-one meetings with involved students, making referrals to appropriate University offices, and providing programming to educate the larger community. From Student Affairs, you can expect to receive individualized and continuing support, and information about the processes involved in filing a complaint with the Office of Student Conflict Resolution, the Department of Public Safety or the Ann Arbor Police Department, if you choose to do so. Unresolved concerns may be reported to the Dean of Students Office.

2) CURRENT EFFORTS - OUTREACH
Campus Safety & Security Advisory Committee (CSSAC): President Mary Sue Coleman charged CSSAC to consider ways to address hate incidents and make recommendations. These issues are at the top of CSSAC's agenda, and final recommendations are expected by December 2005.

Campus Climate Updates: Regular updates involving campus climate can be found on Student Matters (www.umich.edu/~ovpsa/studentmatters), which has detailed information describing efforts that directly or indirectly address climate issues.

Several UM departments have been meeting with, learning from, and providing support services to students and student communities that have been directly affected by recent and ongoing campus climate issues and concerns around bias and intolerance.

Department of Public Safety (DPS): DPS and other UM departments have been meeting with students of color representatives to hear and respond to their concerns about campus climate and issues of bias and hate.

Organizing for Unity (OFU): Supported in part by the Office of LGBT Affairs, OFU is a community partnership of LGBT and Ally organizations, working to fight hate and homophobia. The group formed in response to the upcoming Saturday, November 19 protest by Rev. Fred Phelps of the School of Music's Production of The Laramie Project, a creative work that emerged from a series of interviews following the brutal beating death of Matthew Shepard. More information about OFU can be found at www.sitemaker.umich.edu/orgforunity.

CURRENT EFFORTS - EDUCATION
Anti-hate Awareness and Education Campaign: Several UM offices, students and others are currently working to develop a campus-wide, anti-hate awareness and education campaign. This effort will include a website, posters and other materials to articulate our values and direct community members to campus resources for reporting and responding to bias-related incidents. The Dean of Students Advisory Group, which includes several student representatives, has reviewed early mock-ups of posters and provided feedback. Any suggestions you may have should be sent to .

Creating a Healthy and New Generation of Equality (CHANGE): The CHANGE events, which began this fall as a series of educational and social events during Welcome Week, are designed to celebrate and appreciate the diversity of the campus community. Ongoing CHANGE events are being planned by students and various UM departments.

M-Justice Website and Calendar: The M-Justice website is a new forum for highlighting opportunities for UM students that involve social justice education and action reflecting the principles and values of the Division of Student Affairs and the university as a whole. These opportunities include those offered by the sponsoring offices as well as numerous activities organized and funded by student groups and student communities. Activities include leadership retreats, community service and engagement opportunities, speaker's bureau panels, intergroup dialogues, and a variety of workshops and sessions addressing social identity and social justice. More information is available at www.umich.edu/~mjustice.

Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs (MESA) Workshops: MESA and the Trotter Multicultural Center work continually to improve intercultural competences for all UM students by creating opportunities for meaningful cross-cultural interaction and learning. They support racial and ethnic identity and provide services and programs to meet students' needs and campus climate concerns that have and continue to emerge. A schedule of daylong workshops for faculty, staff and students is being arranged for January / February 2006. Topics will include hate and bias, diversity and means for discussing controversial issues. These workshops are pilots and, following evaluation, are expected to become part of routine educational training.

MESA Advisory Council: As part of the recent recommendations made by the Trotter Advisory Council, MESA has established an ongoing advisory council that will determine mechanisms for gathering community input and feedback on the work of MESA and the Trotter Multicultural Center. The Council will also offer advice on educational programming that will be beneficial to all members of the campus community.

Student Organizations and Recognition (SOAR) Committee: The new SOAR recommendations address the status of student organizations' relationship to the University, as well as recommendations for best practices. These include definitions and expected standards for student organizations, which involve issues of non-discrimination, bias and intolerance.

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We will keep you posted on major programming developments and encourage you to visit the Students Matters webpage regularly. Please feel free to bring your suggestions for improving campus climate or other ideas about the campus to the attention of the Dean of Students Advisory Group (deanofstudents@umich.edu).

UM is an educational community that values diversity. It is important that we continue to work together to advance a community in which we all are respected and understood.

Sincerely,

E. Royster Harper
Vice President for Student Affairs

Susan Eklund
Dean of Students