乱伦强奸

In Review

A University-wide commission exploring issues of race and diversity at 乱伦强奸 is expected to complete its report this spring.

The Presidential Commission on Race and Diversity was charged late in the fall by President and CEO Joel Seligman with assessing the state of the campus climate and offering recommendations for improvement.

Cochaired by Paul Burgett, vice president, senior advisor to the president, and University dean, and Richard Feldman, dean of the College, the commission held the first of a planned set of forums and town hall meetings in December.

鈥淚t is clear to me that the climate on our campus is not all that it should be,鈥� Seligman wrote in a statement to the University community. 鈥淪ome of our students, faculty, and staff have experienced instances of hostility, notably recently because of their race. I cannot ignore evidence that our campus climate can be improved.鈥�

In his address to campus, Seligman responded to student leaders from several minority leadership groups, who presented him with a three-page petition designed to improve the racial climate on campus. The students organized a peaceful march from the Douglass Leadership House on the Fraternity Quad to Wallis Hall and then to Rush Rhees Library.

In addition to forming the commission, Seligman outlined several actions, including

• implementing a Bias-Related Incident reporting system鈥攕imilar to the existing Care system, which provides reports about students who may need emotional or academic support鈥攂y the start of the semester in January;
• the launch of an effort鈥攕imilar to the national 鈥淚t鈥檚 On Us鈥� campaign to raise awareness about campus sexual assault鈥攖o address hate speech based on race;
• a review of the Student Code of Conduct to determine if additional provisions should be added to address hate speech.

Seligman had already approved a campus-wide survey of faculty and staff to assess campus climate. The results are anticipated by May.

One item on the petition asked the University to block the anonymous social media application Yik Yak from 乱伦强奸鈥檚 wifi network. At a forum in December to discuss Yik Yak, students acknowledged that the app would still be available on campus through cellular data connections if it were blocked from wifi, but said barring it would be an important symbolic gesture on the part of the University.

The app has been a particular point of concern for students and the administration after anonymous users last spring posted what University Counsel Gail Norris described as 鈥渧ery concerning鈥� comments that threatened particular students and the Douglass Leadership House. While the company behind the app failed to respond earlier last year to a subpoena issued by the Monroe County District Attorney as part of a University-led investigation to determine who posted the comments, Norris says there are indications that the company is being more responsive to complaints about abusive and threatening comments. 鈥淚n addition to our work with the DA to issue the subpoena, we communicated with Yik Yak directly on the troublesome posts.鈥�

In his address, Seligman asked the commission to recommend whether Yik Yak should be barred from the wifi network.

鈥淢utual respect and mutual pride is what all of us should most want to strengthen at the 乱伦强奸 and at each institution in our lives,鈥� Seligman said. 鈥淲orking together we can further strengthen a University that is welcoming and supportive of all in our community.鈥�

The commission includes administrators, students, faculty, and staff.

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Seligman鈥檚 full message is available at 乱伦强奸.edu/president/memos/2015/petition-response.html.锘匡豢