Communications to the Campus Community
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Subject: Stand together against hate
To the Campus Community:
Some of you will have seen an article published today in the St. Cloud Times that describes the response of our faculty and students to a racist act that occurred earlier this week. I am pleased that the Times focused on the strong and positive response of our community rather than on the hateful act alone. The article is accurate.
For those of you who have not seen the article, this is a brief summary. A particularly offensive racist message was scrawled this past Monday on a poster produced by students in Professor Yolanda Lehman’s Race in America class. That poster, which hung on a bulletin board in a Stewart Hall stairwell between second and third floors, was defaced with obscene words targeting all African-Americans. Unwilling to let this hateful act pass without a meaningful rebuttal, Rev. Lehman’s students turned it into a teachable moment – a way to, in her words, “transform the way some folks think about race in America.”
When the racist graffiti first was discovered on the poster honoring the work of Dorothy Height, chair and president emeritus of the National Council of Negro Women, it was taken down. Rev. Lehman made the decision to place a facsimile of the 16’ x 20’ poster in the stairwell and placed a box full of paper, pens and tape under the bulletin board, inviting the St. Cloud State community to flood the wall with their reactions. She added the words, “This is what ONE person says. What do the MANY say in response?”
It is difficult to control the behavior of every individual in a community of nearly 20,000, but we can stand together against hate. Over time it will become known that St. Cloud State is a learning community that does not tolerate hateful acts. I am grateful to the student leaders, to Professor Yolanda Lehman and to her students who spoke out and invited other members of our community to join them. You have set an example for all of us.
It is my hope that someday we will have created a community that is safe enough to openly engage each other in order to examine the world view and motives that drive hateful expressions. A learning community moves forward only when we can think together about the most difficult questions that we encounter. When we can do this, some will not feel the need to commit these acts of hate. Thank you to the many campus leaders who share this dream and are working actively towards its realization.
Earl H. Potter III
President
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Subject: Thanksgiving
University Colleagues:
As we approach the time of year set aside to give thanks for all the good things in our lives and in our world, I want to express appreciation for all you’re doing to make St. Cloud State University a better environment for teaching, serving and learning. In the past year I’ve seen a growing spirit of pride in our institution and a growing sense of collective responsibility for the well being of our campus community and the broader community. Faculty and staff are discovering how synergy of talent and commitment can make changes important to our university’s future and society’s future.
In the past few weeks we’ve convened our Diversity Task Force to address issues of responsibility for our cultural climate and a Sustainability Task Force to create better ways of incorporating a culture of responsibility for our environment into our curriculum and our operations. These groups are bringing together expertise from academic disciplines and offices dedicated to helping students appreciate their role in creating and sustaining a safe and promising global community. They are good examples of how the work we’re doing together can and will yield positive results.
Faculty and staff also are making tremendous investments in improving student success, involving students in service learning projects and outreach activities that are igniting passions and stirring creativity in our students. As we have seen from the recent voter participation and community activities, increasing numbers of our students are engaging in campus life and community life. They are altering the course of their own lives as they reach out to improve the lives of others.
This fall we have seen a proliferation of students acting out of concern for others, of students literally saving the lives of their friends because they didn’t say, “It’s none of my business.” I feel deep gratitude to the campus community for the growing sense that we all are our brothers’ and our sisters’ keeper. We are creating a better place and a safer place because of changing attitudes.
Christine and I are grateful to be a part of this campus community. You have touched our lives in profound ways, and as we gather with family to celebrate this holiday, we wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving with your own family and friends.
Sincerely,
Earl H. Potter III
President
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Subject: Building an Inclusive Community
Dear Students,
It has been my privilege to speak with many of you during the last couple of weeks. To those who are new to the campus I offered welcome and to those who are returning I said that we are glad to have you back. St. Cloud State University is a learning community of nearly 20,000 students, faculty and staff that comes together to share knowledge and grow understanding so that our graduates may be prepared for their futures. This University makes a tremendous contribution to the well-being of Minnesota and sends leaders out across the world to make a difference in many other communities.
While this is all true, we are also an imperfect community that is striving towards equity, justice and opportunity for all. From time to time there are strong signals that all is not well and that we have much work to do to realize our dream for this community. One of these signals occurred over the last weekend when three “K’s” were discovered taped to an elevator wall in Shoemaker Hall. The letters had been taken from bulletin boards in Shoemaker and arranged to create the recognizable and hateful KKK symbol.
I don’t know the motive of the person or persons who did this. The act was certainly intentional and whether the person(s) knew or not, it was hurtful. Such an act violates the spirit of openness and acceptance that we seek to create on this campus. We have asked people who may have any information about this incident to share this information with us so that we can take appropriate action. While knowing that we will never totally remove misunderstanding, ignorance and bigotry from our society, I believe that we can create safe places where people can explore their differences and come to understand one another, places that support learning and growth.
I ask that you join me in refusing to accept this kind of behavior, whatever the motive. Speak up, speak out, or speak back but do not be indifferent. We will come together to talk and think and learn in the many, many venues that we offer for conversation from the Respect and Responsibility workshops that are required of new students, to the Racial Issues courses that students take as part of our general education curriculum, to the many leadership councils and informal discussion groups across the campus. Please participate in these conversations. Be active, challenge, listen and learn. Share your questions with faculty members in any of your classes. Your education will benefit and our university will grow stronger.
Sincerely,
Earl H. Potter III
President
