June 5, 2020
Transcript:
I have been communicating a lot over the past couple of days with our students. They are students who are hurt, students who are scared and confused, and students who genuinely seek to ensure that SUNY Cobleskill is the beacon of education, community, and inclusion it can and should be.
They are also students who carry an undeniable power to move the world forward, and leave their path better than they found it.
There is a phrase that echoes through the channels of social media and sticks in my mind as we work through these challenging issues: “Do better.”
It is a challenge, a plea, and a directive that asks each of us if we are doing everything we can. Are we listening to the stories told and untold, and not brushing them away from discomfort? Are we looking deeper and accepting where the discussion takes us?
“Do better, SUNY Cobleskill.”
I hear you, and I acknowledge your voices and your experiences. We need to do better.
It is with that challenge in mind that I announce the creation of the “Do Better Initiative”. I am asking our student activists, faculty, staff, and leadership to come together and make an action plan for lasting, meaningful change to improve the experience of students here at SUNY Cobleskill.
I invite everyone to help us achieve our aspiration of being a community that fosters the exchange of ideas in a respectful and non-threatening way. This is critical to increasing understanding, awareness, and opportunities to learn from one another.
In striving to create a world where faculty, staff, and students develop a lifelong appreciation for the value of diversity, equity, and inclusion, I ask you to join me: Let’s do better at SUNY Cobleskill.
I thank you for your dialog, and desire to ensure that all students experience the remarkably positive impact SUNY Cobleskill can have on a person’s life. Now is the time to have the difficult conversations born from challenge and answer the call. “Do better.”