To the Campus Community:
I am writing to apologize for a remark I made at last week’s Campus Conversation forum with students that was reported in Monday’s Mustang Daily, a story titled “Three takeaways from President Armstrong’s student forum.”
Unfortunately, in trying to make a point about diversity and how seemingly innocent remarks can be hurtful, I inadvertently combined separate anecdotes into one and ended up painting an unfair caricature of the staff of our Health and Counseling Services. I am truly sorry and hope the staff will accept my apology.
In the spirit of Learn by Doing, let’s call this a teachable moment and let me try again to make my point about why I feel so strongly about the issues of diversity and inclusivity.
First and foremost, a better understanding of the issues around diversity will enable our students to be more successful throughout their lives.
To be sure, Cal Poly graduates are very successful. Recent data show that nearly nine out of 10 Cal Poly graduates from the past two years are either employed in their chosen discipline or in graduate school, and Cal Poly graduates are earning salaries well above the national average.
However, top executives of some of America’s most prestigious companies have made it clear that they want and need greater diversity in their workforces and expect universities like Cal Poly to provide and prepare that workforce. They also want all of our graduates to be able to function well in our multicultural and increasingly global society. Some of these executives have been very blunt, saying that our relative lack of diversity is Cal Poly’s Achilles heel.
What that means to me is that we need to accomplish a number of things to ensure that we have a campus climate that is welcoming to all, that we need to attract a more diverse student body, and we need to recruit a more diverse faculty and staff. Additionally, we need to make sure our students “learn how to learn” in an environment that reflects the world in which they will work. And part of that means knowing how to interact well with others from backgrounds different from our own.
The point I was trying to make last week was that often seemingly innocent remarks end up being very hurtful. Such incidents hurt our climate, and, in turn, can create a negative perception about Cal Poly as a place to learn.
The example I was attempting to cite last week is how so many students of color have told me that it’s not unusual for them to be asked, “Which sport do you play?” The underlying assumption is insulting, to say the least. Students tell me it happens so often that they are numb to it and, unfortunately, consider it a part of the Cal Poly culture. That’s a piece of our culture we need to change.
Students have also told me that if they respond that they don’t play a sport, a less frequent but not uncommon follow-up question is, “Then how did you get in?” Nobody is numb to the pain caused by that question.
My point: We all need to be aware of the different facets of diversity, including how our words can hurt others. And I will be more mindful of my own words.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey D. Armstrong
Cal Poly President