Ryan ChartrandAcademic environment should be accepting of all
We, the members of the philosophy department, abhor and condemn the recent alleged racism and acts of anti-homosexuality at the Crops House. We believe that such acts belittle, offend and strike fear in valued members of the Cal Poly community for no good reason. As philosophers and religious studies scholars, we are committed to working with students in the pursuit of intellectual virtue and truth.
We will continue to work hard to cultivate an academic environment both inside and outside of the classroom that is genuinely respectful of all persons. And we will continue to work against oppressive biases on our campus (and elsewhere) that are counterproductive to democratic and, indeed, humane ideals.
In closing, we support Dean Halisky’s call for a university-wide enquiry concerning how to answer the following questions: (1) As a university community, what are our responsibilities when hurtful actions or speech are intentional? (2) What are our responsibilities when they result from thoughtlessness or carelessness? (3) What do we do if they come from ignorance?
Keith Abney, Laura Andes, Linda Bomstad, Ken Brown, Judith Cross, Francisco Fernflores, Rachel Fernflores, Rich Graziano, Devin Kuhn, Patrick Lin, Stephen Lloyd-Moffett, Todd Long, Joe Lynch, Tal Scriven
Prejudice is reduced by personal acquaintance
Faculty and staff members of the Cal Poly Psychology and Child Development Department were saddened and alarmed by the Crop House incident. Although, the strong Cal Poly reaction demonstrates we have made progress in creating a multicultural community, the incident demonstrates more needs to be done.
Research shows that people from traditionally discriminated groups and their communities are deeply affected by such incidents. Members of targeted communities typically experience depressed feelings and a loss of safety. Being targeted because of a central identity (e.g., race, sexual orientation) is a profound and painful rejection.
We must all increase appreciation and understanding of diversity by intervening when others promote stereotypes and discrimination. Prejudice is reduced by personal acquaintance and cultural familiarity. We should get to know individuals from other racial and ethnic groups and sexual orientations and learn about the histories and cultures of groups other than our own.
We call upon the individuals involved to promote healing by agreeing to take courses and training to help them further understand and appreciate diversity. We call upon Cal Poly’s administration to create a stronger campus policy in regard to such incidents. We also encourage everyone to gain further knowledge in this area: http://www.adl.org/Prejudice/closethebook.pdf, www.understandingprejudice.org.
Margaret Booker, Shawn Burn, Roslyn Caldwell, Denise Daniels, Basil Fiorito, Julie Garcia, Jennifer Jipson, Jasna Jovanovic, Laura King, Carrie Langner, Gary Laver, Daniel Levi, Kelley Moreno, Don Ryujin, Jennifer Teramoto Pedrotti, Kathy Ryan, Elena Scanu, Ned Schultz, Chuck Slem, Lisa Sweatt