William J. Behre

Like many of you, I am deeply troubled by the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.

It is impossible to witness this event and not be deeply troubled by the disturbing intersection of race and power that it represents.

I am also terribly worried that the rightful outrage and protests that we are currently witnessing nationwide are being overshadowed by those who seek only to sow division, not foster justice, progress and reconciliation.

Today, I write to you with feelings of both despair and resolve.

For two years, I have heard from our students and employees of color.

I've heard stories of young people who describe instances of being pulled over for “driving while Black,” about feeling singled out when asked, essentially, “What is the Black opinion on that?” and about the casual use of racial slurs by white students.

Some may want to debate the objective veracity of these individual claims, but that is not my point in bringing them to your attention. My point is that these instances are the perceived, lived experiences of many in our community and it is heartbreaking.

In addition to overt racism, our Students and Employees of Color regularly face subtle, oftentimes unintentional, indignities. It is long past time that we acknowledge this reality and work collectively to address it.

I ask each of you to actively question your own assumptions and actions pertaining to those who are different than you. I ask that you join me in our continued commitment to actively consider how our actions, even if they are not intended with malice, shape the lives of others.

In the coming academic year, I will be charging the President's Commission for Racial and Ethnic Diversity to formally and systematically study the experiences of our Students and Employees of Color.

They will be expected to move beyond the anecdotal and produce a thorough research report. Further, they will be expected to recommend actionable interventions based on their findings. This work will inform our strategic planning process.

Beginning immediately, representatives of this committee will also meet regularly with the Slippery Rock University Police leadership to help assure that we have appropriate policies in place, and that our officers have the necessary training to promote unbiased policing and to discourage racial profiling.

It is a conversation that we will invite the Slippery Rock Borough Police to participate in as well.

As events unfold around us, I ask that each of us commit to making SRU a more inclusive and just place for every member of our community.

William J. Behre is president of Slippery Rock University.