Messages from the Vice President

Dear Colleagues:As a tenured faculty colleague who is currently teaching a course in our School of Law, I’ve experienced firsthand the panic of suddenly transitioning to the remote-teaching environment in mid-semester. I want to echo the messages of gratitude from President Schill and Provost Phillips, and offer my appreciation for all of the sacrifices that you are already making to ensure that all of our students continue to receive a high-quality education at the UO.

Dear Colleagues and Community Members,We have been presented an opportunity to focus our energy on a sense of purpose.

As we celebrate Native American Heritage Month, history is an especially pertinent subject for Oregonians. This is the first year that Oregon schools will be required to teach tribal history and life experiences as a result of 2017’s Senate Bill 13. As schools work with Oregon tribes to create curriculum, it’s important for institutions like the University of Oregon to use our platform to support these efforts towards positive culture change, both by promoting tribal history throughout the year and utilizing celebrations like NAHM in particular.

Dear Colleagues, Following the horrible, senseless violence in New Zealand, we felt it was important to reach out to the campus community. The University of Oregon stands in support of the Muslim community and the people of Christchurch in the aftermath of the shootings at three mosques.

Dear Colleagues, Unquestionably, the recent horrific and senseless shooting at the Chabad Synagogue in Poway, California during the memorial service on the last day of Passover, was a very clear reminder of the evil of hate crime perpetrated in the name of White Supremacy.

History is a great equalizer. It cuts through rhetoric and propaganda with the mere presence of the truth. During these times where the people in the highest levels of politics and law enforcement are increasingly and vindictively targeting the Latinx community, celebrations like Latinx Heritage Month take on that much more significance.

As we celebrate Latinx Heritage Month, we honor the heroes and achievements of the past, as well as those making history now, both nationally and here in our UO campus community.

In spite of the diverse opinions we hold, one of the sacred values in higher education is that we should have a rich context of information and truth for all members of the campus community.

In light of the events of last week and tensions on campus regarding race, inclusivity, and even the presidential election cycle, we are writing to share with you several resources that are available to ensure that we are providing welcoming and inclusive spaces for our students. 

In light of the events of last week and tensions on campus regarding race, inclusivity, and even the presidential election cycle, we are writing to share with you several resources that are available to ensure that we are providing welcoming and inclusive spaces for our students.