Together We Stand as ONE University
June 12, 2020 • Faculty, Office of the Provost, Staff
As ONE University, fueled by our values and HSC Code of Culture, we will unite to influence change through thoughtful, peaceful and impactful measures. While I understand there are no words that will heal our pain, angst and fear, I am reminded of the words spoken by Gandhi, “the future depends on what you do today.”
The following are near term actions we are taking to help support, heal, and address the underlying conditions that have brought us to this point:
- Assistance. We are committed to the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of our HSC community and encourage you to access the available resources (see list below) to provide additional support during this difficult time.
- Dialogue. Create opportunities for our students, staff and faculty to have the difficult conversations surrounding what got us here and what we can do better and/or different moving forward as One University.
- We’re currently having “Cultural Conversations” across campus for all students, staff and faculty and have had more than 650 participants in the first four with two more scheduled within the next week.
- Awareness. While we currently have a number of programs available regarding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, we will continue to identify additional opportunities to expand the reach and impact of these initiatives.
I am so proud of and fully support our student organizations’ condemnation of this tragedy and encouraging fellow students to take actions beyond words with donations, signing petitions and organizing a peaceful rally, “White Coats for Black Lives.”
The Health Science Center cannot be excellent without being diverse in the broadest sense of the word. HSC Leadership is committed to breaking down barriers and enriching our experiences to ensure our future HSC graduates are best positioned to address health inequities today, tomorrow and throughout their career.
To that end, our Task Force on Inclusive Excellence will be expanded, and I invite your nominations for members. This team will represent our students, staff, and faculty and work diligently to synthesize the input you provide through our Cultural Conversations to produce solutions for implementation. I welcome the opportunity to bring those advancements back to you in future updates.
Until then, please take care of yourself and be kind to one another
Campus Resources
Employee Assistance Program
UNT System Human Resources
HSC Trust Line
UNT Health
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