Antonio Farias, Vice President for Equity and Inclusion and Title IX Officer, has just issued a statement on his work with students, faculty, and staff. He notes that “we will be scheduling recurring community town halls, forums, and focus groups in order to take a robust accounting of current needs as well as to tap the vast community expertise we possess in the service of creating sustainable and significant changes designed to enhance our individual and collective ability to thrive.” In his statement he notes various ways in which his office will track this work.
Antonio underscores the importance of filling the open position of Dean for Equity & Inclusion. He emphasizes that the person we hire will “continue to engage with students from historically marginalized communities, with a particular mandate of increasing underrepresented and gender equity in STEM fields.”
I am grateful to Antonio and his team for their tireless efforts at building a fair and welcoming community of learning. While we are far from perfect, we are steadfast in our commitment to eradicating discrimination while strengthening the foundations for achievement.