SECTION I:

WHEREAS the UO Mission states that our academic community “value[s] our diversity and seek[s] to foster equity and inclusion in a welcoming, safe, and respectful community” and it FURTHERMORE values “academic freedom, creative expression, and intellectual discourse.”

WHEREAS the recent national political campaign has exacerbated social tensions and created an atmosphere in which hate speech and other types of aggression have started to escalate.

WHEREAS our President’s IDEAL plan states that “The University of Oregon has three primary priorities – building its academic and research profile; ensuring student access and success; and offering a rich, diverse, and high-caliber educational experience. Diversity, equity and inclusion are integral parts of each of these objectives.”

WHEREAS one of the three specific priorities within the area of diversity, equity and inclusion is “creating a more inclusive and welcoming campus environment for all faculty, staff, and students.”

WHEREAS the Association of American Universities (AAU) has long asserted the importance of diversity to the missions of research universities.

And WHEREAS respected organizations such as the ACLU state that “Universities are obligated to create an environment that fosters tolerance and mutual respect among members of the campus community, an environment in which all students can exercise their right to participate fully in campus life without being discriminated against.”

SECTION II:

Therefore we RESOLVE that:

    We are an academic community enriched by the diversity of our students, faculty, staff, and community members. Each individual and group has the potential to contribute in our learning environment. Each has dignity. To diminish the dignity of one is to diminish the dignity of us all.

    We oppose discrimination on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion or national origin and fight for an equitable and welcoming educational environment in which all can freely and safely learn, discuss, differ, debate, and grow.

    We endorse the following statement by the Board of Directors of the AAU: “A diverse student body adds significantly to the rigor and depth of students’ educational experience. Diversity encourages students to question their own assumptions, to test received truths, and to appreciate the complexity of the modern world.”

    We specifically welcome and foster in our midst a multicultural and international community of students and scholars.

    We encourage all university leaders and community members to:

5.1 continue to protect members of our community who have been rendered particularly vulnerable by the bigotry and climate of the recent political campaign;

5.2 speak out loudly and clearly against expressions of racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic, and other bias, and react promptly and firmly to acts of discriminatory harassment;

5.3 create forums and workshops to raise awareness and promote dialogue on issues of race, sex and sexual orientation;

5.4 intensify their efforts to recruit members of racial minorities on student, faculty and administrative levels;

5.5 strengthen our curricula to reflect the diversity of peoples and cultures that have contributed to human knowledge and society, in the United States and throughout the world.