Echoing President McConnell’s Fall address, the Student Disability Center stands in support of all individuals who have been negatively impacted and/or harmed by recent and prior events linked to the behavior of others. We support individuals whose voices are not being heard. Know that we stand with you because we understand what it means to be ignored, unseen, unheard and devalued. We also know that bad behavior is just that, bad behavior, and it is unacceptable (even it is not against the law).
Racism and other biases (e.g. sexism, ableism) may not be a person’s intention but that does not mean behavior is not racist or biased. Impact matters. Racist acts (intended or not) perpetrate oppression toward marginalized communities and affect our collective humanity. What the campus has experienced recently, as well as in the past, is behavior by individuals who have likely had no forethought as to how their actions would be interpreted by others. While a lack of forethought is no excuse for the behavior, it can be an opportunity to learn from mistakes and move forward. But one MUST accept the responsibility and accountability for the behavior in order to learn from it.
The staff of the Student Disability Center acknowledges we can, and do, make mistakes without malicious intent. We will not ignore the impact, nor will we dismiss it as a misinterpretation. We welcome any student who feels they have not been heard, or are not being heard, to come meet with any one of us. We will listen, we will learn, and together we will create a transformative process to do better. We stand with the Black/African American community, and other groups that have been targeted and we support President McConnell’s hope for courageous strategic transformation of the campus.
If you have been impacted by any of the recent racists or biased incidents on campus, you can reach out to the Cultural Resource Centers (CRCs), as well as Counseling Services.
CRC Offices:
Asian Pacific American Cultural Center
Black/African American Cultural Center
EL Centro
Native American Cultural Center
Pride Resources Center
Student Disability Center
Survivor Advocacy and Feminist Education Center
Counseling Services:
https://health.colostate.edu/about-counseling-services/
If you experience or observe any bias, do not hesitate to submit a Bias-Related Incident Report here:
http://www.supportandsafety.colostate.edu/incidents-of-bias
