Essay

A Campus Commitment to Impacting Climate Change

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 06:00:00 +0000

A Campus Commitment to Impacting Climate Change Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 03/18/2021 - 00:00

Philip P. DiStefano

As the Coloradan pivots to examine the ways in which the university is addressing pressing issues of our time, we need alumni, now as much as ever, to understand and engage in the powerful research and education happening every day at CU Boulder. The fall issue of the magazine examined racism and anti-racism on and around campus through the personal stories of students and your fellow alumni. This issue, we’re tackling climate change.

Why climate change? It’s simple: One of the core missions of our university is to positively impact humanity, and humanity faces the existential crisis of a warming planet caused by human beings. It is essential that we do everything in our power across the university with the resources available to us to be part of the solution. Anything less would be a disservice to our history, our future and to all those who call themselves Buffs.

It’s important to reflect on this even — especially — when the world seems to be distracted by the news of the day.

At CU, internationally recognized climate scientists are utilizing the most compelling resources available to create solutions to complex interlocking and overlapping problems. We are one of the top research universities in the world for geoscience and climate science.

We have deep partnerships with a host of federal labs right in our backyard addressing this crisis, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the National Center for Atmospheric Research. We are in a unique position to address this generational emergency and it is incumbent on us to do so.

We are leading by example — building one of the most sustainable campuses in the country — perhaps the world — and we are also working on the human side of the problem, impacting behavior through work at the new Center for Creative Climate Communication and Behavior Change. In short, we are a global leader in climate change research and education. The way forward to a more sustainable future runs right through CU Boulder.

The current Coloradan highlights some of the most fascinating people at CU and the problems they’re addressing. It’s also an unambiguous statement of CU’s commitment to reverse the damage being done to our planet. No matter the political or policy headwinds, CU will continue to do what it has always done and tackle the most difficult challenges of the day.

Philip P. DiStefano is the 11th chancellor of CU Boulder.

Photo by Glenn Asakaw.

An essay by CU Boulder Chancellor Philip P. Distefano. One of the core missions of our university is to positively impact humanity, and humanity faces the existential crisis of a warming planet caused by human beings.

Off

Traditional

Spring 2021

White

Empathy, Courage and Hope

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Nov 2020 02:24:00 +0000

Empathy, Courage and Hope Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 11/10/2020 - 19:24

Philip P. DiStefano

Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated during my final semester in college. Two days before graduation, Robert F. Kennedy was shot and killed immediately after declaring to his cheering supporters that the country was ready to end its fractious divisions. Amidst the deep despair and uncertainty of 1968, I found hope in the words of our graduation speaker, Walter Cronkite, the voice and conscience of our country: “We must lead, or at least join, the revolution against that which is evil in our society. Let our new gentry — the gentry of the educated and the wise — become radicals and seek bold new solutions to our problems.”

Cronkite challenged my generation to revolt against the status quo in service of history. I found my calling in the classroom, teaching our future leaders to be educated and wise, radical and bold, and use that education for the betterment of humanity. I have served one university — CU Boulder — since 1974.

I have seen it through the lens of a parent, professor, dean, provost and chancellor. I have drawn strength from a student’s revealing experience, a professor contemplating a transformative idea, and a colleague excitedly sharing that their child will attend CU. No matter where we come from or what position of power we hold, it’s necessary to listen to communities who are impacted by our decisions.

No matter where we come from or what position of power we hold, it's necessary to listen to communities who are impacted by our decisions.

This is especially true for Black communities and other communities of color. They have told me that, too often, they don’t feel safe, comfortable or welcome at CU Boulder.

I hear you. I see you. It breaks my heart.

As Cornel West said, “Empathy is not simply a matter of trying to imagine what others are going through, but having the will to muster enough courage to do something about it. In a way, empathy is predicated upon hope.”

I strive to constantly step outside of my comfort zones — to listen and understand difficult truths and learn from those with different experiences and perspectives. In these spaces lie the waypoints to guide new modes of thinking and changes in policies that engender the same kind of revolutionary, radical and necessary movement my generation demanded.

This is a deeply troubling time as we confront the same entrenched, intractable issues of not just 50, but hundreds of years. We have failed too many generations in too many ways, as a society and as a university.

The change we seek will be filled with more roadblocks and failures. But our north star is empathy, courage and hope. I continuously aim to lead with these traits — to be radical and bold — and I will educate and empower others to do the same.

Philip P. DiStefano is the 11th chancellor of CU Boulder. A first-generation college student, who received his doctorate in humanities education from The Ohio State University, DiStefano began his education career as an English teacher near his hometown of Steubenville, Ohio.

Off

Traditional

White

Fighting to Survive and Thrive

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 07:00:00 +0000

Fighting to Survive and Thrive Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 11/10/2020 - 00:00

Ruth Woldemichael

[soundcloud width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/915709516%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-Qe9aVk7Dcl3&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"][/soundcloud]

When I got asked to write for the Coloradan, I had too many ideas.

I could write about my journey to activism, my work on the CU Boulder Black Student Alliance (BSA), advocating for anti-racism training tied to graduation requirements, the Black Lives Matter movement or my two years at CU as a Black woman, organizer and student.

And I realized — I have too much to write about.

I am doing heavy, taxing, administrative work as a student. I am sacrificing my mental and physical health, my time and my academics — without pay — to play a game of chess, mixed with Ring Around the Rosie, in an attempt to initiate change at CU.

We talk about white privilege, but I don’t think white students understand the weight Black students carry.

Being a Black woman is not the burden I am referring to. I love my Black skin, my 3c-4a curls, and the beautiful Black community… but I cannot escape the weight of this anti-Black campus.

I am a Black woman, fighting to survive and thrive on this campus — while others freely enjoy the college experience.

My white counterparts will never feel the visceral reaction my Black soul feels when the cops drive up behind me, walk into the room or are parked by a street I have to cross. They will never be turned away from a party or be called racial slurs. They’ll never experience the sly comments about melanated skin tones and kinky curls. They’ll never feel the threat of constant blackface on their social media screens, amongst the Black death and Black loss. They’ll never know the feeling of underrepresentation or misrepresentation. They comfortably enjoy college with their tens of thousands of white peers and overwhelming numbers of white professors and white therapists.

I am a Black woman, fighting to survive and thrive on this campus — while others freely enjoy the college experience.

I am the president of the BSA. I am a student advocate. Some call me a racial justice activist, a leader and a mentor. I’m a writer, a poet and a storyteller.

Regardless of those labels — I am a Black student. I’m fighting to get paid for my labor, fighting to be seen and heard, fighting to learn in a safe space for my mind and body, fighting to graduate and be alive. We often forget this labor — this fight — kills. It kills minds and souls, too. So, I am fighting to stay afloat. I’m dreaming of a time when this does not have to be the next generation’s fight.

Aren’t you tired of hearing the same song, for generations, sitting on repeat? The song about students screaming for change, getting some ambiguous response to prevent bad press, only for the following classes to experience the same traumas?

The truth is, CU Boulder has failed to protect and serve their Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. They failed in the ’70s when Black student leaders demanded the university condemn racist acts and dismantle institutionalized practices, and when Chicanx activists, Los Seis de Boulder, were killed after protesting against administrative repression and discrimination here at CU. They failed in 2015 when Black student leaders were so close to creating a multicultural space for students.

In 2019, Black student leaders researched and proposed anti-racism policies and campus leadership did nothing. They failed us again in 2020 when thousands of community members signed petitions asking for condemnation of racist acts, expulsion or removal of community members encouraging hate speech, reallocation of police budgets towards mental health, a plan to diversify the student and faculty populations and for anti-racism training tied to graduation requirements. CU continues to fail us.

When can I just be a student and focus on my studies without this extra labor that feels like a full-time job? When can we trust university leaders to act? When will CU Boulder be a “welcoming and inclusive environment,” (as written on the ODECE website) that doesn’t placate or overwork Black and Brown students?

Real change will not exist on this campus until BIPOC students are able to breathe, survive and thrive at CU without this fight; the fight to change the institution known to fail their people; the fight to exist; the fight to stop this tired song. We’re tired of fighting.

Ruth Woldemichael (IntlAf’22) is a first-generation student living in Denver and president of the CU Boulder BSA. In this role, she works with university officials, faculty, staff and students concerning campus policing, mental health, representation, retention, recruitment and housing as it pertains to Black and Brown communities on campus. She, with fellow student organizers, also engages with state representatives, the media and elected officials about campus climate.

Off

Traditional

White