December 14, 2016
Dear faculty members:
Thank you for the consideration and thought put into the letter you sent to us and other members of the campus leadership about issues related to free speech and how that should interface with the Colorado Creed and our values as a campus.听 We are impressed with the thought and values that you advanced and the fact that you point out that this is not just about one speaker, but about how we advance our values in the face of provocative speakers wishing to utilize the university as a platform.
Our students have impressed upon us as well that for many of them, this campus is not only the place that they attend classes and labs, it is also the place that they live.
Certainly, it was not our intention in the communications to 鈥渆ncourage鈥� members of our community to listen to Milo Yiannopoulos nor to normalize the type of vitriol or personal attacks he has evidenced in prior speeches.听 The intention was to honor free speech, even if personally offensive to many of us, and to ensure that we do not create litmus tests for who can and cannot speak on the campus at the invitation of student groups or faculty.
Having said that, we agree with you that it is important to clearly demonstrate our values as defined by the Colorado Creed.听 You can count on the full support of the university in putting on the events you suggest that can demonstrate those values.听 We think this is a prime opportunity and we would be glad to personally participate and help plan the events as needed.
As a final note, we need your help. As faculty on this campus who are in departments across the colleges and schools we need you to advance the discussions with your colleagues as to what these values represent and how we actually live them to create a culture that honors inclusive excellence.
Thank you, and please let us know what we can do to assist.
Sincerely:
Dr. Philip P. DiStefano, Chancellor
Dr. Russell L. Moore, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Kelly L. Fox, Senior Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer
Christina Gonzales, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Dr. Robert Boswell, Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement
Dr. James F. Williams, Dean of Libraries
Dr. Ann C. Schmiesing, Interim Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Graduate Affairs
Dr. Lori Bergen, Dean of the College of Media, Communication and Information
Dr. Mary J. Kraus, Vice Provost and Associate Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Education
Akirah J. Bradley, Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Dean of Students