In annual address to university community, President Tripathi outlines steps to be taken as a result of university dialogue on student art project

BUFFALO, N.Y. – University at Buffalo President Satish K. Tripathi and UB students, faculty and staff continue to engage in daily conversations about issues arising from a controversial student art project that appeared suddenly on campus on Sept. 16.

Today, at his fourth annual State of the University Address, President Tripathi again stressed that open and ongoing discussions on this topic are critical for the entire university community.

“As a university community, we have been able to take this difficult conversation and evolve it into an opportunity for constructive and sustained dialogue,” he said.

On Sept. 21, Tripathi met with student leadership, including members of the Black Student Union and People of Color Council, to discuss the issues and hear student concerns. A student-led open forum on Sept. 23 also generated considerable campus dialogue and advanced understanding of diverse points of view.

Tripathi will again meet with student leaders in early November to discuss the issues and what has been learned.

As a result if this constructive dialogue, the university is taking steps to address issues that have deeply affected the UB community, Tripathi said. He outlined these steps in today’s address to the UB community. These steps were also described in Tripathi’s open letter to UB students published in the student newspaper on Sept. 24 (http://bitly.com/TripathiLetter). They include:

• Encouraging discussions by faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences about negotiating the boundaries of freedom of expression within an inclusive and intellectually open academic community.
• Convening a students of color advisory committee to the University Police Department.
• Ensuring UB policies and practices and programs align with the university’s core values of diversity and inclusion.
• Exploring ways to approach race, ethnicity and cultural difference in the academic curriculum as part of UB’s new general education curriculum.

“UB shares our students’ passion,” Tripathi said. “Exploring difficult, challenging topics from diverse points of view is part of what we do as an academic community.

“At the same time, it is absolutely critical that we do so in a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment in which all our members feel respected, valued and heard.”