Wednesday, March 17, 2021

University of Iowa

Dear University Community,

Let us be clear. We stand in solidarity with Asian American students, international students from Asia, Pacific Islanders, and the Pan Asian community, who continue to experience fear and intimidation. They deserve better. We will do everything in our power to make their safety and security a priority. We will continue our work to eliminate racism on our campus, community, and state.

The University of Iowa is a place where all people should feel safe and included. We strive to be a welcoming campus where hate and racism are not accepted. Freedom of expression is a cherished right of all while we respect our differences. As we continue to grow our ability to listen, learn, and be fair to each other, we use these tools to grow our community, its collaboration, and gain civil respect for each other.

While our campus has not seen an increase in crime, we have received reports of harmful speech directed toward these communities. We are providing support for these concerns, and the University of Iowa Pan Asian Council has set up support spaces to help impacted individuals. Students can also seek help from Student Care and Assistance and the University of Iowa Counseling Service.

We want to remind the university community of the position of our institution. Over the past year, President Bruce Harreld outlined expectations in the COVID-19 campus response, and we fully support the Pan Asian Council. 

We want to know if discrimination or crime is occurring on our campus. If you see something, please say something. If you have experienced incidents of bias or intolerance, please reach out for support. The university community can report prejudice or discrimination incidents securely online to the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion or the Campus Inclusion Team. Please call 319-335-0705. In the instance of a crime or emergency, immediately contact 911.  

It is the responsibility of each of us to speak up if we see, hear or experience bias and discrimination. Look out for your fellow Hawkeyes and help build our campus into a safe place for all.

Dr. Liz Tovar
Executive Officer and Associate Vice President
Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
elizabeth-tovar@uiowa.edu

Dr. Russell Ganim
Associate Provost
Dean of International Programs
russell-ganim@uiowa.edu 

The University of Iowa Pan Asian Council
https://pac.org.uiowa.edu/
ui-panasiancouncil@uiowa.edu