Adelphi’s Response to Students Regarding Acts of Racism and Hatred

Dear Students,

Over this past weekend, I received several emails from students expressing concerns and outrage over several individuals’ social media posts that reflect images and conversations that are anti-black, racist and dehumanizing. I recognize that these posts are very hurtful and that our students have a right to be angry and disappointed in these types of behaviors. 

How We Are Responding:

Administratively, the University assumes the responsibility to address these individual postings and comments despite being made through accounts which are not University sponsored or endorsed. Posts displaying hatred of any sort do not represent the values and ideas of Adelphi University. Although free speech is a constitutional right in America, we will not tolerate acts of racism among our community and we will not allow intolerance or bigotry to find ground at Adelphi.

When you see an example of racism, hatred or a threat of violence at Adelphi, please alert us immediately. You can contact any one of us in the Division of Student Affairs directly, and we encourage you to submit a complaint online using our Bias Incident Report Form.

Please know that the University takes these concerns from its community members very seriously and believes it is morally imperative to investigate allegations of harassment, acts of racism, discrimination, and threats to our students. We will take the appropriate action steps to address the matter. Your physical safety and emotional well-being are our utmost priorities.

Denouncing Racism and Taking Action Against It:

I denounce racism and will be committed to addressing it when it surfaces within our campus community. Our University continues to work hard at dismantling racial inequities in our campus community and will continue to work in partnership with all our students, faculty and staff to produce a set of proactive and concrete action steps to make Adelphi University a more welcoming, fair, inclusive and safe place for everyone. We hear the rising call of our community to systematically and wholly make Adelphi more fair, equitable, diverse and just. We are committed to it.

With determination and purpose, I would like to share some of our calls to action with you now, as our conversation on this front is now more urgent than ever.

For Students:

The Division of Student Affairs has established the Equitable Adelphi Action Team —a student-centered council that will provide the University with recommended action steps and suggested strategies for how our community can address and combat racism and other forms of oppression, implicit biases and microaggressions. Please complete this form to sign up to be a part of this group and for an opportunity to participate in Adelphi’s transformation.

The Student Counseling Center is available and offers students an array of support services. You might also check out these resources, groups and initiatives that students can join or support.

For Adelphi’s Faculty and Staff:

Last week we announced that Juneteenth will be a recognized holiday to allow our employees the personal time to honor and reflect on the monumental day that slavery ended in America. We asked that our faculty and staff develop personal action plans to combat racism and systemic injustices that exist in our societies, both in and outside of Adelphi.

Additionally, we shared this message with all our employees. In it, you will see a recount of our past progress as well as our current and future plans for continued and heightened action. Among them (and many more to come) are opportunities that our students can join and will most definitely benefit from—such as task forces, resource libraries, professional development opportunities and curriculum revisions.

I am very grateful and inspired that Adelphi has a vocal, active and caring student body. You are critical to the future that we aspire to achieve.

Sincerely,

R. Sentwali Bakari, PhD
Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students
sbakari@adelphi.edu