Vice President Searle tells ASU to ‘demonstrate respect’ after Trump’s victory

‘ASU remains committed to supporting our students’ success’

In a cultural climate of division and scepticism, Arizona State’s Provost and Vice President Mark Searle has issued a statement to all ASU student encouraging open discussion and political solutions.

Assuring that the ASU principles of diversity and inclusion will remain constant on campus despite fears of Trump’s presidency, Searle encouraged the continuation of the “multifaceted” society at ASU going forward.

Hosting Chelsea Clinton, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Jr in the last month, ASU certainly saw the events of this election first hand and the involvement of the students does not go amiss.

Perhaps acknowledging recent campus protests such as the Love Trumps Hate event, which attracted a crowd of 250 students, Searle referenced social tensions on campus in the wake of the President-elect’s success.

 

The full statement reads:

In the past week, we have heard from a number of students, faculty and staff who have expressed concerns about social tensions on campuses and in our communities.  Indeed, recent events have brought certain ideological and social divisions into sharp relief in ways that some individuals have found deeply unsettling.  For others, they have generated questions about the legitimacy of our social, economic, political or educational institutions.

In light of these expressions of concern, I write to assure you that, even as we experience political and other changes, Arizona State University’s commitment to the principles enunciated in its Charter remains constant.  The ASU Charter sets forth a vision of a New American University measured “not by whom we exclude, but rather by whom we include and how they succeed”; that advances research of public value; and that assumes responsibility for the well-being of the communities it serves.  Now and in the future, ASU remains committed to supporting our students’ success, to encouraging diversity and inclusion, and to enhancing the public good through research that improves peoples’ lives.  These principles are inviolate.

Yet recent events have highlighted the importance of one key element that is critical to our university’s success.  Like democracies, universities depend for their success on a robust marketplace of ideas.  ASU’s community of scholars will thrive as a diverse and vibrant academic enterprise only if we engage in the respectful and civil exchange of ideas from multiple and varied perspectives.   Without an honest dialogue about even the most difficult issues, we will not progress beyond our differences or find the kinds of pragmatic policy, scientific, or political solutions upon which our collective future so clearly depends.   Institutions of higher education like ASU provide an open forum in which that dialogue may take place and thus add great value to our democratic society and to the world.

We look forward to the continuation of conversations on our campuses that facilitate understanding among us, and that demonstrate respect, kindness and civility toward all members of our diverse and multifaceted ASU communities.

Sincerely,

Mark Searle

Executive Vice President and University Provost

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