President's Message: Walking in Solidarity with Campus Community Members

02/06/2020

Dear Members of the SLU Community, 

 

In a moment when global health concerns surrounding the coronavirus exist in our community, let us remember that we are a Catholic, Jesuit, international, urban, residential, research university with a mission that calls us to walk in solidarity with others.

 

Because our university community is comprised of faculty, staff, and students from many nations, cultures and lived experiences, we have an obligation to actively seek understanding across differences as we all grapple with the implications of a potential pandemic. Already, there have been reports of racist remarks toward some of our Chinese students while off-campus. If you see such occurrences, please utilize SLU’s bias incident protocol. 

 

You may see some members of our community opting to wear face masks as they go about their normal routines. Please remember – and urge others to remember – that wearing a face mask in and of itself is not a sign of sickness.

 

Awareness of differences in cultural norms is a critical part of being a justice-minded member of this community. In a time of heightened emotion, we invite you to work to promote the wellbeing of all members of our community. In particular, we urge you to remember that people in our community have family and friends in China and elsewhere, who may be impacted by what is happening there.

 

In solidarity, 

 

Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D.

President