Coming together as a community

Dear campus community, 

Last night’s election results surprised many in our community, including me.

We are a public university, with an engaged faculty, staff and student body. We believe in and promote the exchange of ideas and perspectives. We are also global citizens, and national and international issues will inevitably reach our campus, igniting serious debates and sometimes conflicts. In the U.S., the first amendment of our Constitution protects all of us from persecution for speaking our minds, and there are very few exemptions to those protections. At the same time, it is upon us to renew our commitment to the values and mission of San Francisco State University. Ours is a community working hard for the ideals of inclusion and social justice.

The deeply troublesome rhetoric embodied in the campaign has unleashed a divisive energy that will be difficult to contain. Now is the time to come together as a community, harnessing our collective commitment to academic freedom and improving society, to support one another and express solidarity with our community members who may feel fearful or threatened. We have an opportunity to act as a beacon in demonstrating how a community can come together to support one another.

We have begun preparation for a community-wide forum to come together tomorrow afternoon. Information will be disseminated about the event as soon as the logistical details are in place. 

Les Wong
President