United as One, a Statement from SUNY Board of Trustees, SUNY Chancellor Malatras, CUNY Chancellor Matos Rodríguez, and CICU Interim President Bogner
March 18, 2021
"On behalf of our boards and the entire college community, we are appalled and horrified by the tragic Atlanta area shooting that claimed the lives of eight people, including six women of Asian descent. The disturbing news and images emanating out of Georgia are understandably stirring fear, shock, anguish, and trauma across the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities, including for our students, faculty, and staff. Let us be clear: We condemn this act of racism and hatred, and the nationwide uptick in incidents of hate perpetrated against members of the AAPI community is extremely alarming. For those experiencing feelings of fear, uncertainty, and sadness in the wake of the shooting, we urge you to reach out for help on your campuses. We want you to know that we stand with you, and that an attack on any one group is an attack on us all.
As Ocean Vuong, a CUNY alum and author of On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous said, ‘All this time I told myself we were born from war—but I was wrong, Ma. We were born from beauty. Let no one mistake us for the fruit of violence—but for that violence, having passed through the fruit, failed to spoil it.’ We shape who we are, as individuals, as a people, as colleges and universities, and as a nation. We must not be shaped by the hatred of others.
We encourage anyone who requires support to contact their campus counseling services for resources and support."
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2023, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
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Holly Liapis
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