公开信回应
2020年11月13日.
2020年8月10日，一群 当前的学生, 校友 and allies posted a public 公开信 to the 建筑学院 and 室内设计 (亲爱的.andrewsarchitecture.com). Below you can read our response and written commitment.
Dear students and 校友 of the 建筑学院 & 室内设计, 建筑系, 建筑学院, 和建筑学院, 艺术与设计.
你深受我们的爱戴和重视. You are the reason we exist as a school, and we think of you as part of our world-wide family. Your voices of concern, as expressed in the recent 公开信 到学校去，都听到了. 我们为我们的行为道歉, 或者缺乏, that have caused any of our minority students or 校友 to experience exclusion, 抑制, 解雇, 或拒绝. For any one person to have been treated unfairly is one too many. It is our duty to listen and to continue to become better listeners. Our School must always be a safe environment that values and uplifts the voices of those who have been hurt or marginalized. Your voices matter, and we desire to hear and understand them. Please know that we are committed to building avenues for freer and more open communication.
It is difficult to read the stories shared and to know that our school has caused pain. We especially regret to not have addressed the experiences brought to our attention, 在公开信之前. In an effort to become more aware and empathetic to situations our minority students experience routinely, we will seek guidance and counsel from outside experts in cultural sensitivities, and to build a roundtable of openness and transparency in partnership with 当前的学生, 校友, 教师, 大学领导.
努力改善我们的教学, we recognize that we have much to learn from our students and 校友. We affirm that “the Lord Jesus demands our acknowledgement of the rights of every man [every person]. 男人(每个人)的社会权利, 以及他们作为基督徒的权利, 是需要考虑的因素吗. All are to be treated with refinement and delicacy, as the sons and daughters of God.(艾伦·G). 白色,MH489.3). 的 公开信 and its stories must be considered with Christian care and seriousness. It is clear that there is a need for greater intentionality in our work, and we will seek assistance in fostering a more inclusive environment.
We are deeply humbled by the stories that share accolades, 爱, and caring for the 教师 and our school – much greater praise than we deserve. 我们相信，作者 公开信 出于爱，努力改善我们的学校. 的 diversity of our school has been a frequent point of pride, 但是，我们实现这一目标的旅程还远远不够. 通过公开信, 我们现在认识到这一点, and acknowledge our obligation to actively and continuously build a more lasting and sustainable system of principles and practices that treasure everyone– especially those who are systemically underrepresented and/or marginalized in our school, 大学, 这个国家, 我们的世界.
We seek your help in this; we are in need of a formal, 详细的, and published strategic plan that holds us collectively accountable on these issues. 这个战略规划过程, 马上就要开始了, and its resulting document will affirm our commitments and shape our next steps as follows:
1. 建筑学院 & 室内设计, with guidance from the Council for Diversity and 包容, will do the following:
a. Seek to diversify our 教师 and staff in order to assure that students better see themselves reflected in the leadership of the school, and that their education reflects our globally diverse environment, better preparing our students to serve meaningfully around the world when they graduate. We will post new job openings in different venues to ensure a diverse pool of applicants are aware and have the opportunity to apply.
b. Evaluate and revise our curriculum to fully reflect new NAAB认证条件, and educate our students about, diversity and 包容.
c. Encourage and support students who are interested in creating local chapters of minority professional organizations. (e.g. 坏疽性口炎等.)
d. Collaborate with the University initiatives to strengthen its grievance process that allows students and employees to seek resolution, by directly reporting injustice and mistreatment of all kinds to 大学 bias incident response team.
2. 建筑学院 & 室内设计 will immediately begin the process of activating an Advisory Council that will provide recommendations to the School and University leadership to help the School live out its mission more fully. This council will help with all aspects of our school and it may recommend additional steps to ensure we have a diverse and inclusive program.
3. We will develop and maintain a framework that helps to ensure continuous diversity, 股本, 包容, 和赋权, as guided by the aforementioned Advisory Council and the Andrews University Office for Diversity & 包容.
4. 建筑学院 & 室内设计 will establish documentation and benchmarks in its operations and policies, as guided by the aforementioned Advisory Council and the Andrews University Office for Diversity & 包容.
蒙神的恩典, this process will make our School stronger than before, 造福未来的学生和校友. We believe and pray that this is the beginning of an open conversation where we will together find processes that better serve all of our students, 校友, 和我们的建筑学院 & 室内设计.
真诚地,
Ariel索利斯, Chairman 建筑学院 & 室内设计