A message from Department Chair Marilyn Wolf:
The violence perpetrated this week in Atlanta was abhorrent and disgusting. I have no doubt in my mind that that the perpetrator targeted both Asians and women.
Computing is an international field. We all have colleagues and friends from around the world. I suspect that many of you have been the recipient of unpleasant sentiment or perhaps worse—several of my friends around the country have told me what has happened to them.
These events hit home to me because they happened in my old neighborhood. Atlanta is both the home of a very large Asian community and the cradle of the nonviolent civil rights movement. Yet these horrific events happened there. We all need to actively welcome everyone we meet, every day. I will redouble my efforts to remind myself to live up to the American values of inclusion and the Nebraska tradition of neighborliness.
We are here to support you in any way that helps you: the advising office, the faculty and staff, and your fellow students are here to give you the support you need and deserve. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion has asked me to pass on a message to all of you. With the increased occurrences of anti-Asian acts of violence and hate, the Office’s goal is to assemble campus members that may be impacted, for a meeting to listen, dialogue and support. It is the Office’s hope that this meeting will also provide an avenue for ideation towards a more structured and sustainable community-focused effort to address actions and attitudes that adversely impact members of UNL’s Asian/Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
Due to the urgency of the current environment, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion hopes that a session can be held next week with members of the Office. Their goal is to provide a space for listening, engagement, learning, and community. The Office hopes to create an environment that invites dialogue on current (and ongoing) concerns while also developing a collaborative approach towards community action and support.
If you are interested in participating, please email diversity@unl.edu. You can also find information at these sources:
https://diversity.unl.edu/diversity-home
https://diversity.unl.edu/standing-solidarity-still-needed%E2%80%94now-more-ever
Marilyn Wolf
Department Chair
Students may also be interested in reading this message from Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion Marco Barker regarding the university's ongoing commitment to inclusivity and support for its students.