UMD Honors College Statement of Solidarity with Asian and Asian American Communities
March 24, 2021
The Honors College staff and faculty express our outrage and profound sadness at the horrific murders of eight people, including six Asian women, in Atlanta on March 16, 2021. Our hearts are heavily grieved by the loss of eight irreplaceable lives: Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Delaina Ashley Yaun González, Hyung Jung Grant, Paul Andre Michels, Soon Chung Park, Suncha Kim, and Yong Ae Yue.
These acts follow an increase of deeply disturbing anti-Asian racism and violence that we have witnessed across the U.S. since the onset of the COVID19 pandemic. Moreover, two-thirds of those subjected to anti-Asian hate-bias have been women of Asian descent, many of whom are economically vulnerable. These acts are also part of a long history of different ethnic Asian groups in the U.S. being subject to racism, violence, exclusion, internment, and injury, fueled by stereotypes and other false claims including blame for disease. It is intolerable that these communities have experienced continued acts of racism, violence, and hatred.
We stand in solidarity with Asian and Asian American communities in decrying this violence, its cycles of repetition, and all forms of violence and hostility against communities of color. We unequivocally reject the hateful actions that have been directed towards members of the AAPI community. It is unacceptable and we hear you. To those in our community—including over 30% of our students—who are Asian and/or Asian American and feeling anguish and justifiable fear in this moment because of this latest episode of the deep-rooted history of racism in America, please know that we are with you and here to support you.
It is the responsibility of the Honors College to teach the history of race and racism, to foster a safe and inclusive environment of deep respect for difference, and to empower everyone to better understand, support, and advocate for disenfranchised people in the classroom, on campus and in communities beyond. It is the responsibility and community expectation of every member of the Honors College community to acknowledge and take action against the systemic racism, misogyny, and other forms of marginalization that have wrought such damage.
We would also draw your attention to the many resources listed here.
Sincerely and in Solidarity,
Zabrina S. Anzyl, Assistant Director, Integrated Life Sciences
Stephan Blatti, Director, University Honors
Chelsea Bradford, Coordinator for Student Life, University Honors
Michel Cukier, Director, ACES
Traci LM Dula, Assoc. Director, Honors College
Najib M. El-Sayed, Director, Integrated Life Sciences
Jason Farman, Director, Design Cultures & Creativity
Rebecca Forbes, Honors College Business Manager
Cassie Harrington, Assistant Director, ACES
Lauren Healy, Program Management Specialist, Honors College
Dean Hebert, Assistant Director for Student Achievement, University Honors
Sarah Bonnie Humud, Associate Director, Honors Humanities
Christine Jones, Assistant Director for Academic Affairs, University Honors
Sabrina Kramer, Associate Director, Integrated Life Sciences
Jenny Lang, Associate Director, Honors College
David Lovell, Director, Gemstone Honors Program
Jessica H. Lu, Associate Director, Design Cultures & Creativity
Peter Mallios, Executive Director, Honors College
Randy Ontiveros, Director, Honors Humanities
Kristan Cilente Skendall, Associate Director, Gemstone Honors Program
Chantelle Smith, Coord., of Recruitment & Programming, Honors College
Jay A. Smith, Director, Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Leah Tobin, Assistant Director for Student Engagement for Gemstone
Susanna Underland, Program Manager, University Honors
Katherine Zmoda, Specialist, Entrepreneurship and Innovation
We can and Must Do Better: Joint statement June 2020
Dear Honors College Community,
We write to express our profound sorrow and pain at the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor,
Ahmaud Arbery, Manuel Ellis, and of so many other Black people in this country. We feel deeply for the
families, friends, and communities who have suffered these losses, as well as for those in our community for
whom these deaths are a searing reminder of deeply ingrained racism and inequity.
We can and must do better-- both in acknowledging past and present wrongs, and in working intentionally to
help ensure that no members of our campus, regional, and national community face either subtle or overt
forms of bigotry and violence.
These ends have been at the forefront of all our conversations about our leadership transition during the last
two weeks. And we now jointly commit that, through that transition and during the next five years, the
Honors College will dedicate itself in word and deed to exemplifying genuine inclusion, equity, and anti-racist
pedagogy. Our specific promises are:
- to resume the work we began in January to understand and improve the Honors College racial
climate;
- to add innovative anti-racist curricular and cocurricular programming;
- to ensure that leadership positions at all levels include Black, non-white, and LGBTQ+ members of
our community, fostered through best practices mentoring and challenging opportunities to gain
critical experience;
- to expand our recruiting, support services, and training for racial minority students, and to work
with the Honors Student Advisory Boards and other Honors College groups to create networks of
support, mentoring, faculty contact, community, and opportunity;
- to add research, service, and online opportunities designed to reduce the impact of health and
financial disparities associated with COVID-19;
- to increase opportunities for students to dialogue and interact with people from different global
cultures, through global classrooms and other modalities;
- to establish mechanisms of accountability across the Honors College to support continuous
evaluation of how we are doing, including the issuing of twice-yearly reports on our progress, and to
solicit major stakeholders’ input for additional actions.
Sincerely,
Susan Dwyer and Peter Mallios
Current and Incoming Executive Directors of the Honors College, University of Maryland
Resources
Message from Dr. Georgina Dodge, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, and Dr. Patricia Perillo, Vice-President for Student Affairs, with links to many important campus support resources
Conversation with Janelle Wong, Professor of American Studies and Government and Politics, and faculty member in the Asian American Studies Program, at UMD
Campus Support Resources:
Diversity Training and Education
International Student & Scholar Services
Office of Multicultural Involvement & Community Advocacy (MICA)
UMD's Chaplains
Asian American Studies Program (AASP)
Faculty Staff Assistance Program (FSAP)
Counseling Center
Also of Relevance:
The Gemstone Honors Program invites all Honors College students to participate in its upcoming events.
Register now for CHSE338P: Teaching and Learning about Cultural Diversity through Intergroup Dialogue; Teaching Diversity and Inclusion Through Intergroup Dialogue: Emergent Topics
CHSE338P will be held virtually Mondays from 3:30-5:30 starting March 29 and facilitated by peers in Gemstone. This is a 1-credit course that also fulfills a DVCC general education credit requirement. If you are interested in registering for this course, please email Dr. Skendall at kskendal@umd.edu with your UID for permission to register.