Dear Campus Community,

Today, we received notice from one student who reported being threatened and racially harassed by a group of people on campus and four campus climate reports from students who reported receiving harassing and racist text messages. We later learned of reports of the same or similar racist text messages being sent across the country

These reports are heart wrenching and we are obviously taking them very seriously. Investigations into these reports began immediately, including alerting our state’s Attorney General and the FBI. Importantly, we are also providing care and resources to these students and will continue to support them following these incidents.

We share this information with our entire GVSU community to ensure that everyone is aware, understands the steps being taken, and is reminded of the various resources available at the University to support our faculty, staff, and students. If you experience harassment of any sort, we encourage you to use our website to report any such acts. 

If you are in need of community support, please know that the social justice centers located in the Kirkhof Center on the Allendale Campus and in the DeVos Center on the Pew Campus are standing by to help.  As a reminder, Grand Valley has many student resources for support and for faculty & staff, Encompass, our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers resources for support as well. 

As leaders, we join President Mantella in our expectation that our faculty, staff and students feel safe and cared for as part of this community. We also all expect everyone to behave with civility and in a manner consistent with our values as an institution. We are committed to making sure both things happen for every single member of GVSU and that people are held accountable to these standards.

Choosing to care is the bedrock of who we are and we hope and encourage you all to care for each other. To engage in learning and dialogue as a community, please participate in next week’s Teach-In occurring on the Pew Campus on Wednesday and on the Allendale Campus on Thursday. 

As a community, we all deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

Jenny Hall-Jones, PhD
Vice President for Student Affairs

Robert Shorty, PhD
Vice President for People, Equity and Culture
Chief People and Inclusion & Equity Officer

[Sent November 7, 2024]

Dear faculty and staff,

As a university, we are deeply committed to fostering lifelong learning among our faculty, staff and students. This commitment is particularly important as we work to strengthen the knowledge, skills, and abilities related to our ongoing efforts to achieve educational equity. Promoting an inclusive, equitable environment is central to who we are as an institution, and our continued growth depends on our shared dedication to these values.

In alignment with this commitment, we would like to personally invite you to the GVSU Teach-In: Power, Privilege, and Difficult Dialogues. This dynamic and accessible learning space has become a cherished tradition on our campus, and this year marks the 12th anniversary since its inception. The 2024 Teach-In will be held on November 13 (at the Seidman College of Business, Pew Grand Rapids Campus) and 14 (at the Kirkhof Center, Allendale Campus), with both in-person and virtual options available. The detailed 2024 schedule is posted online. Each day features multiple sessions, many of which are co-led by students, offering a valuable opportunity to hear their voices as we continue our work toward becoming a student-ready university that prioritizes student success and engagement. 

This impactful event is sponsored by the University Academic Senate and GVSU Student Senate, with logistical support from the Equity and Inclusion Institute and has been organized by a dedicated team of faculty, staff and students from across campus; financial support is provided by the divisions of Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Enrollment Development and Educational Outreach, and People, Equity and Culture.   

Faculty and staff, we strongly encourage you to participate in at least one session. Supervisors, we expect that you actively support all team members (including student colleagues) in participating and allowing a minimum of one-hour during work hours to do so, as this learning is essential to advancing our shared goals of educational equity.

Thank you for your dedication to personal growth and advancing GVSU's mission of creating an inclusive and equitable community.

Warm Regards,
Robert Shorty, PhD 

VP, People, Equity, and Culture
Chief People and Inclusion & Equity Officer

[Sent November 7, 2024]