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Dear Western Community,

On Juneteenth 2020, the Black Student Organization (BSO) delivered a set of demands to the Associated Students executive board and to university administration.  At the time, we acknowledged that we can and must do more to create lasting institutional changes needed to achieve more equitable outcomes in…

As I have shared with you recently, we are in the process of establishing an institutional-level Office of Equity, with the more formal change intended with the start of the new fiscal year on July 1, 2021. Establishing this office honors the many voices who have been speaking for some time about the need to build central ADEI leadership into…

Dear WWU Community,

After careful consideration and assessing the direction taken by several public and private universities both within Washington state and nationally, Western will require COVID vaccinations for students, faculty, and staff before returning to campus for the fall 2021 quarter.  This…

Dear WWU Community,

We know the gradual reopening of our society and our campuses brings with it a new set of anxieties and challenges, in some ways more complex than the sudden shift to remote work and instruction last March. We also know that getting vaccinated is a major step forward in our battle to control the COVID-19 virus,…

Dear Western Community,

Today the jury in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer accused of murdering George Floyd, found him guilty on all counts.  Like many of you, I have followed the trial closely and with some apprehension, and today we breathe a collective sigh of relief that the verdict has brought…