Messages from the President

Dear Campus Community,

I wrote to you after recent racist vandalism and hate-filled slurs appeared on campus. I’d like to take this opportunity to provide an update on activities since those incidents.

As many of you may have seen through an emailed campus advisory and media reports, a Western student was arrested by University Police on Sunday, November 25, 2018 in connection with the recent vandalism. As interim measures, the student, a resident of Western’s Birnam…

Dear Campus Community:

It has come to my attention that abhorrent racist graffiti has been found on the Wright’s Triangle art installation near Carver, on study abroad posters in Red Square, and in several other interior locations on campus.  I am deeply troubled that hateful and bigoted vandalism by cowardly individuals continues to happen here, in a place where we should all feel safe and welcomed.  I want to be perfectly clear:  hate has absolutely no place on our…

Dear Western Community,

As you know, over the weekend, a horrendous act of violence killed 11 people in a Pittsburgh synagogue. This is the latest in a series of such incidents that have targeted our educational institutions and places of worship, spaces that are expected to be safe places for ALL people.  Our thoughts and condolences go out to the community, families, and law enforcement officers affected by these horrifying events not only in the Pittsburgh area, but in Jewish…

To the Western Campus Community:

Western’s most important responsibility is to provide a safe campus environment, an environment free from sexual violence, harassment, and discrimination. Preventing and responding to sexual violence and sexual misconduct is something that universities across the country are struggling to address, and Western is no exception.  It has become increasingly clear to me that Western’s efforts in this area need to be rethought, reorganized, and…

Dear Western Students,

Welcome to the 2018-2019 academic year!  Whether this is your first year at Western or your last, I hope you are as excited as I am by the opportunities the lie ahead to learn about others, ourselves, and the world we share. 

Supporting your success both in and out of the classroom is the primary mission of Western, and it’s a commitment shared by more than 2000 faculty and staff in a wide variety of roles.  Please know…

(Video of the 2018 Opening Convocation Ceremony.  President Randhawa's remarks begin at 24:30.)

Good morning and welcome to the start of Western’s 125th academic year.

I would like to begin by acknowledging that we are gathered on the ancestral homelands of Indigenous Peoples who have lived in the Salish Sea basin and the North Cascades watershed from time immemorial, in…

June 19, 2018

To the Campus Community:

As the regular academic year comes to a close and our campus community shifts into the distinct rhythms of summer, I want to thank you for your continued commitment and contributions to advance Western. I often comment that our graduates are the most important contribution we make to society. To deliver on this promise, we just graduated almost 2,200 students during our spring Commencement ceremonies. As I participated in Commencement, I…

Dear Campus Community,

In response to my recent message “Nurturing a Safe Campus Community,” I received several questions on the issue of gun violence, which I believe justifies a follow-up email on this important issue.  We have all been affected by the images of enraged, scared and exhausted students, parents and educators wondering what can be done to stop school shootings like the most recent incident that claimed the lives of 17 people at a Florida high school.

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Dear Western Campus Community:

Like many of you, I have been deeply troubled in recent weeks by challenges that continue to affect many in our community, namely the continuing scourge of sexual misconduct and the lack of progress toward permanent protection for Dreamers.  I’d like to take this moment to remind you of the safeguards we have in place at Western, and to invite you to join me in identifying and eliminating sexual abuse and violence, and protecting our most…

Dear Western Community:

Creating and sustaining a campus that is diverse, inclusive, and welcoming to every single member of our Western community is absolutely central to our mission as a university. During the past academic year Western, with important leadership contributions from our students, has engaged with new urgency in conversations about advancing those goals with concrete action and renewed commitment. As a result of those conversations, a number of new initiatives have…