Though a truce is in effect between Israel and Hamas, the conflict has provoked anti-Semitic and anti-Islamic attacks globally, including one in Times Square on Thursday, in which a Jewish man was beaten by protesters. He survived yet suffered injuries.

The victim, Joseph Borgen, said he was surprised at the level of hate against him, and said that there is a larger issue with hate against minorities in the city: “I have coworkers of Asian ethnicity who are afraid to go on the subway at night because you know, they are afraid they are going to get attacked on the subway. The amount of hate that is taking place these days is just mind-boggling to me. I mean, that shouldn’t happen to anyone in New York City.”

To which I say, it should not happen to anyone, anywhere, and especially not among the family of People of the Book. We owe our Jewish and Muslim cousins the same respect and love that we desire as Catholics. An attack against one of us is an attack against all of us, and violence inspired by anti-Semitism (as is apparently the case with Mr. Borgen), or because of any kind of racial or religious hatred, is especially appalling.

This weekend we pray for an enduring peace in the Middle East, and a cooling of ethnic and religious hatred here and around the world. I know you all join me in opposing the violent actions of mobs inspired by the current conflict in Israel and Gaza, and in working toward a world in which justice and understanding prevails among the warring factions.

Sincerely,

Joseph M. McShane, S.J.

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I write to you with a heavy heart. I learned this morning that once again, Fordham students report that they were the targets of racial and sexual slurs from a fellow student at their off-campus housing late last night. I received this unwelcome news moments after informing you all of the University task force on diversity.

The incident is being investigated by the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force as a possible bias crime, and if the accusations are substantiated, the student will face Fordham disciplinary proceedings in addition to whatever criminal charges are brought.

I cannot stress often enough nor forcefully enough that such actions damage the entire Fordham community, not just their intended targets. This hateful behavior frays the connections between us, and is of course disproportionately damaging to members of the community who may already feel vulnerable. It is the opposite of what we teach, the opposite of what we believe, and the opposite of what we should aspire to be.

The task force will begin its work almost immediately, and I pray that we will soon have robust recommendations for action to add to the numerous anti-bias efforts we are already making.

I must confess, finally, that I have no small misgivings about alerting you to this latest incident: I would much prefer that you continue to prepare for final exams without distraction, and that you could take a well-deserved Christmas break without having to consider such behavior. Furthermore, I fear that these messages may be handing a megaphone to those few among us afflicted with bigotry. With that in mind, we may reconsider how, or whether, such acts should be made public.

Today I believe it was important for you to know that we are aware of the incident and investigating it aggressively, and that we will take appropriate measures at the conclusion of the investigation.

This hateful act, in other words, will not go unanswered in the short term. It is my firm conviction that in the long term we will build a community of greater compassion, respect, and genuine affection.

Sincerely,
Joseph M. McShane, SJ

As you know, this has been a challenging and difficult semester for many of our nation’s colleges and universities, a semester during which students, faculty, and staff members have tried to wrestle with incidents of racism, bigotry, and intolerance, and with the many questions that those incidents have raised. As you also know, our own campuses have been tainted by a series of such incidents. While the occurrence of bias incidents is unsettling on any campus (and indeed in any American setting), it is especially unsettling on a Jesuit college or university campus.

After all, as a Jesuit university, we commit ourselves to being and/or becoming an institution that is both Catholic and catholic. That is to say, we commit our selves to being–as the word “catholic” implies–universal. But what exactly does that mean? Simply this: that we commit ourselves to being and becoming a community that welcomes and honors all who come to us– whether as students, faculty members, or members of our staff. It also means that we pledge to treat and to surround every member of the campus community with reverence, respect, and deep affection.

The bias incidents committed on our campuses this year have, however, been more than merely unsettling. They have shaken us to the core and undermined our sense of community. They have also (most troubling) inflicted pain on members of our campus community. They have challenged us directly to engage in both reflection and renewal.

Therefore, after consulting with the cabinet, the Faculty Senate, various student groups on our campuses, and select alumni, on Thursday of last week, I informed the Board of Trustees that I would form a Task Force on Diversity to study the climate on campus, review the various programs that we already have in place to nurture a more welcoming and affirming “catholic” culture on our campuses, and develop recommendations for myself and the cabinet that will enable us to address the obstacles that have stood in the way of our ability to live up to the ideals that we have (as a Jesuit university) always espoused.

Dr. Peter Vaughan, Dean Emeritus of the Graduate School of Social Service, has generously agreed to chair the Task Force. Its member (listed in full below) have been selected from the faculty, student body, and administration for their judgment, experience, and ability to advocate for marginalized members of the University community.

In extending this invitation, I am asking a great deal of its members, as the work that must be done is weighty and will be time-consuming. I expect the task force will meet monthly, and that it will conclude its business by the end of the spring semester. I plan to convene the first meeting of the task force before the end of the semester.

Let me assure you that this is not the time-tested academic exercise of interring an issue with a committee: the charge to the task force will include a request for recommendations the University can act upon, and action we will take. I appreciate the time commitment I am asking its members to make, and I will honor that commitment with tangible results.

The Members of the Task Force are:

• Peter Vaughan, PhD, (Chair), Dean Emeritus of the Graduate School of Social Service
• Eva Badowska, PhD, Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
• Nicole Bryan, Associate Dean and Director of Business Programs, School of Professional and Continuing Studies
• Jenifer Campbell, Director of Residential Life at Lincoln Center
• Napoleon Canete, Jr., FCLC ’17
• Anthony Carter, FCRH ’76, Retired Chief Diversity Officer, Johnson & Johnson
• Mark Chapman, PhD, Associate Professor of African and African American Studies
• Keith Eldredge, Dean of Students at Lincoln Center
• John Feerick, Esq., Dean Emeritus of the Law School, Founder and Senior Counsel of the Feerick Center for Social Justice, and the Sidney C. Norris Chair of Law in Public Service
• Christine Firer Hinze, PhD, Professor of Theology and Director of the Francis and Ann Curran Center for American Catholic Studies
• Meg Knapp, PhD Candidate, Graduate School of Social Service
• Lesley Massiah-Arthur, Associate Vice President for Government Relations and Urban Affairs
• Juan Carlos Matos, Assistant Dean and Director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs
• Jennie Park-Taylor, PhD, Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology
• Rebecca Peters, GABELLI ’12, ’13, Project Accountant, Empire Outlets, and Real Estate Investor
• Clara Rodriguez, PhD, Professor of Sociology
• Paola Joaquin Rosso, FCRH ’17
• Patrick Ryan, SJ, Laurence J. McGinley Professor of Religion and Society
• TJ Strazzeri, GABELLI ’18
• Marc Valera, Vice President for Facilities Management

Support Staff

• Michael Trerotola, Assistant University Secretary and Special Assistant to the President

I should also mention that since September, departments and individuals across the University have been taking other initiatives against all kinds of bias: the Faculty Senate reauthorized its own task force on gender and race equity and faculty diversity and retention (separate from the task force I have outlined above) and approved a motion “strongly applauding” its work; the Division of Student Life held a daylong in-service program on diversity and bias for all of its staff (this was in addition to the division’s normal training schedule); and finally, I have been consulting with a group of African-American alumni that I formed over the summer to help the University address issues of race, justice, and diversity. They have been an incalculable source of wise counsel to me and to the cabinet, and one of their members, Dr. Anthony Carter, has agreed to serve on the task force.

In addition, next week I will chair a meeting of the President’s Advisory Council–a governance group that includes all of the vice presidents and deans as well as a representative of the Faculty Senate–with an agenda focused entirely on diversity. We will be led through that agenda by Dr. Larry Davis, a visiting scholar in the Graduate School of Social Service. I have also met with the student advisory councils on the Lincoln Center and Rose Hill campuses to hear their concerns.

Please know, finally, that the members of the cabinet and I are keenly aware of the challenges that our community is facing at this time. Although those challenges are daunting, I am consoled and encouraged by the courage, vision, and passion that our faculty, staff, and students have shown in the course of the past few months. We have more work to do, certainly, but we are committed to that work, and to living up to our Jesuit, Catholic (and catholic) ideals.

Sincerely,
Joseph M. McShane, SJ

Dear Members of the Fordham Family,

I write to you this morning about two troubling incidents at Fordham in the last several days, and about the state of our campus community in general. But first, let me assure you that I have heard and continue to hear your concerns and frank critiques of University culture and our response to incidents of bias and sexual assault (among others). I believe that these are among the most serious issues we face, and so do the University personnel who deal with them on a day-to-day basis. If the processes we must follow sometimes seem cumbersome or too slow, they may be, but do not mistake that for indifference. Everyone here wants to get it right.

That leads me to the first of the incidents to which I referred above. Last night I read the open letter of a Fordham student who alleged she was mistreated by staff from the Department of Public Safety, and by student volunteers of FUEMS. The alleged behavior is deeply troubling, and certainly not consistent with the values Fordham promotes, nor the values that we hold in common. Accordingly, I have asked for a review of the incident by independent professionals. This may not be a short process, but I guarantee you it will be a thorough one. I ask that you have some patience with us in the interim: the absence of announcements is not the absence of progress in these investigations.

The second incident occurred on Friday night, and I was briefed on the preliminary investigation yesterday. Two Fordham students living off campus heard loud, repeated racist language and chants from a party in the apartment below them, also occupied by Fordham students (this is non-University housing, incidentally). The students reported it to Public Safety, and the NYPD was brought in. If the behavior in question is confirmed, the students in question will face University disciplinary proceedings.

I cannot convey to you how disappointing such incidents are, not least because I understand the lasting hurt they cause. Most of you have heard me speak on these issues, or read my previous messages to the Fordham community, and know where I stand: I make no apologies for racism, misogyny, homophobia, nor indeed any kind of bigotry nor act that devalues another person or group. Again, those in the University community who commit such acts will face the appropriate disciplinary proceedings, in addition to whatever criminal charges are brought, when appropriate.

Fordham also devotes significant time, effort, and funds to education around these issues, and we are always looking for ways to improve our efforts and use our resources more effectively. We talk about “building” a better campus community, but that is really the wrong metaphor: what we do is really gardening. We grow, we feed, we nurture. It is a slow and continuous process.

We are, all of us, in the midst of a national conversation about race, gender, sexual identity, the weight of history, and the ways in which we can grow as a community. I understand—I believe we all understand—why voices are raised in anger over these issues. For too many of you, the weight of inequity and oppression has been longstanding and real. You deserve better, not just from Fordham and the University community, but from the larger society; not just soon, but now. Of the many concerns I have as a University president, these are among the most intractable, and give me the most sleepless nights.

I ask, finally, that you believe that people of good will are hearing your voices and are working to make things better. I ask you not to believe this for my sake, or for Fordham’s, but for your own. I am too old and too experienced to believe in the perfectibility of the human family, but I have seen great improvements in my lifetime, and I imagine many more will occur in yours. That is a thought to hold close, and a basis for optimism as you move through your Fordham careers and your lives.

You are all in my thoughts and prayers today and every day.

Sincerely,

Joseph M. McShane, SJ