Dear Hunter College community members,
I write to share an update about actions that Hunter College is taking as a result of the incident during a recent virtual meeting of the New York City School District 3 Community Education Council in which abhorrent remarks were heard coming from a district parent who also is a Hunter employee. As I shared earlier, we are investigating this matter under the university’s applicable conduct and nondiscrimination policies, which are described here.
Pending the outcome of our investigation, the employee has been placed on leave.
I take this opportunity to reiterate that support is available to all in the Hunter community who feel the need for it at this time. Students may reach out to Counseling Services, whose contact information is available here; faculty and staff may reach out to our Employee Assistance Program here.
This painful incident unfolded at a meeting where Black History Month was being celebrated and the pernicious and enduring effects of anti-Black systemic racism were being discussed, especially with regard to the role of educational institutions in addressing them. Hunter has long embraced such a role, which requires constant vigilance to remain attentive and responsive to the ways in which we continually draw and redraw discriminatory social lines. With that in mind, Provost Manoj Pardasani, Chief Diversity Officer Dean John Rose, Vice President of Student Affairs Eija Ayravainen, and I have begun reaching out to constituencies across campus to listen, learn, and discuss ways that we can continue striving together to make Hunter the fully inclusive educational environment we aspire for it to be, where all will feel welcome and can thrive.
Sincerely,
Nancy Cantor
President and Professor of Psychology
Hunter College
