February 9, 2023
Dear Campus Community,
The mission of Gettysburg College is grounded in essential core values, among them the worth and dignity of all people; a commitment to a diverse and inclusive learning environment; the free and open exchange of ideas and the exploration of their ethical and spiritual dimensions; and the value of ethical leadership that is inclusive, collaborative, and directed towards creating change for the greater good.
This work begins with the leadership of the College to ensure that we are advancing these values and the related promise of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) by developing institutional structures that provide concrete opportunities for learning, growth, and mutual respect and understanding.
While the College has well-established systems to respond to conduct that violates civil rights laws or College policy, our systems to respond to oftentimes unregulated, albeit harmful bias events are far less developed. To that end, our Chief Diversity Officer, Dr. Eloísa Gordon-Mora sent an email to the community in November outlining the steps the College is taking to strengthen its bias reporting and response systems.
As a next step, we have identified a broadly representative group of students, faculty, staff, and administrators from across the College to join Dr. Gordon-Mora in a systematic examination of how we can ensure that our bias response systems are most effectively serving the community.
- Faculty: Verónica Calvillo, Bret Crawford, and Kevin Pham
- Students: Allie Acero, Hannah Repole, and Colton Ward
- Support Staff: Jesse Mains, Caleb Jones, and Carrie Small
- Administrators: Amanda Blaugher and Alex Wiltz
This working group will review current best practices and will make a recommendation for a bias reporting and response system that is designed to reduce harm, respond to needs promptly, and engage in educational and restorative practices. This system will be designed within the core values of our institution as identified above.
Our goal is to have a Bias Response and Education Protocol in place during the Fall 2023 semester.
I am enormously grateful for the willingness of these fellow Gettysburgians to provide this important service, and to Dr. Gordon-Mora for leading this effort. I am confident that their work will make us a stronger and more equitable learning community.
Sincerely,
Bob Iuliano
President