Statement on events following the death of George Floyd
Monday 01st June 2020
Dear All
Over the weekend we've seen protests and riots spring up across America following the death of George Floyd. We totally condemn incidents of racism and hate crime and know that his death and the accompanying narrative will have caused upset, anxiety and distress to black students and staff within the University and we, the University of Exeter, Students’ Guild and Students’ Union want to reiterate our absolute zero tolerance position on racial discrimination, alongside highlighting resources to support those that may feel affected.
Our Speak Out Guardians and network of Dignity and Respect Advisors are available for any staff that may want to talk, alongside our Student Wellbeing service and ProCounselling, who are here to provide dedicated mental health support. Further information and tools of support pulled together by the Students’ Guild can be found here. We would urge you to report any incidents of racism to the university using the Speak Out tool or to the police in the instance of a hate crime.
The University, Students’ Guild and Students’ Union is committed to ensuring we are an open, safe and diverse community and welcomes the ongoing commitment of our community and community partners to work together to tackle all forms of racial discrimination and harassment. We are particularly grateful for the members of the BME Staff, Students and Allies Network for their support and guidance in tackling racism.
The University of Exeter is a diverse community of which we are proud. We support and stand with each other and celebrate our diversity beyond the boundaries of our campuses and this is more important now than ever.
Sincerely,
Professor Janice Kay, Provost and Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor
Linda Peka, Chief College Operations Officer and Vice-Chancellor’s Executive Group EDI lead
Patrick Hoyle, Guild President, University of Exeter Students’ Guild
Joe Rigby, President Exeter, Falmouth and Exeter Students’ Union
Sunday Blake, VP Postgraduate and Incoming Students' Guild President