Culture & Diversity

Land Acknowledgement Statement

Alfred University consciously and intentionally recognizes, acknowledges and honors that it sits on the traditional and ancestral lands of the Onöndowa’ga:’ or “Great Hill People.” With a proud and rich history, the Seneca Nation of Indians, also known as the Keeper of the Western Door, are the largest and westernmost of the Six Nations that constitute the Haudenosaunee Confederacy of Nations, a democratic government that pre-dates the United States Constitution.

This territory is covered by The Dish with One Spoon Treaty of Peace and Friendship, a pledge to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. It is also covered by the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua, between the United States Government and the Six Nations Confederacy, which affirmed the rights and sovereignty of both the United States and the Haudenosaunee.

Today, Alfred NY, Allegany County and New York State at-large are still home to Seneca people who continue to assert their tribal sovereignty. They act as caretakers and stewards of this land while actively maintaining their culture, ceremonies and languages on this territory. By offering this land acknowledgement we reaffirm our commitment to working to hold Alfred University more accountable to the needs of the Seneca and of other First Nations peoples. We acknowledge our gratitude for the opportunity to work for and with First Nations people in this place, as we pay our respects to our Seneca Nation relatives on their lands.

President's Committee on Diversity Statement - June 3, 2020

We feel crushing sadness over George Floyd’s heinous murder last Monday. We also share the hurt, anger, love, and hope of the protestors and demonstrators who are working to bring about systemic change in the wake of the most current atrocities perpetrated upon Black people in America. We consciously recognize and acknowledge that the most recent demonstrations and protests seeking justice for George Floyd are the tragic continuation and extension of the outrage and trauma intimately connected to so many other unjustified and horrific Black and Brown deaths: Eric Garner, who also could not breathe; Michael Brown, whose hands were up; Philando Castile, who was reaching for his license; Breonna Taylor and Atatiana Jefferson, who were both killed in their homes; and far too many others.

Black men are 2.5 times more likely to be killed by police than White people are; Black women 1.4 times more likely. These disparities reflect the deeper issue that demonstrators are protesting – that Black lives have not been equally valued in this country. Such purposeful devaluation is at the heart of the Black Lives Matter movement. Alfred University supports the mission of The Black Lives Matter Global Network: “healing ourselves and each other, and co-creating alongside comrades, allies, and family a culture where each person feels seen, heard, and supported.”

Alfred University is committed to educating our community, actively acknowledging and challenging the insidious impact of bias – within our community as well as in the broader society. We unequivocally condemn both historic and modern systemic racism, where bias and power have converged violently to oppress and suppress Black, Brown, and other historically marginalized populations – whether in the form of economic discrimination, reduced access to education and health care, or the disproportionate killing and incarceration of Black and Brown individuals by the criminal justice system.

• Alfred University condemns the murder of George Floyd and all other victims at the hands of police officers.
• Alfred University supports and will conduct implicit bias training at our own institution.
• Alfred University supports implicit bias training and overt bias screening of police departments.
• Alfred University commits to a deliberate and intentional course of action to create an environment in which we will listen to, learn from, and amplify those voices actively and consistently advocating for equity and inclusion, through programming, professional development, and philanthropic initiatives.

To promote meaningful opportunities for Alfred University students, faculty, and staff to protest the murder of George Floyd, we are inviting you to participate in the following community-initiated events:

• 4 p.m. Thursday, June 4, Rally at the Village Bandstand
• Friday, June 5, March (details TBA)

If members of the faculty and staff would like to join us in endorsing these principles, we invite you to sign this resolution (below) in support of our students and our mission.

We also invite you to contact us with ideas that you might have for how we can be there for, listen to, learn from, and support our community members, especially those of color, during this challenging time while we seek to promote a more just community, on campus and beyond.

The President’s Committee on Diversity:

Kayla Colter ’20 (Co-Chair)
Beth Ann Dobie, Provost and Chief Operating Officer
Melissa Ryan, Professor, English
Robert Stein, Associate Professor, Social Sciences
Mark Zupan, President (Co-Chair)

Resolution June 3, 2020

We, the faculty and staff, as your teachers, mentors, and fellow members of the Alfred University community,

Condemn in no uncertain terms the dehumanization, brutalization, intimidation, and murder of Black and Brown individuals in American society;

Offer our compassion and support to all members of the Black and Brown communities whose physical, emotional, and social burden continues to intensify;

Express our respect and support for those who demonstrate for justice for Black and Brown lives;

Recognize systemic racism as a persistent problem and pledge to combat it as allies no matter how we identify racially, ethnically, or ideologically;

Commit ourselves to inclusive education - which means actively and consistently confronting injustice in our classrooms (whether through the content we teach or the environment we create) and continuing to educate ourselves personally and professionally;

Support dialogue that challenges us, and provides for an inclusive curriculum that creates space for these critical conversations.

SIGN THIS RESOLUTION

Signature Count: 146

Mark Zupan
Gary O. Roberts
G David Toot
Robert Reginio
Sarah Cote
Mallory Szymanski
Del Rey Honeycutt
Mark Guinan
Russ Phillips
Jodi Bailey
Valerie Daciw
Craig Yanni
Mike Moskowitz
Hope Marie Childers
Dr. Michele Lowry
Janna Buckwalter
Melissa Ryan
Vicky Gebel
Amy Button
Michele Hluchy
Ehsan Ghotbi
Katie Geens
Brianna Jacobs
Corey Fecteau
Maureen Weiss
Sandra Singer
Christopher Gause
Lauren Lake
Mark Lewis
Meghen Jones
Steven Bucklaew
Tom George
Jami Snyder
Daisy Wu
Mark Klingensmith
Mina Sedaghatjou
Pamela Schultz
Beth Johnson
Jeff Sluyter-Beltrao
Lou Lichtman
Brian Striker
Steve Byrne
Robert Stein
Allison Church
Kevin Curtin
Judy Linza
Gary Ostrower
Matthew Oakes
Holden Whitehead
Timothy Cox
Liam P. Glover
Lynn O'Connell
Chloe Hansen
Jennifer Lyons
Danielle Gagne
Jeff McDowell
Tamara Green
Susan Weit
Lacey Gosnell
Cecilia Beach
Dakota Pruiss
Lisa Sexsmith
Doris Möncke
Colleen Wahl
Mark Danes
Michael Riina
Nicole Bernsen
Deborah Finamore-Flint
Mary McAllister
Frederic Beaudry
Karen L. Porter
Jean Cardinale
Luanne Crosby
Lynn Petrillo
Zachary Hanm
S. K. Sundaram
Susan Mayberry
G. Douglas Clarke
Jean Ellefson
Nadine Shardlow
Brian Sullivan
Beth Ann Dobie
Judy Livingston
Dan Napolitano
Kristen Vargason
Brett Hunter
Tamara Kenney
Cory Bennett
Christine Heckle
Alexis Clare
Garrett McGowan
Laura Grove
Evan Linza
Tricia Debertolis
Emrys Westacott
Brian Saltsman
Nicole Munkwitz
Laura Souther
Nicholas Schlegel
Lisa Weaver
Andrew Makasziw
John D'Angelo
Kassie McCarn
Desmond Wallace
Andrew Kless
Andrew Eklund
Kayla Zimmer
Norm Pollard
Nancy Furlong
Mechele Romanchock
Joseph Kirtland
Laurie Lounsberry Meehan
Ellen Bahr
Susan Morehouse
Likin Simon Romero
Gerar Edizel
Mary McInnes
Stephanie McMahon
Bill Giese
Kerry Kautzman
Jeanne Marion
David DeGraff
Meredith Field
Susan Kowalczyk
Amanda Taylor
Marvela Guice-Van Dyke
Angeline Felber
Luis Rodriguez
Peter von Stackelberg
Robert Maiden
Amanda Khodorkovskaya
Rïse Peacock
Juliana Gray
Allen Grove
Bob Myers
Diana Maguire
Robyn Goodman
Becky Prophet
Jessica Doner
Shannon Yocum
Vicky Westacott
Kevin Adams
Matt Kelleher
Gabrielle Gaustad
Samantha Dannick
Kjersten McKinniss

Diversity Programs seeks to engage you in a supportive community where respect, activism, and awareness are promoted in an effort to develop passionate leadership and individual student growth through new experiences, cultural exposure, and education.