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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Dear Biology Community,
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">I was upset to learn about an incident that occurred
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt">this week<span style="color:black"> when </span>
banners that were hung in Lobby 7 by the Black Student Union (BSU) and Black Graduate Student Association (BGSA) as part of BlackHack were defaced.
<span style="color:black">On one of the banners, words were crossed out and new ones were written over them. The BSU/BGSA put up flyers after the banner was drawn over that explained
</span>its purpose and their message.<span style="color:black"> The first time these went up, they were
</span>inappropriately removed<span style="color:black">. President Kornbluth is actively engaging with the leadership of the BSU and BGSA and the
<a href="https://idhr.mit.edu/our-office/brt#:~:text=The%20Bias%20Response%20Team%20(BRT)%20is%20a%20working%20group%20of,education%20and%20outreach%20as%20appropriate.">
Bias Response team</a> has been involved. This behavior directly </span>contradicts<span style="color:black"> MIT
</span>guiding <span style="color:black">principles, including those articulated in the Values Statement and the Free Expression Statement. It also violates MIT policies on expression that are laid out in the
<a href="https://handbook.mit.edu/expression">Mind & Hand Book.</a> </span>D<span style="color:black">efacing a banner and removing posters
</span>from student groups<span style="color:black"> are not allowed. </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">This set of actions was hurtful to those who were using the celebration of Black History Month to make their perspective more visible, as part of an important and ongoing dialog about race and
representation on campus. We should all reflect on this event and what it says about how
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt">our community is<span style="color:black"> falling short of our aspirations for inclusion and respectful dialogue; we must do better by one another. I invite you to think about what actions you can take to engage your colleagues
in dialogue about freedom of expression and race on campus. Through critical inquiry, we can improve our climate together. Below, you will find resources for support</span>,<span style="color:black"> and I encourage you to reach out to
</span>me<span style="color:black"> or our DEI Officer Hallie Dowling-Huppert (<a href="mailto:halliedh@mit.edu">halliedh@mit.edu</a>) if you would like to discuss this</span> or related issues.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><a href="https://oge.mit.edu/student-support-development/gradsupport/">MIT Grad support</a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><a href="https://ome.mit.edu/">Office of Minority Education</a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><a href="https://medical.mit.edu/services/mental-health-counseling">MIT mental health</a>
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="https://iceo.mit.edu/mit-programs-and-services/">ICEO link to a range of MIT support services</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Best regards,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Amy<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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