I struggle to balance my desire to be a well-informed citizen with the weight of the national and international news. Most present on my mind recently, probably like many of you, has been the escalating war in Israel and Gaza. After reading the University-wide messages, I want to emphasize a few points.
We need to remember that we have members of our community directly impacted by this news and to provide flexibility and kindness. Staff, faculty, and students may have loved ones in that region, and they greet the news or their text messages with increasing dread. This prevents people from being able to pay the same level of attention to their work or studies. I encourage folks to take advantage of the many mental health resources we have available through the University.
President Ettinger also noted in his message that “our differences can heighten during times of crisis and conflict,” and that you are encouraged to report any bias incidents on campus to the Bias Response and Referral Network.
Finally, I was in conversation with someone whose daughter was stuck in Israel after her outbound flights to the U.S. were canceled. Thankfully, she was supported by Project Dynamo, along with several other U.S. citizens, and safely landed in the U.S. this weekend. As we think about making donations as part of the Community Fund Drive, I’m planning to contribute to the Tina Rovic Falkner Memorial Scholarship and make a donation to Project Dynamo as well.
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