UMass Lowell Denounces Hate, Reaffirms Commitment to Inclusion & Diversity

We’ve been responding individually and through social media to the outpouring of concern related to the recent news of hate groups and other forms of bigotry in New England and in our communities. Many have asked for a direct message to the campus community and we wanted to provide that.

We stand with you in denouncing white supremacy, any form of hate speech, intimidation and potential threats to the safe and inclusive community that we as a campus, have been working tirelessly to create and sustain.

UMass Lowell exhaustively investigates each and every perceived threat to members of our campus community. Investigations must remain confidential but individuals with knowledge of university policy violations or criminal behavior are encouraged to report them to the offices of Human Resources or Student Affairs. While we cannot comment on individual investigations, we can assure you that we will hold all students accountable to our Student Code of Conduct that was designed to make UML a place where all can live, learn and work in a safe and inclusive environment.

This is an environment that we are continuing to work to strengthen with our words and our actions. While we have said hate has no home at UML, we know that hate exists in our world and at times on our campus. We share your deep frustration that we cannot legally ban all messages of hate from our lives and it is in these moments that we are called to embody the values we claim as our core. 

Colleges and universities for decades, and especially in recent years, have seen an increase in hate messaging both from their campus communities as well as from organizations and individuals who visit campus expressly to promote hatred and division knowing the law and the First Amendment limits universities’ legal ability to prevent it. Indeed, for many of the members of these hate groups, the attention from attempted bans or efforts to sanction or punish them is what they most crave.

In recent years we have accelerated our work to enhance the welcoming nature of UMass Lowell. 

We have elevated diversity, equity and inclusion as a priority across campus and have devoted new financial resources and identified and elevated campus leaders to promote diversity initiatives for students, faculty and staff. Our statement of core values has been collaboratively drafted and finalized.

The Council for Social Justice & Equality and the Task Forces and subcommittees comprising it have been working during the last several months to develop a draft of a campus-wide plan to further strengthen diversity. The plan will be ready for your feedback and recommendations when we return for the fall semester.

And most importantly, in our interactions with you occurring every day we see the passion, the dedication and the actions that demonstrate your commitment to a welcoming and diverse university.

As we all return to campus this fall, it is our intention to engage with student leaders on campus to establish an event where we can hear from students, share our commitment to social justice and inclusion, and continue to make clear to the world that no individual with a message of hate will derail UMass Lowell’s commitment to creating a welcoming and equitable campus committed to justice and diversity.

Thank you for all you do to promote inclusion and acceptance at this university. It is a commitment from which we will never waiver.

Sincerely,

Jacquie Moloney, Chancellor

Joseph Hartman, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs

Patti McCafferty, Senior Vice Chancellor for University Relations

Julie Chen, Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development

John Feudo, Vice Chancellor for Advancement

Steve O’Riordan, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations

Derek Berger, Associate Vice Chancellor, Development

Randy Brashears, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Chief of Police

Peter Casey, Director, Athletics

Michael Cipriano, Associate Vice Chancellor, Information Technology & Chief Information Officer

Kerry Donohoe, Dean, Academic Services

Brenda Evans, Dean, Student Affairs & Event Services

Luis Falcon, Dean, College of Fine Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Bryce Hoffman, Associate Vice Chancellor, Marketing

Kerri Johnston, Dean, Enrollment Management

James Kohl, Dean, Student Affairs & Enrichment

Anne Maglia, Associate Vice Chancellor, Research Administration & Integrity

Shortie McKinney, Dean, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences

Noureddine Melikechi, Dean, Kennedy College of Sciences

Tom Miliano, Executive Director, Administrative Services

Chris Mullin, Director, Operations

Julie Nash, Vice Provost, Academic Affairs

Arlene Parquette, Associate Vice Chancellor, Industry Partnerships & Economic Development

Clara Reynolds, Associate Vice Chancellor, Equity, Opportunity & Outreach, Diversity & Inclusion

Sandra Richtermeyer, Dean, Manning School of Business

Jean Robinson, Associate Vice Chancellor, Facilities Management

Michael Rutherford, Executive Director, Labor Relations & Compliance

James Sherwood, Dean, Francis College of Engineering

Jonathan Strunk, Executive Director, Communications

Steve Tello, Vice Provost, Graduate & Professional Studies

Lauren Turner, Senior Associate Vice Chancellor, Human Resources 

Jenifer Whitten-Woodring, Interim Dean, Honors College