CWU Board of Trustees Unanimously Approves Resolution in Support of Inclusiveness

The Central Washington University Board of Trustees last week unanimously approved a resolution supporting community-wide efforts to combat racism.

In its resolution, the board noted there had been a rise in bullying, harassment, hate speech, intolerance, and violence across the nation, including recent incidents of hate speech in the community. The latter referred to the discovery of hate-speech leaflets in the community and on campus in September and January.

“We, the Board of Trustees of Central Washington University, in keeping with the principle of respect for all people, unequivocally oppose any manifestation of bullying, harassment, hatred, prejudice toward any group or individual,” the board said in its resolution. “We resolve to actively work to make Kittitas County a safe place, free of discrimination and hatred of any kind. We also resolve to promote a climate of safety, inclusion, and acceptance in our community.”

The board also adopted a resolution sponsored by the CWU Faculty Senate in support of the university’s commitment to student safety and security.

In the statement, the board reiterated that CWU provides a safe environment for students and that under its policies campus police do not have the authority to enforce federal immigration laws and will not question people about their immigration status.

Additionally, according to the resolution, the university will not consider immigration status in admissions or other decisions, will not volunteer information about students unless in response to a lawfully issued subpoena or court order, and does not tolerate unlawful harassment, threats, or hate crimes.

In response to the hate-speech leaflets, a community effort, known as Not in Our KittCo (Kittitas County), formed late last year to combat racism. In addition to hosting a panel on building respectful communities, the group organized a massive peace march in Ellensburg in mid-November, which attracted more than 500 participants.

Media contact: Richard Moreno, director of content development, 509-963-2714, Richard.Moreno@cwu.edu.

—February 2, 2017