Dear Jacobs School students, staff and faculty,
As we approach finals in the midst of horrendous racism and violence, I want to say to our Black students, staff and faculty -- and to all people of color in the Jacobs School of Engineering community -- that we as a community stand with you.
My message to our Black community, and to each and every person of color in the Jacobs School of Engineering, is that we are here to listen and to work with you. Instructors and supervisors have a responsibility to provide appropriate accommodations to help affected students and staff members successfully cope in these difficult times. For anyone who needs help or support, please do not hesitate to reach out to your instructor, mentor, supervisor, CAPS or those in my office. We are here for you.
I recognize that there are systemic problems in our society -- including in both education and in law enforcement -- that desperately need our attention, time and energy to remedy. It is my job to work with our community to help fix the inequalities in our educational system. More broadly, as engineers and computer scientists, we study, develop, modify and implement systems large and small that affect people and communities in many different ways. As an engineering school, it is our responsibility to work to correct the inequities in society through our efforts as technologists.
Linked below are three recent university messages containing information and resources. The Jacobs School affirms these statements of solidarity and we encourage you to seek out the resources you need and deserve.
UC San Diego finals week resources
UC San Diego statement from May 29:
Statement on George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery
https://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/statement-on-george-floyd-breonna-taylor-and-ahmaud-arbery
University of California statement from May 31:
UC statement on protests, violence following George Floyd’s death
If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to someone you trust. As a community, we can all reach out to our friends, colleagues and students to check on their well-being. I can be reached at DeanPisano@eng.ucsd.edu
Sincerely,
Albert ("Al") P. Pisano, Dean and
Walter J. Zable Distinguished Professor
Jacobs School of Engineering
University of California, San Diego