EMSS Team Members:

I hope you are all staying well this Friday morning – I know it has been a disturbing and unsettling week for our campus, and I appreciate the concern and support you all have shown for our students, as well as your colleagues who have been directly involved in incident response in recent days. Care for each other is a hallmark of Humboldt, and I have seen that shine through in so many ways over the past week.

Out of respect for all that is taking our time and effort, I am not going to share the normal list of news items, accolades, and events. I did, however, want to take this moment to thank you all for your work and your commitment to our students, this team, and our institution. None of us enjoy times of struggle and difficulty, but I have learned that these are often the times when many of our team members will shine brightest, allowing others to see the quality of character and strength that lies within.

Significant progress has been made in our ongoing dialogue with the protestors, and I am proud of the work that has been going on, much of it behind the scenes, to bring this to a peaceful resolution. If you have not read the most recent campus updates, please do so. The situation is ever-evolving, and I encourage you to read the updates as they arrive.

I encourage us all to seek to better understand the varying perspectives many of our campus community members hold regarding current events. We all have our own values that guide us, and sometimes we will be at odds with each other – but I ask that we find the places in which we are aligned, and focus our work there during trying times. Given that we have all chosen to work in higher education, at an institution with a strong commitment to student-centered service and experiences, I believe that will always be an excellent starting place for us all.

I remain proud to work alongside each of you, and to do my best to represent the needs of this division and our students in my work.

Take care of yourselves and each other,

Chrissy Holliday

VP EMSS

Cal Poly Humboldt