On May 4, Chancellor Chopp announced in an email to the DU community that a forum event will take place on May 7 from 1-3 p.m in Driscoll Underground focusing on recent tensions across the nation and the world, including the protests and discord currently occurring in Baltimore.

The event is sponsored by the Office of the Chancellor, the Division of Student Life, the Center for Multicultural Excellence, the Health & Counseling Center, the Undergraduate Student Government, the Graduate Student Government, DU Programming Board and the Black Student Alliance.

According to the email, the forum is aimed at members of the DU community “who want to engage in conversation and find ways to keep the discussion going.” Chancellor Chopp also noted the importance of discussion in furthering progress.

“What has unfolded in Baltimore is not unique or isolated, but merely a reminder of racial tensions that continue to plague the United States. Importantly, these events remind us that there is still far more progress to be made,” said Chancellor Chopp in the email. “But we can harness the power of this moment—when the nation as a whole is once again confronting the realities and difficulties of race relations—by continuing to engage one another and discuss how we can promote the principles of inclusive excellence here on campus and throughout our world.”

A group called Forum DU held a similar event in the Anderson Academic Commons on April 30 called “Baltimore, Ferguson & Beyond: Police Killings & Riots.” According to the event page, this gathering aimed to be “a candid discussion of the rash of shootings of unarmed men and recent communal violence afflicting the country.”

Chancellor Chopp also encouraged students to seek counseling services from the Health & Counseling Center if they find it beneficial and to provide support for their peers.

“As DU community members we must rely on each other in times of crisis and distress,” said Chancellor Chopp in the email. “I am heartened by the number of colleagues who have expressed a genuine interest in using our community as a means of support and of progress, and I hope we will continue to be guided by a shared concern for one another.”