The following is a Letter to the Editor for the Opinions section. 

To the Editor:

On Friday, Sept. 25, a portion of the DU community led by student organizers from the unofficial student group Righteous Anger! Healing Resistance! (RAHR) and other activists will be protesting the racism and colonialism that still poisons the University of Denver.  

We begin this statement by making it clear that we support all demands of this direct action. Not only does the “Pioneer” moniker fail to fully represent the students, staff, faculty and alumni at DU, it does active harm by calling back to a violent and genocidal past, one in which DU’s founders played a direct and bloody role. DU’s commitment to inclusive excellence and equity has broadened in recent years, but it clearly does not address the continued negative effects of racism that are embedded in the university. This can be seen in the lack of hiring and retention of faculty of color, absence of support for indigenous communities and continued ignorance of the action steps clearly laid out in the John Evans report. 

This protest is just. The pain the protestors feel is real. As student senators, we will fight alongside our peers for a more equitable DU.  

We will also acknowledge that holding large in-person events during the COVID-19 pandemic is fraught with risk. Even one COVID-19 carrier could infect numerous students and staff at the protest. This could lead to an outbreak which would negatively affect not just those who contract the virus, but the campus community as a whole. The risk is real and should not be ignored.  

However, this risk was also present this summer with the Black Lives Matter protests, during which millions of people attended large-scale in-person protests for extended periods of time. Yet no large spike in cases was seen. Those who studied the protests found that wide-scale social distancing, near ubiquitous mask wearing and outside locations decreased the risk of COVID-19 transmission.  

For these reasons, we are sorely disappointed in DU’s decision to consider all students who attend the protest to be violating the honor code. It is clear that DU would rather ignore students’ demands and hide behind the cover of COVID-19 restrictions than listen to the protestors. We support the organizers in rejecting this mandate and urge the administration of DU to reconsider their decision and allow the protest to continue with masks and social distancing.  

Sincerely,

June Churchill and Grace Wankelman

Office of the Student Health and Wellness Co-Chairs

 

For all students affected by these issues and looking for additional support, please contact:  

• Student Outreach and Support (sos@du.edu, 303-871-4724) 
• Health and Counseling Center (info@hcc.du.edu, 303-871-2205) 

For all students considering attending the protest and wondering about conduct outcomes, please contact:  

• Student Rights and Responsibilities (studentrightsresponsibilities@du.edu, 303-871-2455) 
• Campus Safety (du.edu/campussafety/contact-us/)