Message from Chair – February 9, 2024

Event Date

Dear Students, Faculty, and Academic Division Staff,  I am writing on behalf of the members of the Task Force on Religious Diversity and Belonging to provide information about our work together this semester and to invite you to share your thoughts with us.  As announced in December, the task force was established to advise President Ryan on how best to ensure that UVA supports belonging among students, faculty, and staff across the full spectrum of religions and cultures. We are studying institutional data—including data on reported incidents of antisemitism, Islamophobia, or other religious bias—and we are meeting with members of the community to learn more about how they experience life on Grounds. The task force is interested in hearing from the full community, and we encourage you to share your thoughts with us to inform this important work. To expand the committee’s awareness and understanding of experiences on Grounds, we are holding focus groups that are open to any UVA student, faculty member or staff member. Participants will be selected via lottery. The schedule is available on the task force website, along with a link to a form to indicate your interest.  In addition, we welcome you to share comments through an online form (behind Netbadge). The task force will not receive replies sent via email. Responses submitted through the comment form will be reviewed by the task force, and comments will not be publicly attributed to individuals. Should you need to report an incident, please submit the information through Just Report It , the University's online system for reporting incidents of bias, discrimination, or harassment. Thank you for helping us as we strive to make UVA an ever more supportive place for people across faith and cultural traditions. Sincerely, Christa Acampora Chair, Task Force on Religious Diversity and Belonging Dean, College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences

 

Note: This text is from a MassMail which was shared with Students, Faculty, and Academic Division Staff on Friday, February 9, 2024.