Yale President Peter Salovey sent an email to the Yale community on Tuesday responding to recent protests on campus. In the email, he pledged to do better. The email discussed the areas Yale will improve on to build a more inclusive campus, which includes adding additional teaching staff and courses that will deal with topics of diversity, as well as launching a series of conferences on issues of race.
“It is clear that we need to make significant changes so that all members of our community truly feel welcome and can participate equally in the activities of the university, and to reaffirm and reinforce our commitment to a campus where hatred and discrimination are never tolerated,” he wrote. Yale has been the site of much unrest since two racially charged incidents occurred on Halloween weekend. Students of color have published a number of op-eds in the YDN and the Yale Herald, claiming Yale doesn’t welcome minorities and that the faculty isn’t doing anything to improve the situation.
Some of the anger was directed at an administrator who incited unrest with an email to students about Halloween costumes. Silliman College Associate Master Erika Christakis emailed students in response to an Intercultural Affairs Council email that called on students to be sensitive about being appropriative with their Halloween costumes. Christakis tore the email apart and supported students’ right to dress in any costumes they liked, offensive or not.
“Is there no room anymore for a child or young person to be a little bit obnoxious … a little bit inappropriate or provocative or, yes, offensive?” she wrote. Her comments weren’t well-received by the campus’ students, who said her words were insulting to the voices of minority students. Up until this recent response from the president, there’s been no action taken to remedy the situation.
