[Important Information for Employees] Message from President Enyedi

[Office of the President]

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Dear Campus Community,

Yesterday was a difficult day for our campus community as we were made
aware of an incident involving a Black female student and three white
University Police officers during a traffic stop. As your President, I am
committed to keeping you informed by sharing the steps the college is
taking to support the student and look into the actions of the officers
involved

On Friday, I spoke with the driver of the car and her passenger, also a
SUNY Plattsburgh student, to let them know that I was aware of the incident
and was addressing it. The students, both of whom identify as Black women,
indicated to me that they were traumatized by the experience. They
expressed fear for their safety and confusion about why the driver had been
stopped and arrested. I mobilized our campus Diversity Incident Response
Education and Communication Team (DIRECT),  which oversees the college's
response to bias incidents, hate speech or hate crimes. DIRECT met to
review the dashboard video and provide integrated support to the student
and as a preliminary step, referred the matter to Human Resources. I have
also reviewed the police report with our University Chief of Police as I
work to better understand the full context of what occurred and to
determine next steps to be taken.

I fully recognize that what these two students experienced is rooted in a
larger systemic pattern of oppressions inflicted on Black, Indigenous,
People of Color (BIPOC). At SUNY Plattsburgh, we have the obligation and
the opportunity to do better and be better as a diverse campus that
tolerates nothing less than equity and inclusion for all who work and study
here. Every one of us must participate to create and genuinely sustain an
environment that shows our commitment to our BIPOC students, faculty and
staff, and we must all do our part in creating a safe campus. I expect
nothing less from any member of our Cardinal community. As long as one of
us feels unsafe, we have failed in our shared mission and our shared
responsibility

Please know that I remain steadfastly committed to creating and maintaining
a safe, fair, and just campus. I will continue to engage with all parties
involved in this incident, and I will be considering longer-term responses
to address broader issues of diversity, equity and inclusion for our BIPOC
community. I will update you as more information becomes available.

I recognize that these situations are always difficult and traumatic
whenever they occur within a community, and I ask that you please reach out
if you feel that you need support. Students can call our Counseling Center
staff  at 518-564-2376 or email them at  healthcenter at plattsburgh.edu and
faculty and staff can reach out to Clinton County Mental Health at
518-565-4060.

Alexander Enyedi, President
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