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Dear Infrastructure and Sustainability team,

One of the things I’ve been most proud of about our Infrastructure and Sustainability team during the pandemic has been your resilience and ability to meet every obstacle we’ve faced with an innovative and positive spirit. Yet I know the tragic events in Atlanta and �������� over the last month impact us on a much deeper level. They are not something we can simply turn the page on to get back to business as usual. I know they affect each of us in different ways and perhaps even at different times, with some experiencing delayed responses to what occurred.

I’m writing to you this month recognizing that many of you are still hurting and grieving following the terrible tragedy at King Soopers on March 22 in which 10 members of our community lost their lives. �������� is a small, close-knit community where our ties to each other run deep, and an event like this impacts all of us. Both of my kids go to school within a mile of the shopping center. My older daughter tutored kids at the library across the street. And we have so many great memories of birthday parties and activities at Tinker Art Studio and Abo’s Pizza, breakfast at Moe’s Broadway Bagel and lunch at Snarf’s. It could have been any of us there that day. I know many of you likely have similar connections to the shopping center.

The events of March 22 came just days after the senseless killing of eight people in Georgia, including six women of Asian heritage, as acts of violence and harassment against our Asian American and Pacific Islander communities have grown over the last year. 

As you can imagine, these events have really had an immense impact on my family and me personally. We are still grappling with unanswered questions about how we are supposed to deal with these tragedies, what we can do to support our community and what we can do to prevent things like this from happening again. If you’re experiencing similar thoughts, please know that you are not alone.

The hardships and social isolation brought on by the pandemic have already taxed so many of us mentally and physically, and events like these only exacerbate the strain we’ve all experienced over the past 13 months.

Our Faculty and Staff Assistance Program is available to you if you need help. The campus has also compiled a traumatic events resources webpage where you can find updates and avenues for support, as well as ways you can donate to the families of the March 22 victims.  I want you to know that my door is also open to you if you want a shoulder to lean on or just need a friendly ear to listen.

We must now more than ever show each other grace and empathy as we try to heal. Many of you are already deeply involved in planning as we gear up to prepare our campus for a more traditional in-person experience in the fall. I urge you, though, to take time off if you can and make time for yourself to reflect and heal -- and I encourage our supervisors to provide flexibility. Check in on your friends, family and colleagues, and lean on them for support. The strength of this team is in the value each of you brings, and your self-care and care for each other are vital during this time.

With gratitude for all you do,

David Kang, vice chancellor for infrastructure and sustainability

With recent events and the ongoing need to address racism in our communities, ISIEC would like to share some resources to both support you and to provide learning opportunities to help you understand the issues and what you can do to educate yourself and others.

• Unmask the Racism (article) – A CU student led effort to spread awareness about racism against people of Asian heritage, including a chance to use your hands by getting involved in their origami crane folding project
• – What's behind the rise in anti-Asian attacks? And what might our past tell us about the fight to be seen and to feel safe?
• (podcast) – Brené Brown with Ibram X. Kendi on How to Be an Antiracist
• (Emmanuel Acho YouTube series)

If you have been affected by these or other recent traumatic events, Visit CU ��������’s resources webpage. Find more information and ways to get involved on the Infrastructure & Sustainability Inclusive Excellence Committee (ISIEC) website.