St. Lawrence, Associated Colleges Issue Statement on Recent Shootings in Atlanta

President William L. Fox and Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion Kimberly Flint-Hamilton joined the presidents and chief diversity officers from the Associated Colleges of the St. Lawrence Valley consortium in issuing a statement regarding the recent shootings of Asians in Atlanta.

The joint statement reads:

We condemn racism.  Each of us must be compelled to take personal responsibility to shift the dynamics in a rise in acts of violence and bias incidents. Together, we must lead.

Chartered by the New York State Board of Regents in 1970, the Associated Colleges of the St. Lawrence Valley is an independent consortium to expand the number and variety of regional educational opportunities for students, faculty, and the community and to innovate through joint action. 

We have made a commitment to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging across our North Country community to promote a safe and welcoming community for all people from the diverse backgrounds that we collectively represent.

While our campuses share a robust calendar of cultural networking and co-curricular programming across our institutions every year to support this commitment, national events and emerging trends must compel us to come together for further joint attention and action.

We condemn racism. In the last year, we cannot ignore national events that show a rise in acts of violence and bias incidents throughout the United States that have impacted our Black, Indigenous, and non-Black People of Color. This past week’s shootings in Atlanta underscore a rise in acts targeting Asian, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander (AAAPI) identity. 

We recognize that whether these events occur here in the North Country or anywhere in the United States, they have an impact on our community here and in the world where our graduates will lead in the future. We must be part of the solution. We must take personal responsibility to shift the dynamics and accountability in our community to end racism. We must be the example of global leaders who act with conscience and create an environment where no one is a passive bystander to those being harmed and harassed. Join, listen and learn in the dialogues and workshops on our respective campuses that are led by our Offices of Diversity & Inclusion and the numerous clubs and organizations that have accepted this mantle to make a difference. 

If you have experienced anti-AAAPI bias or harassment on-campus or in the community, or you have seen this occur in our community, please know you can report it to your institution. Options for reporting are enclosed below. For those impacted, please know that you are cherished by your university family members and that we are here for you. If you need to talk with someone, you can contact university counseling and chaplain services, information for which can be found below. 

Together, we must lead. 

The Presidents and Chief Diversity Officers of the Associated Colleges of the St. Lawrence Valley

For help and resources:

At St. Lawrence University:

• University Chaplain Shaun Whitehead, at Gunnison Chapel 200, (315) 229-5256,  chapel@stlawu.edu,
• University Counseling Center: (315) 229-5392, healthcenter@stlawu.edu, 76 Park Street
• 24-hour Counseling Service: (315) 229-1914
• Campus Safety: (315) 229-5555
• Black Mental Health Alliance: https://blackmentalhealth.com/
• Kimberly Flint-Hamilton, Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, (315) 229-1881, kflint@stlawu.edu
• Bias Incident Reporting

At Clarkson University:

• Student Health and Counseling Center:  315/268-6633, 1300 Educational Resource Ctr
• 24-hour Counseling Service [Accessible through Campus Safety]: 316/268-6666
• Chief Inclusion Office:315-268-3785, diversity@clarkson.edu, 110 Student Union
• Dean of Students Office:  315/268-6620, 1003G Price Hall
• All available by Zoom as well

At SUNY Canton:

• Campus Ministries: 315-386-7018 or  https://www.canton.edu/campus_ministry/.
• University Counseling Center: 315-386-7314 or https://www.canton.edu/counseling/
• 24-hour Counseling Service:
  • University Police: 315-386-7777;
  • Reachout of St. Lawrence County, (315) 265-2422 or http://www.reachouthotline.org/.
• Center for Diversity: 315-386-7128 or  https://www.canton.edu/diversity/.

At SUNY Potsdam:

• University Counseling Center: (315) 267-2330, offices located at 131 Van Housen Hall, 8:30a.m.-4:30p.m., https://www.potsdam.edu/studentlife/wellness/counseling-center
• 24-hour phone and text hotlines and off-campus resources available on the counseling center website.
• University Police: (315) 267-2222
• Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: (315) 267-2184, Sisson Hall S221,
• https://www.potsdam.edu/about/administrative-offices/division-diversity-equity-and-inclusion
• https://www.potsdam.edu/studentlife/diversity/center-diversity

At Paul Smith’s College:

• Campus Safety: (518) 327-6300
• The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council: diversity@paulsmiths.edu
  
  https://www.paulsmiths.edu/campus-life/diversity/
• Campus Counseling Center: (518) 327-6358