Last week, I officially charged a group of faculty, staff and students to advise me by searching nationally to identify candidates for the UW’s top academic job. In their search for a Provost and Executive Vice President, I have asked them to seek candidates who value our traditions of shared governance, transparency and accountability. I also encouraged them to reach out across disciplines and to individuals who reflect the diversity of our community. Finalists for the position will come to campus to meet with members of our community and talk about their vision sometime in the fall or winter.
Category: Community
Tent City 3 concluding successful stay at the UW
This weekend, our neighbors in Tent City 3 (TC3) depart for their next location, this time in Skyway, having completed their planned 90-day stay here on the UW’s Seattle campus. The way our community embraced our neighbors and the learning and human experiences that took place have been fantastic to witness, and I want to thank everyone whose planning and hard work went into making their stay a successful one.
When students, alumni and TC3 residents in the Tent City Collective first proposed hosting a tent city on campus, a key factor in the decision-making process was whether there would be clear connections to the UW’s academic mission. That’s why I’m so pleased by the number of faculty and students who stepped forward to make this hosting a part of their teaching and learning.
At least eight courses in disciplines including public policy, environmental science, English and several health fields, as well as via the Honors Program, formally engaged with TC3 during the last three months. That’s in addition to other ways the UW and TC3 communities connected, ranging from clinics and outreach provided by students from Nursing, Dentistry, MEDEX and Public Health, to a drop-in art studio, to the many shared meals made possible by a range of units, professional organizations, student groups and individuals. You can read about many of these connections on the Addressing Homelessness page.
The stay faced challenges, not the least of which being the unusually cold winter. But those were no match for the openheartedness and ingenuity of individuals in departments from Facilities Services to ICA and IMA, the last of which opened up the Waterfront Activities Center as a warming center during the coldest part of the season.
One of the questions I received even as TC3 was arriving in December was “When will the UW host again?” Key to answering that question will be student involvement. The Tent City Collective did its homework and gathered support on and off campus before presenting a proposal. Students remained engaged and have done tremendous work, in addition to their class loads, in order to make the stay a success. Future hosting will be contingent on having that same level of student engagement. It’ll also be guided in part by the results of an evaluation – we are academics, after all, and evaluating a program is vital to improving it in the future – that a School of Public Health program evaluation course is conducting. You can contribute to that evaluation by taking this survey.
In the meantime, please remember that TC3’s residents – and the many other individuals and families in our community without reliable shelter – are our neighbors, wherever they may spend the night. For those of us who connected with TC3’s residents, whether for a day or a quarter, it is a lesson we will not soon forget – and one that I hope will lead to action to finally end the crisis of homelessness in our community.
Remembering Helen Sommers, UW alumna and advocate for higher education
Helen Sommers was a true champion of public higher education and her advocacy for our state’s students and universities changed the lives of countless Washingtonians. She was an advocate for ensuring our universities remained accessible, including through the creation of the branch campuses, and a strong supporter of everything from advanced technology research to her beloved Burke Museum.
Standing together
No matter who you are, where you’re from, whom you love, where or whether you worship, or any other aspect of your identity, we welcome your contributions to helping the University of Washington maintain its commitment to access and excellence, to building a better and more equitable future, and creating a world of good.
Update on University response to Friday’s events (Updated)
On Friday night, our campus community was shocked and heartbroken when what was intended to be a peaceful protest was disrupted by violence that resulted in several assaults and a man being shot. Like all of you, I’m thankful that the victim is reported to be recovering. In the days since that incident, the University has received many inquiries from community members concerned about campus safety.
Pursuing the ideals of a more perfect union
This week begins and ends with two important days in the civic life of our nation: Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Inauguration Day. In many ways, these two days represent two sides of the same coin. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we celebrate the life of a man who used advocacy, peaceful protest and civil disobedience to advance the cause of human rights. And on Inauguration Day, we mark the peaceful transition of power as determined by the votes cast in our electoral system.
The test of free expression is protecting speech that offends (Updated)
I want to state clearly, especially to the thousands of people who have contacted my office with concerns about an upcoming visit by a speaker known for racist and misogynist provocation, that we understand and empathize with their objections and frustration. Nonetheless, the right to free speech and expression is broad and allows for speech that is offensive and that most of us would consider disrespectful, and even sexist or racist. As a public university committed to the free exchange of ideas and free expression, we are obligated to uphold this right.
Welcoming the residents of Tent City 3
Fast Facts
Selected location: Parking lot W35
When: 90 days, starting December 17, 2016, so as to largely coincide with the 2017 winter quarter
- Community feedback at least 2-to-1 in favor
- Hosting is based on safety and operations plan requirements, and a permit has been received from the city
- Up to 99 people – families and individuals – will be able to stay at any one time
- No taxpayer or tuition funds will be used
- Consistent with TC3 code of conduct, no weapons, alcohol, drugs or violence will be allowed, and security will be coordinated with UWPD
- Faculty encouraged, but not required, to incorporate service learning into courses
- Participation in related activities will be voluntary for students and residents
Winter is approaching, and with it the need for shelter for our neighbors who find themselves without permanent housing only grows.
Earlier this year, at the request of the Tent City Collective – a group of students, alumni and Tent City 3 residents – our University engaged in a public process to assess whether we should host Tent City 3 for 90 days during the winter quarter. As a result of your feedback, and thanks to the work of students, faculty and staff, in June it was announced that the UW will indeed host TC3.
The move-in day for TC3 residents at parking lot W35 will be December 17, and they will depart March 18, 2017. This will largely overlap with the winter quarter, aligning with our University’s academic mission by providing the opportunity for educational connections – from courses to service learning projects.
I want to thank the faculty who have already organized educational connections via the Carlson Center. Additional opportunities to connect classes and service learning with TC3 residents will continue to be facilitated through the Carlson Center.
If you would like to help in other ways – whether that’s by assisting with the move, collecting needed supplies or simply providing a meal for the TC3 community – I encourage you to check out TC3’s interactive calendar in order to find and schedule the right opportunity. We have also established a Community Advisory Committee that will meet regularly during the time TC3 is on campus. Those meetings will happen Thursdays at 4:30 p.m., in UWPD’s meeting room starting Dec. 8.
I also want to thank the many people in our community who have been working to create and implement the operations and safety plans for hosting and to obtain the city permit. As was pointed out when we began this process, TC3 was chosen as our preferred partner because of its good track record and its code of conduct that prohibits alcohol, drugs, violence and registered sex offenders. For the safety of all involved, including TC3 residents, the TC3 community’s own safety procedures, which include regular walking patrols, are being coordinated with UWPD.
Organized tent cities are by no means a replacement for permanent housing, but they do provide a safe place for families and individuals to live until they secure stable housing. TC3 will provide shelter and security for up to 99 people and is just one way in which the UW is contributing to solving the many intertwined issues that lead to homelessness. From scholarship to direct service, our University is helping tackle this pernicious challenge.
I look forward to welcoming the residents of TC3 to our campus, and know that our community will demonstrate the same welcoming, open spirit that it has throughout the lead-up to this opportunity.
A safe and welcoming place for all
In the week since the presidential election, many in our university have come together to engage in peaceful gatherings, public forums and other forms of community engagement within residence halls, departments and other groupings across campus. Participation in difficult discussions as well as celebrations of our shared humanity represent the best of who we are, the ideals of our democracy, and demonstrate how, by working together, we can continue to build a better future — the heart of our institutional mission.
Our shared ideals
In the aftermath of this very close and highly contentious election, I want to take this moment to reaffirm our University’s commitment to our mission of education, discovery, healing and public service. I also want to reaffirm our ongoing and unwavering support toward creating and nurturing an inclusive, diverse and welcoming community.