Editor's Note: UTSA President Taylor Eighmy sent this email to UTSA faculty, staff and students updating them on the investigations into Monday's classroom incident.
(Nov. 14, 2018) -- Dear Roadrunners,
I am writing with an update and final outcomes of our investigations into Monday’s classroom incident.
I have received briefings on the final reports for both investigations which are summarized below. In the spirit of full transparency, and given the national attention that this incident has drawn to UTSA, I want everyone to be very clear regarding the facts and outcomes.
As noted in my last update, the faculty member was relieved of her duties as an instructor for the remainder of the semester. She will be required to undergo classroom management training with UTSA Teaching and Learning Services, at which point she will be allowed to return to teaching for the Spring 2019 semester with ongoing monitoring.
Provost Espy has accepted Dr. Grimes’s report and outlined the support and protections UTSA is providing to the student. Dr. Grimes is working with her to ensure her academics are not impacted, and she is also receiving personal support and counsel through our Dean of Students office. I was grateful for the opportunity to have met with the student and her family today and have extended my apologies on behalf of UTSA.
Let me reiterate that the results of these investigations in no way diminish my firm commitment to the work we must do to create a more inclusive campus environment. After hearing from so many students, faculty and staff regarding their feelings of marginalization, disrespect and fear, I am more convinced than ever that this is a top priority for UTSA.
We will move forward with all the action steps I listed in my last update. In addition, Provost Espy will soon send a follow-up to update the community on some of the activities we’ve already begun to increase faculty diversity at UTSA – a key component of creating an environment welcoming to all students.
This work is urgent and must be an ongoing effort. I know UTSA can be a national model for campus inclusivity, and I am committed to providing the resources, time and attention needed to reach that goal.
With appreciation,
Taylor Eighmy
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Adult Mental Health First Aid consists of 6 hours of instructor-led training, in which teaches adults how to recognize the signs and symptoms that suggest a potential mental health challenge, how to listen nonjudgmentally and give reassurance to the individual, student/colleague, who may be experiencing a mental health challenge, and how to refer a person to appropriate professional support and services at UTSA
John Peace Library (4.04.12C), Main CampusRefusing to Forget is a collaborative effort to examine and expose the devastating impact of state-sanctioned racial violence throughout the early 20th century in the Texas Borderlands. This will be a two-day workshop.
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Willow room (SU 2.02.1), Main CampusPart 1 of our Career Skills Summer Workshop Series! Jeffrey Patten from the UTSA Career Center will be presenting on how to build a resume.
Virtual EventWeek 2 of our Career Skills Summer Workshop series.
Virtual EventThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education.
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to ending generations of discrimination and inequity. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
