Bias related to COVID-19 not tolerated by SUNY Cortland

04/09/2020 

The following message regarding SUNY Cortland's anti-bias commitment is being sent on behalf of President Erik J. Bitterbaum: 

To all students, faculty and staff,

As the SUNY Cortland community adjusts to learning, working and socializing from a distance, I want to reaffirm the university’s commitment to maintaining a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students, faculty, staff and alumni.

With the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have watched with concern as incidents of racism and xenophobia targeting Chinese and other Asian people have increased worldwide. In the United States, that has resulted in harassment or discrimination of international students and students of Asian descent.

This is wrong. I want to be very clear that racist behaviors or stereotyping of any kind are not tolerated at SUNY Cortland – whether our community is physically together on campus or linked remotely through computer networks. This basic expectation includes comments made in online posts, virtual conversations or to people we encounter when we are outside our homes.

If you feel you have experienced an act of bias-related discrimination or harassment, please take advantage of SUNY Cortland’s Bias Related Incident Reporting Form. Once the report is submitted, the incident will be reviewed by the university’s Interim Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, AnnaMaria Cirrincione, and referred to the appropriate campus office for investigation. 

I understand that the outbreak is taking a terrible toll on all of us, physical, mentally and emotionally, but that should not be an excuse to treat people unfairly or unkindly. Please remember that no one person, country or ethnicity created this pandemic.

Stay safe, stay connected and stay healthy. Together, we will all get through this challenging time.

All the best,

Erik J. Bitterbaum