SUBJECT:

Affirmation of Principles of Community and Condemnation of Offensive Web Content

Insensitive and derogatory language appearing on the laboratory website of one of our faculty colleagues was recently brought to our attention. This language does not conform to our commitment to the UCSD Principles of Community. We strongly condemn this web content and the apparent disregard of our campus values.

While UC San Diego vigorously upholds the principles of academic freedom and shared governance, freedom of speech, and privacy in the use of electronic resources by all members of the campus community, we also believe that we are each responsible for ensuring that the content published on our UC San Diego Web pages reflects our shared values, preserves the integrity of our educational environment, and contributes to and enriches the diversity of our campus. As stated in our Principles of Community, http://blink.ucsd.edu/HR/policies/POC/principles-of-community.html we reject acts of discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion, and political beliefs, and promote open expression of our individuality and our diversity within the bounds of courtesy, sensitivity, confidentiality, and respect. We reaffirm these Principles once more and encourage you all to join us in our affirmation.

In general, the University cannot and does not wish to be the arbiter of the contents of electronic communications. Nevertheless, to foster the best possible working and learning environment, UCSD must strive to maintain a climate of fairness, cooperation, and professionalism. To this end, we ask that you discuss this issue with the staff, students, postdocs, and others in your immediate community and take all reasonable measures to ensure that inappropriate content is not posted on your website. We also urge you to use this opportunity to review old websites and remove any material that may be at odds with our stated values and principles.

Suresh Subramani Executive Vice Chancellor David Brenner Vice Chancellor - Health Sciences Anthony Haymet Vice Chancellor - Marine Sciences Sandra Brown Vice Chancellor - Research