May 25, 2014
A Message from Chancellor Yang and Interim Executive Vice Chancellor Michaelsen
To the Campus Community:
In light of the tragic events that occurred on Friday night, after discussions with the Academic Senate, Associated Students, and our administrative colleagues, we are declaring Tuesday, May 27th a Day of Mourning and Reflection. There will be a memorial service at Harder Stadium on Tuesday afternoon at 4:00PM organized jointly by students, staff, and faculty. Also, Associated Students has asked us to let our community know that our students are planning a memorial wall at the Pardall Center.
Regular classes will not be held on Tuesday. However, because our academic community needs a space for talking and healing as well as mourning, we ask that faculty come to campus on Tuesday to be available to meet with students. We suggest that faculty communicate with our students and teaching assistants to let them know whether they will be meeting at their regularly scheduled class time, or in office hours, or both. Staff should report to work as usual, but employees who need to request time off from work should coordinate those requests with their supervisors. Classes will resume on Wednesday.
We wish to reiterate the message from the undergraduate deans that academic advisors are available to assist students who are concerned that this tragedy will interfere with the completion of their courses. Our dedicated advisors will do everything they can to ensure that no student’s academic record is adversely affected by this difficult situation. There will be extended walk-in advising hours this week starting on Tuesday, from 9:00AM to 5:00PM, including the lunch hour. Faculty, instructors, and teaching assistants will receive additional information from their department chairs and deans about how to provide guidance and alternatives to students who may need assistance as they complete their academic year.
We remind students, faculty, and staff that professional counselors are available to provide support to all members of our community. We encourage you to consult them to address your own needs and to get advice about how you can help others if they reach out to you. Counselors can be reached by phone at (805) 893-4411, 24 hours a day. Counselors will be available for inperson visits all day Tuesday at the Student Resource Building.
This is a period of mourning for all of us. The moving candlelight vigil that our students organized on Saturday evening began the process of healing. On Tuesday we will remember and honor the victims of this horrible event, and come together as an academic community to reflect, talk with each other, and think about the future. As terrible as these past two days have been, they make us believe in our students and the entire UCSB community more than ever.
Henry T. Yang, Chancellor
Joel Michaelsen, Interim Executive Vice Chancellor