Miami University President Greg Crawford sets the tone for the 2017-18 academic year

BY BONNIE MEIBERS
Miami University journalism student

In a full-page ad in The Miami Student condemning “hatred, racism, bigotry, intimidation and violence,” Miami University President Greg Crawford set the tone for this academic year.

“[Diversity] of our backgrounds, races, identities, religions, experiences, political beliefs, languages, and talents empowers us all to flourish in the exceptional Miami University living, working, and learning experience,” Crawford said in an emailed statement about the ad.

Crawford and his cabinet decided to write the letter before the end of the last school year, but it was published on Aug. 29.

Kelley Kimple, the director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, echoed Crawford’s sentiments.

“As a university, we do not condone that kind of behavior,” Kimple said. “This was a start for the conversation, a start to let the broader campus know we’re working on these issues.”

The advertisement

In total, 81 faculty signed the ad, written in the form of a letter to members of the Miami Community. Crawford and his wife, Renate, Miami Provost Phyllis Callahan, various members of Crawford's executive cabinet and numerous deans and chairs of departments are among those who signed the ad.

The ad cost $600 and was paid for by the Board of Trustees, according to Natalie Utt, business manager for The Miami Student.

Further addressing issues

Crawford also responded to President Donald Trump’s announcement that the Deferred Action for Children Arrivals (DACA) program would end.

In a statement on Miami’s website, Crawford advocates “most strongly” for members of Congress “to develop a plan to protect those DACA students who began their college education believing in the promise of the United States of America.”

“They contribute in numerous fields from education to science and technology, and actively serve their local communities,” Crawford writes in the statement.

DACA and BRIDGE

DACA, introduced under the Obama administration, was implemented to allow young adults brought into the United States illegally as children to work and study in the country without fear of deportation. About 800,000 individuals are enrolled in the program.

Also in the statement, Crawford also points out that he and presidents from 13 other public universities in Ohio wrote a letter to U.S. senators urging them to support the proposed BRIDGE Act. This legislation would allow people who have received work authorization and deferment from deportation through DACA to continue living in the United States.

"It is always important to acknowledge what's going on in greater society because it is always going to affect people here on campus," Kimple said.

Photo: In the first weeks of the semester, Miami President Greg Crawford has spoken out on racial hatred and immigration issues. -- Photo by Jeff Sabo, Miami University