March 9, 2022

Dear CSU Community,

From the moment that Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February, our Colorado State community has joined the like-minded people around the world in watching the unfolding violence with sorrow and horror. We have also joined leaders and universities in publicly and consistently condemning the invasion, the resultant human rights violations, and the prejudice that has spilled over from this conflict to impact communities across our country.

As I shared on social media shortly after the invasion, I immediately joined more than 500 leaders in calling for Temporary Protected Status and Special Student Relief for Ukrainian nationals studying or working here. The advocacy organization that allowed me to amplify my voice in this way is the Presidents’ Alliance for Higher Education and Immigration, a national coalition of college and university presidents dedicated to increasing public understanding of how immigration policies and practices impact our students, campuses and communities. We support policies that create a welcoming environment for immigrant, undocumented and international students on our campuses. The PAHEI has compiled and activated comprehensive resources to help US campuses like ours support Ukrainian students and scholars.

As a land-grant institution, Colorado State University also endorsed the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities’ condemnation of the invasion of Ukraine.

And we condemn both violence and hate crimes against any individual or group. Across the United States, we have seen hate crimes perpetrated against people of Russian descent in recent weeks, motivated by ignorance and prejudice. At CSU, we vehemently oppose the Russian government’s unprovoked attack, but we will not tolerate attacks against any members of our community.

We are all experiencing this humanitarian crisis from afar, often on our cell phones or laptop screens, and the sorrow and horror we feel could easily slide into a sense of helplessness and hopelessness, especially as the conflict continues and we hear daily reports of death, injury, evacuations, and thwarted attempts to deescalate. One of our own, student-athlete Anastasiia Kotsyuba, knows this feeling all too well. She is here at CSU, studying and competing as a member of our Women’s Tennis team, while her family is in Odessa. I urge you to read the story of Nastia’s lived experience right now on our CSU Athletics site.

Nastia’s teammates and coaches talk candidly about feeling helpless to help their friend, but they continue to show up for her. They have refused to be helpless, and so will we.

So what can we do?

We have already reached out to our students and scholars from both Russia and Ukraine to offer support resources, from the CSU Health Network, the Division of Student Affairs, and the Office of International Programs, which is monitoring the ongoing conflict closely.

The teaching and learning community at CSU is already utilizing their expertise and talents in service of helping all of us understand the situation in Ukraine, from the historical tensions that have led to this moment to the terrible reality of military-led violence. You’ll find a wonderful compilation of resources on the Morgan Library’s site and links to some faculty articles at the bottom of this message.

We have held a rally on campus to demonstrate our support for the people of Ukraine and our unequivocal abhorrence of the invasion of their country.

When we kick off our annual Act Human Rights film festival on March 31, we will open with The Caviar Connection: How to Buy Democracy. The film focuses on post-Soviet nations’ autocracy and corrupt diplomacy, most specifically Azerbaijan and neighbors. Our post film panel will discuss the geo-politics of this region, economic underpinnings, and will help bring regional context to the current conflict in Ukraine.

And we will continue to seek out ways to productively support those impacted by the invasion, through well-being and mental health support for our students and our employees, programming for those in our community who want to understand the situation, or policy recommendations made in partnership with APLU, the PAHEI, or other advocacy groups.

I spoke yesterday to a conference on Women in Education as part of International Women’s Day, and I dedicated my remarks to the women of Ukraine with these words: These courageous women are engaged in active resistance, leading humanitarian aid efforts, keeping their families safe, and raising their voices on media channels to make sure the world knows exactly what they are facing. They are joined in their courageous actions by many Russian women who are defying their government to oppose the invasion. Together, these women embody the indomitable spirit that we celebrate today and that our world needs, now more than ever.

We owe it to the courageous people of Ukraine and to those who are risking their own lives to aid them—including many Russian citizens—not to turn away from the horrific reality of this situation. So long as we have voices to raise in protest and in support and so long as we work together, even in the face of a global conflict we are not helpless.

Sincerely,

Joyce McConnell