During the April 14th meeting, the GPSG Assembly voted to approve a resolution to support the censure of CU system President Mark Kennedy by the Boulder Faculty Assembly.
Resolution Summary
On March 29, 2021, the Boulder Faculty Assembly (BFA) Executive Committee moved that the BFA vote on a formal censure of University of Colorado system President Mark Kennedy for failure of leadership with respect to diversity, equity and inclusion. The Graduate and Professional Student Government supports the censure of President Mark Kennedy in the BFA. It is apparent that President Mark Kennedy has failed at his responsibility to uphold the pillars of the CU System, including justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. President Mark Kennedy’s failure to support CU system international students when threatened with student visa revocation by the Trump Administration in the beginning of the global COVID-19 pandemic is inexcusable. Damaging statements the President has made, including comparing a lack of student online education options to the Trail of Tears, are painful, deplorable comments for which the President has not been held accountable for or adequately apologized for. These comments, and the President’s failure to engage with student-led campus groups such as DiversifyCUnow and various CU multicultural organizations, directly contradict the goals and commitments of this University, and negatively affect and harm graduate students identifying as black, indigenous, or people of color. Thus, the Graduate and Professional Student Government urges the BFA to hold President Mark Kennedy accountable for his inaction and damaging rhetoric through a formal censure to be voted on April 29, 2021.