Trust, Truth and Accountability at The Beach

The energetic discussions that have followed the reporting of an incident regarding a knife in a classroom illustrate to me that we have challenges to address at many levels and among many groups. From my perspective, trust, truth, and accountability are the foundational elements for moving forward. “Trust, but verify” might be the best guiding principle.

We can make our university better by establishing communication channels that keep us on the same page, especially on issues that have the likelihood of causing concerns about gender, ethnicity, fair compensation, faculty hiring, and violence, to name just a few. In addition, we must look relentlessly at all our processes and policies that may be inefficient or inequitable or demeaning to community members. We must commit to fixing each and every one of them.

We must also celebrate our many successes so that our motivation and energy are constantly renewed. Our university is known nationally for a host of programs and projects across academics, arts, athletics, and community partnerships. Even in tough times, let’s be proud of what you all have accomplished.

Progress depends on speaking and listening to the truths each of us know, tempered by the accuracy of facts in any given situation. I have most certainly, at times, been wrong, untimely, impolitic, and unclear (sometimes all within a single event!). I’ve also been misquoted and misrepresented in stories and supposed conversations. I imagine that’s happened to most of us. But such missteps can’t deter you or me from continuing to share our stories, our accountability results, our challenges and our triumphs.

What do I want for us going forward? That we work to solve identified problems without getting sidetracked by blame or retaliation. That, in rare instances when necessary, we act within the bounds of law to separate individuals whose behavior threatens our university’s security, vision or mission. And, most importantly, that we focus on building trust, so that when difficult situations arise, we can find real solutions together—as a community dedicated to inclusive excellence.

Trust is built over time and based on genuine accomplishments. It doesn’t grow just because it is requested. Let’s begin the process of developing new communication systems, norms, and structures that allow us all to “trust, but verify.” We can and should learn a lot from the past, but we will not become something greater if we look only through a rear view mirror.

Let’s build a better, safer, more transparent Beach for all students, faculty, and staff.

Go Beach!