One month later: a message from the chancellor

Dear UNC Charlotte Community:

We have shared a wide range of experiences and emotions on our campus over this past month: tragedy and grief, compassion and support, resiliency and recovery.

As we pause together to reflect on the one-month anniversary of the day that forever touched our University community, it is important to note that each of us has our own timeline for how we respond to and recover from the events of April 30. We react differently, and we require different kinds of support.

I encourage you to review information from Dr. David Spano, associate vice chancellor and director of the Christine F. Price Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).

He explains how reactions to trauma are to be expected no matter where you were on April 30. As a member of Niner Nation, it is okay to be affected by this tragedy regardless of your physical location that day. Dr. Spano also offers some suggestions for coping strategies as we move forward, which we are doing one step at a time.

The Niner Nation Remembrance Commission held its first meeting yesterday. The members reviewed the Commission’s charter and developed a plan for necessary research to be conducted this summer. They will reconvene in August, and you can expect another update on their work early this fall.

Today, however, I want to share with you one decision that has already been made. The space in Kennedy where the tragedy occurred will not be used for any purpose for the upcoming academic year (2019-2020). I will await the Commission’s recommendations for the future of the space before making any final decisions.

Over the next few weeks, CAPS, the Dean of Students Office, and Safety and Security will work together to create training opportunities for faculty and staff in advance of the start of the next academic year. We want to fully support our faculty and staff so that, in turn, they have the capacity to fully support our students. There will also be additional safety training offered this fall. More information will be shared as soon as it is available.

Additionally, we are making progress on our internal and external reviews. The internal after-action report is well underway, and we are currently considering which individuals, organizations, and firms might help us with the external assessment of our response on April 30.

The days ahead will continue to present challenges, but I remain confident we will rise to meet them together.

Philip L. Dubois
Chancellor, UNC Charlotte