|
Chancellor praises campus response in wake
To the Members of the UMass Community, First, to all the members of the UMass community who have suffered grievous losses directly, I extend my heartfelt sympathies and the hope that you will allow your UMass family to shoulder the sorrow in those moments of unbearable pain. Also to you and all the others, I must express my deepest gratitude for your coming together in the wake of last week's tragedy to give testimony to our heretofore tacit commitment to care for and about each other. The many, many spontaneous gestures of caring and concern and of volunteered participation and generous assistance of all varieties constituted a palpable resolve to recommit to living shared values in this UMass community. I feel fortunate and proud to be a member of such a community. What happened last week has changed our lives forever, of course. What we as a community chose to do in response to such human tragedy can, I believe, help ensure a vitality and constructive connectedness among us and make us better prepared together to seek solutions and to create opportunities. As we came together as a family to grieve, so will we - together - begin to heal and to build anew. Last week, watching from my office window the cranes at work on the construction site of the Isenberg School of Management was at once symbolic and therapeutic. Tonight, against the dusk, the flag resting atop the highest crane stands out as a gauge of hope and resolve that we the people will pledge to form a more perfect union of community, diversity, and justice for all. With profound gratitude for all you have done, |
