Ellington

As the dean of undergraduate education, I have administrative responsibility for first-year programs at UW-Seattle. Over the past year, our group has worked on an extensive revision of our orientation programs with the full support of students, faculty and staff across the campus. Launched on Sept. 25, the ambitious, new program provided students with a wealth of events and activities that no previous first-year program at UW has offered. In creating this program our primary goal and purpose was to welcome new students with a positive, entertaining and educational introduction to the UW. However, I deeply regret the inclusion of comedian Jim Breuer in our program. His performance offended many of those present, including the first-year program staff and me.

Breuer's demeaning comments about women, racial and ethnic groups, gays and lesbians, and religious groups had no place being sponsored on or by our campus. They represented a distressing departure from the comic routine we expected and from the welcoming message we had hoped to send. Even in the context of an artistic performance, such expressions of bigotry are antithetical to values of the University.

The diversity of our community at the UW is one of our greatest assets. Our differences in background and orientation enable us to learn from one another. We expose each other to new ways of thinking, to new sets of values and beliefs and to a new appreciation of our own individual positions in the world. That Breuer disparaged these differences, offering odious stereotypes and slurs as comedy, affronted the University's commitment to diversity and to valuing all groups within our community.

Learning is a delicate process, dependent on the constructive expression of ideas. When expressions turn destructive, even in attempting humor, learning stops and people disengage. Because the UW has a commitment to learning for all community members, not just select groups, demeaning remarks such as Breuer's undermine our efforts to create community and to advance learning. Upon hearing such remarks, targeted groups within the University may understandably become alienated and withdraw from (or leave) the institution and its programs. As an educational institution, we become less effective and, as a community we lose the participation of some of our most valued members. We also lose our ability to recruit others to UW. None of these outcomes is desirable or acceptable.

Unencumbered expressions of beliefs and values are a hallmark of higher education at UW. Different views and perspectives inevitably collide in intellectual exchanges that advance everyone's learning. But these exchanges must occur in safe and welcoming environments. We remain committed to ensuring that our programs foster a climate of openness and safety in which healthy intellectual exchanges can occur. In the future, our first-year programs will place high priority on creating and sustaining activities for students, staff and faculty that are welcoming and open. We are committed to providing an environment that promotes the success of everyone.