[Students] Friendly Reminder re: Principles of Community and Freedom of Speech

[Vcsa]

To all Highlanders,

With the stress of a new quarter beginning, as well as the various conflicts around the globe, we wanted to share some resources that may be valuable to you in these next few weeks.

We want to remind all students of the values that make us Highlanders. We as a campus believe in equal educational opportunities for all students. We should strive to embody the four values of Tartan Soul - respect, accountability, integrity, and excellence - and a big aspect of that is following our campus Principles of Community, which the Chancellor has emphasized lately in his messages to the campus. You can read the full document<https://chancellor.ucr.edu/sites/default/files/2019-01/community.pdf> here or watch this helpful overview<https://youtu.be/lEwSdD_o288> of the Principles of Community, especially as it relates to free speech.

The UCR Freedom of Speech site<https://freespeech.ucr.edu/#:~:text=Freedom%20of%20speech%20and%20expression,debate%2C%20action%2C%20and%20inquiry.> provides in-depth information regarding the university's policies and your right to freedom of expression. UC Riverside is dedicated to fostering a campus climate that is diverse and inclusive and vigorously opposes and deplores all forms of hate-fueled speech. If you believe that you have experienced hate speech or harassment, you may file a complaint via UC Riverside's Office of Title IX, Equal Opportunity & Affirmative Action via the official reporting form here<https://uctitleix.i-sight.com/portal/Riverside>.

Additionally, the Counseling and Psychological Services<https://counseling.ucr.edu/> department provides both virtual and in-person crisis support, ongoing counseling sessions, and group discussions on certain topics. Remember that if you ever need immediate assistance, there's a counselor available 24/7 via (951) UCR-TALK.

Please take care of yourselves during these coming weeks and practice whatever self-care mechanisms you find most useful. As always, feel free to reach out to either the Dean of Students<https://deanofstudents.ucr.edu/> or the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs<https://studentaffairs.ucr.edu/> if you need assistance getting the support you need!


Sincerely,

Dr. Brian Haynes
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

Dr. Christine Mata
Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Dean of Students

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