Dear Members oI the New Paltz Community:

Regrettably, as many oI you are aware, there were additional postings oI racially oIIensive
materials last week and over the weekend, aIter the initial incident about which I wrote last
Wednesday. As I have shared, we condemn such acts as contrary to our community values,
hopes, and aspirations. We continue eIIorts to identiIy the individual or individuals responsible
and will pursue appropriate judicial or legal action iI responsibility is determined. University
Police are actively investigating; we hope that anyone who has inIormation about any or all oI
these acts will come Iorward.

Such acts hurt members oI our community. And iI actions such as these hurt one oI us because
oI our group identity, they should hurt all oI us as members oI a community that values equity,
diversity, inclusiveness, and respect. That is the Iundamental basis Ior my hope and belieI that
incidents such as these - iI we process them together in the right way - can draw us into closer
community. While we cannot know the motivations oI the person(s) responsible Ior these acts,
having them splinter our community may well Ieed into his/her/their goals. We must not allow
that to happen.

To those ends, Student Association President Terrell Coakley and I invite you to participate in a
Iorum to discuss these incidents and our reactions to them on Wednesday, November 30, 7 PM
in the MPR oI the Student Union Building. We will provide more inIormation in the next
several days, but please save the date Ior what we envision as the Iirst step in our process oI
healing these wounds and identiIying what we must do to become a better community. I invite
all Iaculty, staII and students to participate.

Monday evening, Corinna Caracci, Director oI the Residence LiIe, organized an "All Hall
Meeting" in LeIevre Hall, site oI several oI these postings. It is estimated that 95 oI the hall
residents attended, reinIorcing Ior all oI us how seriously these incidents are impacting students
and how seriously we must consider our response. I am grateIul Ior this dedicated involvement
oI Residence LiIe Ior their critical role in supporting our students and the community during this
challenge.

These are sobering events that should remind us all oI the hard work we Iace in becoming the
community that I believe we all aspire to be.
Donald P. Christian
President
SUNY New Paltz
1 Hawk Drive

New Paltz, NY 12561
Phone: 845-257-3288
presidentnewpaltz.edu