University Park

Civility at Penn State

" We must join forces to deplore racism, sexism, homophobia and anti-Semitism and other religious harassment. We must combat sexual violence. We must ward off all forms of discrimination that seek to find a home here."
-- Penn State President Graham B. Spanier, October 26, 2000


An open letter from President Graham Spanier to the Penn State community about bigotry and intolerance

Several years ago the University adopted a statement known as "The Penn State Principles" to convey to students and other members of the University community the values that Penn State embraces. Chief among them is an expectation of respectful and responsible behavior. We want this campus to be a safe and welcoming community for all students, regardless of their race, religion, nationality or sexual preference.

Unfortunately, this past week there were two incidents that brought to light the need for continued vigilance for all of us at Penn State if we hope to make our University the model of understanding and respect to which we aspire. One was a hostile and insensitive letter to the Collegian related to sexual orientation. Fortunately, many Penn State students spoke up with a strong voice in the days that followed, denouncing the insensitivity expressed in the original letter and demonstrating tremendous concern and support for students who were hurt by the sentiments the letter expressed.

This past weekend there was a disturbing incident in which a student shouted, from a residence hall window, terrible racial slurs and derogatory remarks about homosexuals. That sort of behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated at Penn State. The University police are vigorously investigating the incident. Student Affairs staff have conducted meetings in the residence hall to remind students of our core values and to seek student support in identifying the culprit. Printed materials have been distributed within the residence hall, and extra security has been assigned to the area.

Dr. Vicky Triponey, vice president for Student Affairs, and Dr. Terrell Jones, vice provost for Educational Equity, and their colleagues will continue to make themselves available to work with students and others to address current concerns and to continue our collective efforts to eradicate hate, harrassment, intolerance, bigotry, and insensitivity.

In my 10 years as president of Penn State, I have spoken often and forcefully on the need for a civil and caring campus environment. It is difficult to address publicly every incident that might occur in a community as large as Penn State. But the two events of the past week should stand as a reminder to all of us of the need to stand up for the core values that are so fundamental to Penn State.

You can find the Penn State Principles, along with some of the speeches, articles and comments that I have made in the past on this important subject below.


The Penn State Principles
July 19, 2001
The Pennsylvania State University is a community dedicated to personal and academic excellence. The Penn State Principles embody the values that our students, faculty, staff, administration and alumni possess. It is understood that members of the Penn State community agree to abide by the principles to ensure that Penn State is a thriving environment for living and learning. By endorsing these common principles, members of the community contribute to the traditions and scholarly heritage left by those who preceded them and promise to leave Penn State a better place for those who follow.


Commissions seek to foster diversity, enhance learning and working environment at Penn State
March 1, 2005
The Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity at Penn State is home to three commissions which look to foster diversity and enhance the learning and working environment on campus, and every member of the Penn State community is encouraged to consider involvement. The Commission for Women (CFW), the Commission on Racial/Ethnic Diversity (CORED), and the Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equity (CLGBTE) serve as advisory groups to President Graham B. Spanier and are responsible for recommending policies as well as providing a forum for exchanging ideas that can translate into improved practices to support Penn State’s strategic plan, A Framework to Foster Diversity at Penn State 1998-2003 and 2004-09.


2005 update on the Plan to Enhance Diversity
February 22, 2005
Penn State continues to progress on all issues that are part of the 2001 A Plan To Enhance Diversity at Penn State.


Penn State summarizes recent efforts to eradicate intolerance
December 19, 2003
Because of the many concerns that have arisen among groups on campus, the University administration felt it important to provide an update on steps being taken to address intolerance at Penn State.


A Welcome to International Students
August 20, 2003
At Penn State, we value highly diversity and continue to foster opportunities to expand international and multicultural understanding.


Continuing King's Dream at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Dinner
January 15, 2003
This event should remind each one of us of the continuing need for strong voices to speak out against injustices wherever we see them. It should rekindle our sense of urgency for transforming our communities and indeed our nation, into a place where all people are respected. This evening should reaffirm the critical role we each must play in finding lasting solutions to the problems of racism, hate, and prejudice.


Education in a Diverse World (Annual Lycoming County Brotherhood Banquet)
April 29, 2002
During the time they are with us, students gain some of the values they will carry with them for the next half-century or more. It is critical at this stage of their lives that we provide an environment that will allow for the development of a mature moral and spiritual compass that can guide them for decades as they take on important roles in society. A significant part of our educational approach in this area entails teaching social responsibility, and promoting understanding,
acceptance, and respect for others.


Encampment 2001
August 20, 2001
Our strength as a community will come from our ability to accept our differences and unite against the forces that threaten to tear us apart. As a community, we must determine the qualities and characteristics that we cherish and then work both individually and collectively toward nurturing those values.


A Celebration of Unity (Martin Luther King Jr. Banquet)
January 15, 2001
As a community, we must not merely celebrate Reverend King's words and deeds -- we must live them and have the courage of persistence that he displayed throughout his short life. The courage to stand up for what is right. The courage to challenge the evils of hatred and racism. The courage to face bigotry and injustice.


University launches new initiatives to combat racism
November 13, 2000

Responding to student and community concerns about recent events on campus that were motivated by hate and prejudice, the University is undertaking a series of new initiatives to promote a shared understanding of the value of diversity and developing programs to create a welcoming campus climate.


An open e-mail to the University Community by Terrell Jones
November 7, 2000
In the past few weeks we have witnessed a number of events on the University Park campus and in the State College community that are rooted in hatred, violence, prejudice, and discrimination. ... I am personally disheartened and saddened that any member of our community would be the target of such hateful acts. Prevention of such behavior is our first priority, but when acts of hatred occur, we will move swiftly to ensure the safety of those who have been victimized, and to find and prosecute the perpetrators.


Are we really Penn State? (an op-ed by Terrell Jones)
October 25, 2000
... go to any room with a mirror and take a good hard look yourself in the eyes, say and mean it, in response to hate mails, racism, sexism, and others acts of intolerance "I pledge not here, not now, not ever."


The Current Status of Hate Crime Law in PA and Effective Response
October 19, 2000
I want to convey a clear message: Penn State University will not tolerate such behaviors, nor will we stand by and allow members of our community to be threatened or harmed physically or emotionally. We are one community, and harm to any part of our community is harm to all. We must not allow these senseless acts to divide us; rather we must join forces to deplore racism, sexism, homophobia, and anti-Semitism and other religious harassment. We must combat sexual violence. We must ward off all forms of discrimination that seek to find a home here.


Civil Rights Commemorative March
January 17, 2000
Our own community has not been sheltered from this hatred and so we must come together, as Dr. King urged so many times during his life, to denounce acts of hatred, violence and intolerance and eliminate them from our community. We must work diligently both as individuals and as a group to overcome the barriers to freedom and to show that justice, love and peace can prevail.


Statement for the Unity Rally for Tolerance
November 12, 1999
I join you today in condemning the threatening e-mail messages that have been sent to students of color in our community as well as other acts of hate and harassment. Messages of hate and insensitivity are totally abhorrent. I am very sorry that our students have been subjected to these communications. Threats to any of us represent threats to all of us. No one is our community should allow such actions to go unnoticed.


Martin Luther King Jr. Bell Ringing Ceremony
January 15, 1997
These basic rights cannot exist in a vacuum. They require an environment of mutual acceptance and respect, a valuing of diversity, and a sensitivity to others in the exercise of individual rights. We work hard to promote these qualities in our Penn State family, in keeping with the University's responsibility to create opportunities for individuals, communities, and society.


Holocaust Commemoration
April 12, 1996
As Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League has pointed out, "there are no halfway measures against bigotry, hatred and anti-Semitism." It has to be rejected totally. And so must we reject totally the kind of thinking that discriminates against any individual or group of people because of their God-given characteristics.


Comments at the National Day of Prayer
May 02, 1996
I am grateful for the opportunity to share with this region's business, corporate, academic, religious, political, and community leaders some thoughts about the importance of moral leadership. Call it a "social agenda" if that fits. But recognize it also as shared responsibility, as public obligation, as citizenship. By "moral leadership" I do not mean the promotion of a particular view of morality, of a particular lifestyle, or of a particular piece of legislation. Rather, I mean leadership to promote freedom of expression, thought, programs, and religious observances that engage the human mind and spirit in reaching out to those in need, in respect of individual differences, in acknowledgment of freedom of religion, in acceptance of God-given differences in the color of our skin or gender or other attributes, and in the advancement of a climate of acceptance for all.

Last Updated March 19, 2009

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