[Prevscilist] End of year message

[Beth Stormshak]

Dear Students

As we finish week 10 of spring quarter today, I wanted to take a moment to share some of my reflections.

By all accounts, this has been a tremendously difficult quarter. First, we started with the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted all of our lives and created many difficult circumstances for both students and faculty, including adjusting to online learning, financial worries, anxiety and depression, changes in our social lives with physical distancing, and family obligations that make attending school challenging during this time.

Then, came the murders of innocent Black and African American people, including George Floyd, reminding us that racism continues to exist and of the hundreds of years of systematic oppression and violence against Black Americans and people of color in this country that have culminated in the events of the past week.

Like you, I am angry and frustrated that violent incidents against Black and African American people and other persons of color continue to occur regularly and in the context of complacency among those with power and privilege.  I support our Black students, and all students of color, and stand with you in your protest of these horrible events.

For some of you, you will graduate and move on this year to an uncertain future, but you will be armed with your education.  You will take all of your experiences at  the University of Oregon and improve our society in everything you do, with an education that no one can take away from you under even the most difficult circumstances.

For those of you returning next Fall, I hope we will see you in-person next year.  I also hope that the end of 2020 is better than the beginning.

To all of you, I wish you a healing summer of peace. It has been a privilege and honor to have served as your department head this year, and to have witnessed such great strength, kindness, and compassion amongst you.

Sincerely,

Beth Stormshak
Department Head
Counseling Psychology and Human Services

Beth Stormshak, Ph.D.
Knight Chair and Professor, College of Education
Prevention Science Institute
Department Head, Counseling Psychology and Human Services
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403
http://psi.uoregon.edu
phone: 541-346-3538

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