<html xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style>
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Dear Students</span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">As we finish week 10 of spring quarter today, I wanted to take a moment to share some of my reflections. </span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">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.</span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">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. </span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">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.</span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">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. </span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">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.</span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">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.</span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Beth Stormshak<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Department Head<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Counseling Psychology and Human Services</span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:#007F00">Beth Stormshak, Ph.D.</span></i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:#007F00">Knight Chair and Professor, College of Education<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:#007F00">Prevention Science Institute</span></i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:#007F00">Department Head, Counseling Psychology and Human Services</span></i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:#007F00">University of Oregon</span></i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:#007F00">Eugene, OR 97403</span></i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black"><a href="http://psi.uoregon.edu"><i><span style="color:#007F00">http://psi.uoregon.edu</span></i></a></span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:#007F00">phone: 541-346-3538</span></i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>