April 22, 2019

Colleagues,

Colorado State University joins with communities and campuses worldwide in decrying the terrorist attacks on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka yesterday. We all share in outrage and horror at the massacre of people in their places of worship on the holiest day of the Christian religion, as well as those who were gathered and celebrating the day in hotels and restaurants that welcomed people of many countries and beliefs. We know there are members of our community impacted by these attacks, particularly our students, faculty, and staff from Sri Lanka and those who have family and friends there. We also know that acts of orchestrated terror and violence against any people are an attack on all people—an attack on human decency, faith, and the notions of respect, integrity, and inclusion that undergird the foundations of our university and society. Today, we all stand with the victims of these senseless attacks, with the peaceful people of Sri Lanka, and the communities worldwide that have been harmed by unthinkable loss. We stand in condemnation of anonymous and hate-based acts of violence and terror. Attacks in Pittsburgh, Christchurch, and now Colombo represent attacks on three of the world’s great religions, all of which share commonalities, including the origins of their beginnings and a shared call to a better way of treating one another. In that spirit, even as all of us here at CSU may believe differently and view the world from different angles, we stand together, and our strength is in each other.

Please also remember that Rams take care of Rams, and if you need support, assistance, or counseling services, please reach out. Information on specific services is available at safety.colostate.edu, and you can  always reach out as well to your hall staff, a trusted faculty or staff colleague, fellow students, or the CSU Health Network. There is a community of support here for all of us.

-tony

Dr. Tony Frank
President