Dear Campus Community,
We learned this morning about another inexplicable mass shooting, this time in southern California. Though details continue to emerge, the news media has reported at least 12 deaths.
We also know that the shootings took place in Thousand Oaks, not far from a sister campus, CSU-Channel Islands. In fact, several other college campuses are in close proximity to where the incident took place and were likely impacted in some way by this latest act of indiscriminate violence.
There is a gut-wrenching feeling many of us experience when such events take place, particularly when we may have personal connections with the victims and those close to them. It seems like only yesterday that we mourned the loss of life in Pittsburgh and Kentucky after the recent shootings there.
The SJSU community grieves for those impacted by last night’s horrific events. We join our CSU-Channel Islands colleagues and peers, as well as others in the greater Thousand Oaks community, in solidarity, sadness, and mourning.
Again, I would remind everyone about the range of services we offer to students and employees who may feel weighed down by grief, fear, anxiety, anger, or isolation. Those services include counseling and psychological services, and support through our Employee Assistance Program.
Please continue to take care of yourselves and those close to you. Especially at times like this, it is important that we affirm our values for inclusion, equity, diversity, and basic safety for all of our campus communities.
Sincerely,
Dr. Mary A. Papazian