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Juneteenth: A Day of Reflection

Dr. Joseph Savoie -- Thu, 06/10/2021 - 12:00am

Dear students, faculty and staff members,

Starting this year and continuing annually, we will observe Juneteenth as a University holiday.

Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. It marks the day – June 19, 1865 – that enslaved Black people living in Galveston, Texas, learned of their freedom.

June 19 falls on a Saturday this year, but the University has set aside Friday, June 18, to honor Juneteenth. Campus will be closed, and classes will not be held.

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Our Commitment to Safety is Absolute

Dr. Joseph Savoie -- Wed, 05/26/2021 - 12:07pm

Dear students, faculty and staff members,

As you may be aware, a news outlet published a story this morning that focused on a former student who faced allegations of sexual misconduct while attending several universities in our state, including UL Lafayette.

The University cooperated extensively with the publication over the past several months. We answered questions thoroughly and provided requested public records. We believe in transparency, and our responsiveness to inquiries reflected that belief.

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Returning to Campus

Dr. Joseph Savoie -- Thu, 05/06/2021 - 2:58pm

Dear faculty and staff members,

We would like to thank you for your service to our students and the University community during the past semester and throughout the challenges of the previous year.

Your determination and resilience helped create a safe living, learning and working environment on campus since the pandemic began. Your efforts – in addition to low rates of infection and the wide availability of vaccines in our community – have made it possible for us to welcome you back to campus. 

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Answering Hate with Solidarity

Dr. Joseph Savoie -- Thu, 04/01/2021 - 10:13am

Dear members of the University community,

A study issued earlier this month concluded that hate crimes against members of the Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities have risen in the United States by nearly 150% in the past year. This sharp, startling and deplorable increase in racially fueled attacks against people of Asian descent comes amid an overall nationwide decline in hate crimes during the same period.

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One Year Later, We’re Almost Home

Dr. Joseph Savoie -- Thu, 03/11/2021 - 9:37am

Dear students, faculty and staff members,

This month is the one-year anniversary of the University’s transition to remote learning and business operations in response to COVID-19. Last spring, none of us could have fully anticipated how long the situation would last or the effects the pandemic would have on us as individuals, as an institution and as members of a wider community.

However, we did know this: whatever challenges lay ahead would be met with your resolve and resilience – and that’s exactly what happened.

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Our Scholars Answer A Higher Calling

Dr. Joseph Savoie -- Thu, 02/04/2021 - 1:42pm

Dear members of the University community,

As you may be aware, the Lafayette Public Library’s governing board recently refused to accept a grant from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities that would have funded a community book reading and discussion about the history of voting rights in the United States.

In rejecting the grant, a board member questioned the objectivity of a member of our faculty, Dr. Theodore Foster, an assistant professor of history who was to act as one of two facilitators for the book discussion.

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Familiar Challenges, But New Hope, in 2021

Dr. Joseph Savoie -- Mon, 01/11/2021 - 2:09pm

Dear students, faculty and staff members,

Happy new year and welcome to the spring semester!

I hope that your well-deserved winter break was restful and that you’re ready for a strong start to 2021.

We cannot begin this new year, however, without acknowledging that 2020 continues to cast a long shadow, both close to home and across our nation.

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Reaccredited 'With Flying Colors'

Dr. Joseph Savoie -- Thu, 12/17/2020 - 2:56pm

Dear faculty and staff members,

We received an early Christmas present from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges last week – news that it has reaffirmed the University’s accreditation through 2030.

The accreditors determined the University had met all of the commission’s quality standards with no issues to address. That means we passed – with flying colors.

Congratulations!

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A Renewed Call to Action

Dr. Joseph Savoie -- Thu, 11/19/2020 - 7:52am

Dear students, faculty and staff members,

The American Educational Studies Association and more than 2,100 college, university and K-12 educators, scholars and organizations have designated today as a Day of Action. The goal is to urge schools, colleges and universities to declare their commitments to anti-racist curricula, policies and practices at their institutions.

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Stay Diligent as Semester Nears Its End

Dr. Joseph Savoie -- Tue, 11/10/2020 - 3:27pm

Dear students, faculty and staff members,

In recent days, we have seen an uptick in the number of students reporting positive COVID-19 test results. This unfortunate trend mirrors the rising number of cases in Acadiana, across Louisiana and throughout the nation.

Some of these cases at the University are in the School of Music and Performing Arts and include members of the marching band and a number of ensembles. Out of an abundance of caution, and to limit the virus’ potential spread, the school has suspended all on-campus music-making activities for 14 days.

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