Best wishes for peace, joy, and happiness this holiday season
The following message was also distributed by email to students, staff, and faculty on December 20, 2023.
Dear Members of the University Community,
As we approach the holiday break, I am reminded of the incredible privilege I have to live in a place of peace and relative prosperity. I acknowledge that we certainly do not all share equally in that privilege. There are many among us who have housing and food insecurity, or who are dealing with other challenges.
Locally, we were recently reminded of the fragility of life with the fatal car accident that took the lives of four young people. Globally, many of our students have concerns for the safety of friends and family in war-torn places around the world. These concerns are particularly acute for our students from the Middle East as the Israel-Hamas war continues in its third month. Many in the University community are deeply impacted, including students, both Palestinian and Israeli, who have lost loved ones. The scale of the devastation and loss is unimaginable. Recently, in an effort to promote humanitarian efforts and peace, governments of Canada, Australia, France, and Japan joined 149 other countries in supporting a resolution at the United Nations for a humanitarian truce. This approach to call for peace is consistent with our UPEI values regarding fair treatment of all persons. The wording of the UN resolution expresses grave concern over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the suffering of the Palestinian civilian population. It also calls on Hamas to immediately and unconditionally release all hostages.
An important role that our University community can play is to support people who are here and hurting. A message to students in this regard was sent previously, but it is important to reiterate as the war continues. For students in need, UPEI Student Affairs is a good place to start. In addition to the UPEI Counselling Services they offer, and the Student Wellness online counselling support offered through the UPEI Student Union, there is the student-led Campus Peer Support program (which will start up again on January 8) that offers an emotionally supportive space where students with lived experience draw on their experience and training to provide support and shared presence with other students who are struggling.
UPEI faculty and staff can access resources on the HR site on myUPEI, as well as on the mental health resources microsite, while eligible employees can also call the Employee Assistance Program at 1-800-387-4765 for support.
On the topic of support, I want to express my sincere thanks to all those who have been contributing to the ongoing process of responding to the recommendations in the UPEI Review. This includes the work of the Action Plan Advisory Group, which has recently completed 10 weeks of consultation meetings to provide feedback on the Review’s recommendations. As the new year draws near, we anticipate being able to share a preliminary draft of the Action Plan with the community in early January for your feedback.
In the meantime, we continue to take strides in making our campus safer and more inclusive. Our Chair of the Board of Governors Shannon MacDonald has been working hard on behalf of the University to build community with the victims who filed complaints against the former president. I am pleased to announce that UPEI has created seven new positions in the Sexual Violence, Prevention and Response Office; Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Office; and Student Affairs. The positions are being funded by a combination of internal resources and new support from the Government of Prince Edward Island. We thank the Government and the Department of Workforce, Advanced Learning and Population for this support. Additionally, with changes in the Police Act, we are also now able to move forward in filling a number of positions in Security Services.
There is still a tremendous amount of work to be done to rebuild trust at UPEI. I believe we can do this if we continue to work together, one action at a time.
My sincere best wishes for a festive holiday season filled with peace, joy, and happiness.
Greg
GREG KEEFE, DVM, MSc, MBA (he/him)
President and Vice-Chancellor (Interim)
University of Prince Edward Island
