...from the attached UND Board of Trustees Task Force Report on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion...
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The University’s mission statement speaks to these commitments:
The University seeks to cultivate in its students not only an appreciation for the great achievements of human beings, but also a disciplined sensibility to the poverty, injustice, and oppression that burden the lives of so many. The aim is to create a sense of human solidarity and concern for the common good that will bear fruit as learning becomes service to justice…
In all dimensions of the University, Notre Dame pursues its objectives through the formation of an authentic human community graced by the Spirit of Christ.
The Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross—the document that guides the life and ministry of the Holy Cross order that founded Notre Dame—states: “There are networks of privilege, prejudice, and power so commonplace that often neither oppressors nor victims are aware of them. We must be aware and also understanding by reason of fellowship with the impoverished and by reason of patient learning. For the kingdom to come in this world, disciples must have the competence to see and the courage to act.”
These are the ideals that must guide our aspirations for the University and our decision-making. We must fight against racism and all forms of injustice and inequity in our nation and the world. On our campus, we must examine the ways in which we can better live the ideals we profess. We pride ourselves on being a place of community, where all are welcomed and supported. We must acknowledge the ways in which we have fallen short in this regard and strive to become a better version of ourselves.
In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd last spring, University President Rev. John Jenkins, C.S.C., and his leadership team identified the need—even as they continued to work with a sense of urgency on an array of diversity and inclusion initiatives—to take a step back and evaluate in a more comprehensive way the University’s larger efforts. When our Board chair, Jack Brennan, and Fr. Jenkins constituted this group in August 2020, they gave us the following charge:
[This Task Force] is to assist the University in its efforts to become a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community. Its specific tasks include reviewing initiatives currently underway and the data available on the campus climate, with a special focus on racial matters and issues affecting underrepresented minority groups and on the particular challenges faced by low socio-economic status (“LSES”) and FirstGeneration students.
In announcing the Task Force, Fr. Jenkins stated:
We have heard from students, alumni, faculty, and staff, and it is clear that there is much to be done. We must improve the experience of our students from underrepresented groups, enhance the diversity of our faculty and staff, and deepen conversations and understanding about race and justice. We must foster greater cultural, racial, and ethnic awareness among all of us, and particularly among the majority— whether defined by race, religion, socio-economic group, or another characteristic—of the experience and voice of those in the minority. We must do this because only in this way can we live up to our Catholic mission, a mission that demands that we respect the dignity of every person, strive to build a community in which everyone can flourish, and show regard for the most vulnerable.
Our Task Force has discussed at length what Notre Dame’s aspirations should be with regard to diversity, equity, and inclusion. During one of our listening sessions, a faculty member captured it well when he offered a beautiful and powerful reflection on the critical difference between welcoming “others” into “our” home as guests, and truly sharing that home as equals. We have returned to this important observation time and time again in the course of our deliberations. While the framework that follows offers a road map for the University’s critical next steps specifically with regard to race and socioeconomic status within the context of the charge we were given, we believe our over-arching aspiration is to act to ensure that EVERY member of the Notre Dame community feels not merely “welcome” here, but rather that this is truly their home.
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The very example of Fr. Ted standing arm in arm with MLK stands in stark contrast to your fallacious statement. Fr. Ted was a Holy Cross priest first and foremost and truly lived out the Order's 'Mission/Constitutions'.
Link: https://president.nd.edu/presidents-initiatives/notre-dame-board-of-trustees-task-force-report-on-diversity-equity-and-inclusion/