The staff, students, and instructors at the Dennis Learning Center (DLC) are saddened and deeply troubled by the events of the past few weeks that include the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, as well as the numerous incidents of violence directed at peaceful protestors. In line with statements from President Drake and Dean Pope-Davis, we condemn the systematic racism that has spurred these events and allowed social injustice to continue as an aspect of the everyday lived experiences of Black people both locally and across the country more broadly.
The core mission of the DLC is to promote the academic success of Ohio State students. As part of this mission, the DLC strives to promote a community of learners that supports diversity, equity, and inclusion. Now, more than ever, we are committed to challenging racism where we see it in our communities, our workplace, and in ourselves. We also are dedicated to educating ourselves and those we serve about these issues, further developing our outreach efforts to support Black students and colleagues, and doing our part to advance true and lasting changes to a broken system.
The recent events, along with the vast changes associated with the global pandemic, can make it a challenge to focus on addressing the everyday demands of being a student, worker, or member of Ohio State community. We encourage you to take care of yourselves, to seek out the support of others, and to reach out to the DLC or the other Ohio State resources available to assist with these efforts.