[DEOC] SCOTUS Decision

Thu Jun 29 11:31:46 PDT 2023

Thank you Robert, we've sent a message to our campus reinstating our commitment to Equity and Inclusion and acknowledging the impact of this horrible decision.

Chari Davenport
Executive Director of Equity and Inclusion
Cascadia College
18345 Campus Way NE
Bothell, WA 98011
425-352-8369

________________________________
From: DEOC <deoc-bounces at lists.ctc.edu> on behalf of Britten, Robert via DEOC <deoc at lists.ctc.edu>
Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2023 11:27 AM
To: Diversity and Equity Officers Commission (DEOC) <deoc at lists.ctc.edu>
Cc: Britten, Robert <Robert.Britten at lwtech.edu>
Subject: [DEOC] SCOTUS Decision

CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you validate the sender and know the content is safe. If you are unsure, contact the Help Desk at 2-8228 or email helpdesk at cascadia.edu<mailto:helpdesk at cascadia.edu>.

Good Morning Everyone,

I’ve drafted a message to our college on the SCOTUS decision. Here is what the final looks like for us.

Dear Colleagues,

I have talked to president Morrison this morning and we wanted to respond to the supreme court ruling this morning.

Today the Supreme Court ruled that, “colleges and universities can no longer take race into consideration as a specific basis in admissions.” Though we as a public institution have open enrollment that is accepting of all our applicants, this new change to admissions will undoubtedly impact black and brown students in very significant ways. We want to reassure our students, our staff, and our faculty that we remain committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and stress the importance of the message “You Belong Here!” We will continue to provide equitable access for students who want to get their education at LWTech.

Today’s Affirmative Action rulings will no doubt create obstacles for students who want to have opportunities that a college degree can afford them, in the form of higher earning power and lower rates of unemployment. The ruling challenges the autonomy we have as colleges to operate in the best interest of our students, and our wider community. Based on today’s ruling it will become increasingly more difficult for all students to benefit from the educational excellence that results from our diverse and inclusive learning environments.

We don’t yet have a full understanding of the long-term impacts of these rulings, but we can surmise from how public institutions in the nine states that have already banned race-conscious admissions practices have since struggled to enroll students from racially diverse backgrounds. We will continue to lean into our mission, vision, and core values to provide equitable access and opportunities to all our students and seek to adhere to our State Boards mission to “Lead with Racial Equity.” This bold statement grounds us in our mission and supports our continued efforts to build equitable practices and policies as we disrupt and dismantle historic ways of being that limit the same.

We reaffirm our commitment to ensure that all current and future students feel valued and welcomed at LWTech and in every space we share as a community.

Please have a good and safe 4th of July holiday.

Humbly,

[Lake Washington Institute of Technology logo that links to its website.]<http://www.lwtech.edu/>              [Logo  Description automatically generated] <http://www.lwtech.edu/diversity>

Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion

West Building, W205C

11605 132nd Ave NE | Kirkland, WA 98034

T: (425) 739-8100 X:8441 | robert.britten at lwtech.edu<mailto:robert.britten at lwtech.edu>

[Facebook icon that links to LWTech’s Facebook page.]<http://www.facebook.com/TheLWTech>[Instagram icon that links to LWTech’s Instagram page.]<http://www.instagram.com/TheLWTech>

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