Dear UMD Parents and Family Members
By now your UMD Bulldog has arrived on campus, participated in Bulldog Welcome Week, and is settling into their first week of classes. We hope that your move-in experience on campus was a great one! Every year I'm appreciative of how well campus activities for move-in are organized, and I thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to interact with new students and their families. I also appreciate the many UMD returning students who help new students unload their vehicles, move their valuable possessions into their new UMD living spaces, and welcome new students with positive signs and cheers on the streets around campus.
I also want to acknowledge an aspect of move-in Tuesday that was problematic. Off campus, a much fewer number of UMD students created a host of disturbances and problems in the surrounding neighborhoods. You may have driven by some of the parties and observed sexist and offensive signs. I want you to know that those behaviors are unacceptable to me and I recognize that the partying and signs are completely inconsistent with a positive, inclusive campus.
The University of Minnesota Board of Regents Student Conduct Code limits our ability to respond to off-campus behavior. Our response is limited to conduct that is against the law, and every student that was ticketed or arrested by the police on Tuesday will also be referred to the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution.
Given the limitations for addressing off-campus behavior, we've tried a number of strategies to encourage students to make different choices. I pledge to you that we're going to explore new ways of working with our students to help them learn about their responsibilities as members of the Duluth community. As you have the opportunity, I encourage you to talk with your student about this topic. As I wrote to you in my email this summer, we know that parents are great partners in our students' UMD journey.
Since I last wrote, Student Life has launched a Parents and Family webpage as part of their redesigned website. I hope you'll find it useful!
Best wishes to your student as they start their academic career at UMD, and also to you as you begin your journey as a Bulldog parent or family member!
Sincerely
Lendley C. BlackChancellor
