August 5, 2019 Source: Office of the President
Nine killed while enjoying a summer night out in Dayton, Ohio.
Twenty-two killed while shopping in El Paso, Texas.
Three killed while attending a local festival in Gilroy, California.
More than two dozen people gunned down while enjoying the everyday tasks of the weekend – shopping, spending an evening with friends, supporting the local community.
This senseless targeting of innocent people finds us, once again, offering our sympathies to all of those affected – directly and indirectly – on our campuses in Michigan and across our nation.
I speak on behalf of the Board of Regents and our entire leadership team on our three campuses in saying that episodes of random violence, particularly mass killings motivated by hate, are crimes against humanity and the shared values that bind us together. We must come together as a nation to confront this growing epidemic.
Even though many in our community are away for the summer, our Division of Student Life, through our Dean of Students Office, is reaching out to students to extend support. Our university offers resources to students on all three campuses through CAPS, the university’s counseling and psychological services. Students on the Ann Arbor campus can reach CAPS at 734-764-8312; UM-Dearborn students should call 313-593-5430; UM-Flint students should call 810-762-3456.
All faculty and staff in Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint can access supportive services through the Faculty and Staff Counseling and Consultation Office at 734-936-8660. Michigan Medicine faculty and staff can access resources through Office of Counseling and Workplace Resilience at 734-763-5409.
Our grief grows with every new report of this senseless gun violence. It is our collective hope that we are able to find some measure of comfort in our willingness to join together against all forms of hate.
Mark S. Schlissel
President