May 17, 2022
SUNY Cobleskill joins the entire SUNY family in unity with the City of Buffalo and with the victims, their families, and all lives suddenly changed forever through senseless violence.
Again, we are called to confront an act of racially motivated terrorism with an expressed purpose of destroying lives and our sense of freedom and security. Saturday’s mass shooting in Buffalo, specifically targeting a largely Black community, is the result of white-supremacist views that continue to reside in our society through hateful rhetoric that is divisive in nature and designed to perpetuate fear and misunderstanding among us.
As an institution that rejects any hateful speech and all speech that precipitates violence, we join Governor Hochul in urging social media companies to enact changes to root out extremist content from their platforms. We urge all users of these platforms to report hateful content whenever it is encountered. Allowing hate speech on these platforms to continue unchecked will further drive wedges throughout our communities, the opposite of social media’s intended goal, and potentially lead to more pain and tragedy.
To any member of the Coby community who feels overwhelmed with the emotional pain or anxiety caused by these events: you are not alone in your feelings. For students, our Wellness Center and SUNY are here to provide assistance and connect you with resources to support your well-being. For faculty and staff, please seek out support through the NYS Employee Assistance Program.
Students:SUNY Cobleskill Wellness Center:518-255-5225wellnesscenter@cobleskill.edu
SUNY Mental Health:
suny.edu/mental-health
Faculty and Staff:Employee Assistance ProgramKatrina Pearl, Coordinator518-255-5327pearlkm@cobleskill.edu