Dear Department Chairs, Faculty, and Staff,
Last week, we sent out a message to all undergraduate and graduate students in support and solidarity with the Iranian women and students of all genders leading the protests in Iran in the wake of the violent death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
On behalf of the Division of Student Affairs and the Graduate Division, we ask departments to be as flexible as possible in consideration of the stress and grief that Iranian and Iranian American students, staff, and faculty are experiencing.
As members of the global academic community, we cannot ignore the terrible impact of the violent repression of basic human rights, personal, and academic freedoms in Iran. We mourn with the people of Iran for those who have lost their lives and whose families have broken apart during this massive protest. Our thoughts and hearts are with the scholars and academic institutions in Iran who are experiencing persecution and suppression in their life's work and vocations.
If you have students who are experiencing extreme anxiety and distress from this situation, please immediately share with them that they can avail themselves of mental health support through UCSB Counseling and Psychological Services and through the wellbeing.ucsb.edu website. Please also do whatever you can to support students struggling to meet upcoming academic deadlines as they wait for news of their loved ones.
Let us stand together and act with compassion and humanity in our UCSB community.
Sincerely,
Margaret Klawunn, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Leila J. Rupp, Interim Graduate Dean
