To the Campus Community:
Many of you have either seen or heard about the recent allegations of racial discrimination and retaliation made by one of our faculty members at the David Geffen School of Medicine. Since a lawsuit was filed, the facts will emerge through the legal system, and I cannot comment on such matters while the case is in litigation.
I do want to assure you, however, of the commitment made by me — and by UCLA as a whole — to create and maintain a diverse and welcoming environment for research, teaching and learning. The allegations, which stem from an incident that occurred six years ago, are now being spread through a You Tube video circulated online, but they do not accurately describe the UCLA that I have the honor of leading. The UCLA you and I know is a place based on the concepts of diversity and respect — as they relate to our ideas, our backgrounds and our cultures. This is a core value at UCLA, a philosophy that helps guide how we manage one of the greatest universities and medical enterprises in the world.
Part of that commitment means having internal procedures for addressing allegations of discrimination and for remedying situations found to involve violations of UCLA policy. When these allegations were brought to my attention, the university conducted a review of the charges and was unable to substantiate them. At that time, the person making these allegations was given all the information necessary to decide whether to make full use of those internal procedures or to bypass them in favor of the legal system. That is a choice any faculty member, or indeed any student or staff member, can make. Such a choice does not mean that UCLA administrators failed to act on this person's behalf or that UCLA failed to respond.
We have been, are now and will in the future be ready to assist any faculty member, staff member or student who believes they have been subjected to any form of discrimination. If you have concerns about the treatment you have received, I urge you to contact one or more of the following campus resources, which are specifically designed to address these issues:
Office of Ombuds Services
(informal and confidential mediation)
www.ombuds.ucla.edu
Office of the Vice Provost for Diversity and Faculty Development
(information, referrals and assistance with informal or formal concerns)
www.faculty.diversity.ucla.edu
Academic Senate Grievance Advisory Committee
(information and assistance with formal charge and grievance procedures)
www.senate.ucla.edu/committees/gac/
True Bruin Respect reporting website
www.reportincidents.ucla.edu
Staff Diversity website
http://ucla.in/aNs6ea
Sincerely,
Gene D. Block
Chancellor
