AUCCCO COVID-19 Impact StatementAs the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID -19) continues to spread, our hearts reach out to the many across the globe who have been affected by this disease. Many have paid with their lives, and many more are dealing with the infection and symptoms, have lost their loved ones or worried for them, are losing their income, losing their freedoms, and living in fear of the disease and its impact. A disproportionately larger number of individuals, however, are living in fear and experiencing the pain of rising instances of xenophobia and racism. Historically, infectious disease has generated racist discourse that blames victim populations for the perceived threat. Such discourse is not only distasteful but has major consequences by giving free rein to racist, discriminatory behaviors and justifying political responses that threaten human rights. In recent history, we saw a similar wave of xenophobia during the SARS outbreak in 2003, during the h1n1 swine flu outbreak in 2009, and Ebola outbreak in 2014 to name a few. The responses to this outbreak of the COVID-19 has been no different. We are hearing about incidents in which the virus is referred to as the “Chinese” virus, the yellow peril, and those who appear to be of Asian descent and students who wear masks for various reasons are being stigmatized, subjected to racist and/or xenophobic jokes and remarks, and excluded by those fearful of contracting the virus. Many of our international and domestic students, staff, and faculty with loved ones abroad are concerned about families. There are fears around the ability to return home due to travel bans. In this already stressful time they also might end up facing painful discrimination that can result in physical, emotional, and economic consequences for them. These developments are causing harm to many on our campuses and add to the stress already present in our competitive academic environments. We at AUCCCO wanted to offer our condolences, express our concerns, and to encourage our community to stand strong together against prejudice and racism during the time of ever-evolving public health emergency. Here are some suggestions on what your center might consider doing: About the illness itself and minimizing the bias-based harm to students:
Support for the impacted student communities:
Responses by university campuses:
AUCCCO Statement on Immigration/International Policy:In light of recent increases in anti-immigration rhetoric and Americentrism, AUCCCO wishes to reaffirm its commitment to all of its members, as well as all students, staff, and faculty on our college campuses. We understand that this hateful rhetoric disproportionately impacts our students and colleagues within immigrant, undocumented, and international communities. We are reminded of the role we play as outreach professionals in not only supporting our campus communities during these times, but also our role in challenging systems of oppression, including white supremacy, that serve to reinforce hate and fear and eliminate opportunities to build upon the collective and communal fabric of our country. If you are interested in professional advocacy resources we encourage you to check out the following: American Counseling Association https://www.counseling.org/news/aca-blogs/aca-government-affairs-blog National Association of Social Workers https://www.socialworkers.org/Advocacy/Policy-Issues American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy https://www.aamft.org/Advocacy/Advocacy.aspx American Psychological Association http://cqrcengage.com/apapolicy/home Critical Incident Response Team
AUCCCO Statement on Recent Tragedies:Terrible hate crimes occurred over this past week as a gunman murdered two Black shoppers on Wednesday October 24, 2018 at a Kroger grocery store in Jeffersontown, Kentucky after trying unsuccessfully to get into a predominantly Black church and another gunman opened fire on Saturday October 27, 2018 in a synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA killing 11 Jewish congregants. These tragedies are part of a wave of escalating violence and hate targeting community spaces including mosques, churches, clubs, Jewish institutions, and schools. We are also aware of recent reports of legislative efforts to erase identity of individuals who identify as trans, nonbinary, or with other gender expansive identities. When any one community is threatened, we are all threatened. As AUCCCO we reaffirm our support and caring for all members of our community. We reflect on the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam: "to heal and repair the world," and offer our help to any member of our community who seeks support at this time.  A message from the AUCCCO Board of Directors in collaboration with and under the leadership of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) SubcommitteeWe at AUCCCO, are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of and injury to life that occurred in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 1, 2017. Our thoughts are with the deceased and injured, their families and friends, and everyone who has been directly impacted by this mass shooting. Our hearts are heavy. We struggle to process the extent and magnitude of this loss. We struggle to make sense of such violence and destruction perpetrated by one individual. As mental health professionals, we recognize that direct or indirect exposure to such violence can be traumatizing and/or lead to a variety of emotions – confusion, anger, fear, sadness, grief, numbness, disillusionment, hopelessness, and many others. It can trigger other traumatic memories of previous experiences with violence and/or loss. Such mass shootings also raise many questions around gun violence, role of mental health, and gun violence prevention policies. We encourage everyone to marshal compassion for self and others. Allow for time and space, connection and separation, activism and disengagement as needed for healing to take place. We encourage everyone when possible to lean in and offer support to friends and family members. We encourage everyone to seek support from friends, families and when necessary from a mental health professional. To our colleagues - even as you are taking care of yourselves, your families, students and communities, please know that AUCCCO is here to support you and your outreach efforts. We encourage you to use resources on our member site, as well as the listserv, to both share ideas and support one another. Some Resources: http://www.apa.org/topics/violence/gun-violence-prevention.aspx http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/mass-shooting.aspx http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/road-resilience.aspx |