Once again, our hearts have broken. Over the past week of horror, we have seen the reports of the tragedies that occurred in nearby Gilroy, then El Paso and Dayton. We send our City College hearts to the memory of the victims and their surviving family and friends. We offer our sympathy and support to those who have been affected directly by these unthinkable crimes. Please bring it to my attention if there is anyone in our extended City College family who has been directly affected by these shootings so that we can reach out with aid and comfort.
We may feel helpless in the face of such senseless and random violence, yet there is much we can do to proceed in hope and faith in each other. Let us call upon each other to honor those who lost their lives by recommitting ourselves to ending violence in all of its forms, both in our daily lives and in the larger body politic. Let us renew our hopes and dreams as well as the hopes and dreams of those we have lost by pursuing peace in all of our actions.
In the days ahead we will redouble our efforts to create a safe and secure City College. By mere coincidence during this quiet summer hiatus, some time ago we scheduled for this morning a test of our emergency communications in case of an event. The test was successful. As we soon return to a new academic year, we will engage the entire community in developing and completing our emergency preparedness plans.
Our greatest defense, however, and our greatest response to what we have recently witnessed is our certain knowledge that humanity shall always triumph over inhumanity. I thank each of you sincerely for all you do to remind us by your actions that City College is a home of humanity, always moving forward in hope, towards peace.
In hope and heart,
Dr. Mark Rocha, Chancellor
City College of San Francisco