University Statements

A message from President Harvey Stenger about transitioning employees back to campus

March 26, 2021

There’s no doubt the pandemic has challenged the campus to find ways to keep students, faculty and staff safe while staying true to our promise of providing the academic and social experience our students deserve. It’s been a heavy lift, but we came together over the past year and accomplished more than we thought possible. I want to thank all of you for your efforts. You made the past year and a half possible. 

Our campus prides itself on being a residential campus. Students depend on the vibrancy of the faculty and staff on campus. It’s a destination. Improving COVID-19 trends and increasing access to vaccines has allowed us to begin making plans to return to that vibrant, bustling campus, the one we collectively crave. This fall, we’re returning to full, in-person instruction. We know this is how students learn best and are more successful academically. 

To realize an in-person fall 2021 semester, we need to begin transitioning remote employees back to campus in the coming months. The transition back to full-time, on-campus work is no small challenge, so we want our University to have time to do this process well. While we anticipate that the current NYS Pilot Telecommuting Program will be extended past April 2, 2021, we want everyone to start planning how and when they will make this transition — albeit with the understanding that things can change. 

Starting June 1, all departments on campus will begin transitioning most employees working remotely back to their campus offices, so we can effectively serve students coming to orientation. By Aug. 1, all staff will be back to campus, ahead of the first day of classes. If you would like to return to campus offices sooner, that’s allowed as long as all safety protocols are followed.

Supervisors and employees should meet in the coming weeks to formulate a plan for returning to full-time, in-person work on campus. Requests for a reasonable accommodation based on a specific individual health situation or disability should be directed to Human Resources. Those employees experiencing childcare issues through the end of June related to remote schooling may also discuss this with Human Resources if arrangements can’t be made at the department level. The University has an Alternate Work Location pilot policy in which a small number of employees were previously enrolled. Currently the cohort in this program is at capacity through 2021, and new participants may be considered sometime next year.  

The COVID-19 virus will still be with us in some form or another in the coming months, and the safety of our University community will continue to be our priority. We have taken precautions to mitigate the spread and we will continue to do so in the fall. We will continue to enforce guidelines, yet to be finalized, regarding masks, distancing and room occupancy. Our decisions will always be grounded in science, and we will follow the expert guidance of our local, state and national public health leaders. New and revised guidelines will be announced over the summer, but for now, we must begin planning to re-establish our residential campus in anticipation of vastly improved conditions and changing guidelines that will allow us to return to campus safely. 
 
After a year of social distancing, Zoom classes and remote learning, I’m certain that I speak for all of us in saying “I can’t wait to get back to normal!” At Binghamton, this means in-person classes and a vibrant, exciting campus. But most of all, it means having you on campus, where you will help shape student experiences and form the culturally engaging environment that only Binghamton can offer. I look forward to seeing many of you this summer and can’t wait to see our campus full again this fall!

Sincerely

Harvey Stenger
President

A message about Atlanta mass shooting

March 18, 2021

Yesterday’s news of the mass shootings of Asian Americans in the Atlanta area has again focused our attention on the alarming and appalling rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. These acts of violence against the Asian community are absolutely abhorrent and have no place in our society or within our own community; hatred and harassment targeting any individual is an attack against our global community, and it is especially disturbing when it is directed at a particular group.

As an institution of higher education, we stand strongly against hate, discrimination and violence. These acts are expressions of ignorance and warped ideologies that run counter to the ideals of learning, open-mindedness, diversity and inclusion that lie at the heart of our campus, and indeed, of a free society. We call on anyone who experiences or witnesses any act of violence, harassment, intimidation or bias against our Asian American students and colleagues to report it immediately to the University Police at 911 from a campus phone or 607-777-2222. As a campus, we will continue to express our support of Asian Americans and of anyone who is the victim of racism, bigotry or misogyny. 

As members of a campus community, we implore everyone to demonstrate respect toward one another; to seek understanding rather than directing misplaced judgments to an individual or group of people. Not now, nor ever, is there time to allow misperceptions and conspiracy theories to cloud our interactions with one another as we work together to build an inclusive community. 

Joining together as one community with many voices and perspectives is what makes our country and campus community rich. Our commitment as individuals, and collectively is to diminish the sounds of hatred and violence. Who amongst us will be next? Now is the time to continue to voice our support for one another, particularly our Asian American community members. 

We encourage anyone who requires support in processing this event to contact any of these offices for assistance:

• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at 607-777-4775 or odei@binghamton.edu
• Multicultural Resource Center at 607-777-4472 or mrc@binghamton.edu
• CARE Team at 607-777-2804
• Dean of Students at 607-777-2804 or dos@binghamton.edu
• University Ombudsman at 607-777-2388
• University Counseling Center at 607-777-2772
• Stop AAPI Hate at https://stopaapihate.org/

Sincerely,

Harvey Stenger
President

Karen Jones
Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Celebrate Women's History Month

March 1, 2021

In honor of the contribution’s women have made, March has become known as Women’s History Month; a time to reflect on the works of women including Harriet Tubman, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, The Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Billie Jean King and Shirley Chisolm. The contributions of women can be attributed to the founding of the United States and these examples include those who served as champions during the Suffrage Movement, the Civil Rights Movement, as well as those leading today’s call for social justice.  

Moreover, as we celebrate and recognize how the achievements of women have further given voice to Bella Abzug and Gloria Steinem and their courageous call for gender equity, let us also remember women such as Marian Wright , who founded the Children’s Defense Fund advocating for the rights of children. The list goes on to include contemporaries: Melinda Gates whose charitable contributions are helping to improve the well-being of those in the United States and abroad; and most recently Rosalind Brewer, CEO of Walgreens; Thasunda Brown Duckett, CEO of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA); and Mary Winston, interim CEO of Bed, Bath & Beyond, the only three Black women currently leading Fortune 500 companies.  

Women help to lead and advance Binghamton University’s mission as well. In fact, we have six women serving as members of the senior officer’s group, an additional two women serving as deans of our colleges and four of our nine Binghamton University Council members are women. Our women student leaders are equally helping to impact our campus community. To this end, our Women’s Student Union has helped advance the University’s creation of the Violence, Abuse and Rape Crisis Center (VARCC).

Let us use this month to continue to reflect upon, acknowledge and celebrate women – those in our lives as well as those near and far.  

A message about racial incidents

Feb. 27, 2021

We have just learned that this week our campus community experienced several racist incidents. These offensive incidents do not represent who we are as a campus community. In fact, they are antithetical to our core values.

We do not tolerate acts of discrimination, hatred or bigotry ꟷ whether they are spoken or written as acts of vandalism. We, members of the administration and members of the community at large strongly condemn racist and offensive acts of any kind. Personally, and as a campus community, we reject these acts, we will call them out as long as they persist and we will continue to support the victims of racist acts.

We are a diverse and inclusive community made of people from a myriad of backgrounds who come together to learn, discover and serve; we will continue to celebrate and recognize the beauty of our rich diversity. These deplorable and disgusting actions go against our campus values and only serve to divide and show the ugliness of some, rather than unite our community.

We encourage any individual who requires support to deal with these incidents to contact any of these offices for assistance:

• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at 607-777-4775 or odei@binghamton.edu
• Multicultural Resource Center at 607-777-4472 or mrc@binghamton.edu
• CARE Team at 607-777-2804
• Dean of Students at 607-777-2804 or dos@binghamton.edu
• University Ombudsman at 607-777-2388
• University Counseling Center at 607-777-2772

Moreover, if you believe you have experienced discrimination or harassment, you are encouraged to file a complaint online.

Racist incidents will not be tolerated at Binghamton University, and we will continue to look for ways to ensure our campus is continuing to be welcoming and inclusive.

Harvey Stenger
President

Karen Jones
Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

A message about cancellations/changes effective Feb. 23

Feb. 22, 2021

Today, Binghamton University’s COVID-19 positivity rate reached 2.4% on a rolling 14-day average. 

To help reverse this upward trend and to avoid reaching the threshold where we will be required to move to fully remote learning, the following cancellations are effective Tuesday, Feb. 23, and until further notice:

• All non-classroom student activities, including Greek life.
• All student group dance rehearsals and other non-academic student activities.
• All intercollegiate athletics, club sports and intramurals.
• All performances of any kind.

In addition:

• All dining facilities will be take-out only.
• The Rec Center at the East Gym is closed.
• All residential hall lounges will be off limits.
• The ice skating rink is closed.
• OCCT will run only during class times. 

All in-person classes will continue. All surveillance testing will continue. 

For daily guidance on COVID-19, see the Binghamton University alert page at http://binghamton.edu/alert

Harvey Stenger
President

A message from President Harvey Stenger about the COVID-19 threshold

Feb. 22, 2021

I have good news and bad news to share. The good news is that the state threshold for in-person classes has changed from 100 cases, to 5% of the total number of people tested, in a rolling 14-day period. The change could not have come at a better time. It means that although we surpassed 100 cases of the COVID-19 virus among our students, faculty and staff in just five days, we are able to continue in-person classes for the time being.

The bad news is that our current rate of positivity is headed in the wrong direction. Our current rate of positivity is 1.3%, but if this pace continues, we will reach the new threshold. If we hit that 5% target, we will have no choice but to go to all-remote learning. The threshold has changed, but now is not the time for complacency.  

I am thankful that in-person classroom instruction can continue. It is an important part of our learning environment. Students do better when they are in class and living among their friends. We also know that our classrooms are safe. Precautions continue and there is no evidence of transmission within the classrooms last semester or this semester to date. 

Our rapid, frequent testing helps as well, and we will continue to test more than we ever have. Our goal is to continue to test everyone who regularly comes to campus once a week. This approach will eventually lead to higher case counts, but it will also allow us to more quickly identify when and where clusters of cases are popping up. 

Testing is only one tool in stopping the spread. We must remain vigilant in following all health and safety protocols to lower the infection rate. Continue to follow the guidelines spelled out in your rights and responsibilities document, as well as these basic guidelines: limit gatherings, don’t go to parties, wear face coverings, social distance and participate in the mandatory weekly testing. I also ask you to cooperate with local health officials, including the accurate reporting of close contacts.

We will enforce the penalties outlined for violation of the rights and responsibilities document you acknowledged when you returned to campus. However, we would prefer not to have to do so because our students are behaving responsibly and keeping themselves and everyone else safe.

I understand everyone's sense of fatigue when it comes to this virus. Many of us long for the days of a crowded union and fan-packed concerts and athletic events. But the biggest mistake we can make right now is to think that we have beat this virus. It would be premature to take off our masks and gather together in large numbers. I’m hopeful that our case count comes down in the coming days, but if this is to happen, we must be extra vigilant.

Thank you for all of your hard work in making the Binghamton campus a safe and productive place to live, learn and work.

Harvey Stenger
President

Celebrating Black History Month

Feb. 2, 2021

This February, Binghamton University is proud to celebrate Black History Month and to acknowledge the many contributions African Americans have made to society. This recognition is especially important now, given the challenges and unrest of the past year. It has been a year of unprecedented health crises and social, economic and political strife, the weight of which has been borne disproportionately by people of color, and especially by Black Americans. I hope that all of us can learn lessons from the achievements of Black Americans and be inspired by their historical struggle against adversity.

Black Americans have persevered through 250 years of enslavement and decades of discrimination under Jim Crow, producing heroes like Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis. But heroes come in many stripes and possess many talents; they are musicians like Miles Davis and Mahalia Jackson, authors like Tony Morrison and Langston Hughes, and scientists and physicians like NASA engineer Mary Jackson and pioneering cardiologist Daniel Hale Williams.

Equally important are the countless and unheralded men and women who have worked and raised families, developing and preserving a culture of resolve that has endured across the centuries.

Binghamton University is committed to building and sustaining a diverse and inclusive campus. A premier campus is one that ensures that students, faculty and staff of all backgrounds may have the opportunity to pursue excellence in whatever endeavor they choose, so that they, too, might become the scientists, scholars and leaders of the coming decades.  

During Black History Month, I hope that you will take the opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of previous generations of Black Americans. Take time to be moved by their courage and their role in moving America closer to the ideals of liberty and equality for which our nation has aimed, but too often fallen short. 

Harvey Stenger
President

Donald Nieman
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

Greg Delviscio
Vice President for Communications and Marketing

Karen Jones
Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Brian Rose
Vice President for Student Affairs

Randall Edouard
Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students

Khaleel James
Student Association President

A message in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Jan. 18, 2021

Today we pause to reflect on and celebrate the life and contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

King was among the greatest and most consequential leaders of the 20th century. Fifty-two years after his murder, he serves as an exemplar to a world fractured by bigotry, violence, climate change and stark racial, class and gender disparities.

King was a gentle man who spoke truth to power. In the face of unremitting hostility and violence that ultimately took his life, he challenged the racial caste system in his native South as well as the North’s more subtle but no less toxic racism. An eloquent voice of the grassroots movement that challenged America’s original sin, he was instrumental in persuading a reluctant majority to enact sweeping civil rights legislation that brought the nation closer to its unfulfilled promise of equality.

Yet King understood that laws did not change hearts and that the effects of more than three centuries of slavery, racial violence, segregation and disfranchisement created deep and persistent racial disparities in income, education, health and wealth. Unless the nation addressed these, he understood, the promise of equality would remain a lie. He devoted the final years of his life to challenging America’s involvement in the Vietnam War and organizing the Poor People’s Campaign to demand policies to end the economic inequality that perpetuated the effects of the nation’s long history of racism.

At a time when institutional racism holds so many back, police brutality persists, some political leaders openly appeal to racism, income inequality widens, and a pandemic accentuates racial and class disparities, let us use this commemoration of King’s life to reflect on ways that we can bring his vision of a beloved community closer to reality.

Harvey Stenger
President

Donald Nieman
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

Greg Delviscio
Vice President for Communications and Marketing

Karen Jones
Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Brian Rose
Vice President for Student Affairs

Randall Edouard
Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students

Khaleel James
Student Association President

A message from President Harvey Stenger about democracy and civility

Jan. 7, 2021

Yesterday, the world witnessed the unthinkable at our nation’s capitol — the very heart of our democratic processes and our government under attack. As many of you did, I watched with extreme unease as events unfolded throughout the day, concerned for how we will recover from this.

In spite of the efforts of a lawless mob, however, our democracy is intact and will remain resilient in the face of any future assaults. Our elected representatives in Congress returned to session after being in lockdown for hours and completed their task of counting and certifying the Electoral College votes, affirming Joe Biden as our next president.

Our future as a country depends on the resiliency of all of us. As a campus community, we must condemn ignorance, seek out truth and practice civility. We must all take part in this in order to restore civility to our democracy. Our nation is counting on us. 

Harvey Stenger
President

Campus Citizen Review Board members announced

Dec. 18, 2020

Binghamton University’s Campus Citizen Review Board (CCRB) has been established in response to unrest across the nation and in the local community during the past summer. The CCRB is co-chaired by Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Karen Jones and Associate Professor of Human Development Myra Sabir, both of whom also co-chaired the selection panel for CCRB members.  

The CCRB has broad representation of students, faculty and staff, as well as an ex-officio retired police chief, said Jones and Sabir.

“Our charge is to assess how Binghamton University’s police policies and procedures support our mission to educate students in a supportive, safe and inclusive environment,” Jones said. “We will benchmark against best practices and work together to ensure Binghamton University Police are properly trained and able to do their jobs to keep the campus safe, but in a manner that does not marginalize any individual or group.”

“The members of the CCRB have been carefully selected,” Sabir said. “Each conveys a strong sense of what is possible and brings the right set of experiences and skills to produce good results.”

CCRB members

Faculty

• Joshua Price, professor and chair of sociology
• Tina Chronopoulos, associate professor of classical and near eastern studies
• Elizabeth DiGangi, associate professor of anthropology

Students

• Jabari J. Randolph, undergraduate student, human development
• Hannah Jones, graduate student, history
• Lucas Martinez, first-year student, undeclared

Professional Staff

• Diana Castellanos, assistant director for Residential Life
• Ramona Mazzeo, college physician
• Yongabi Ngoh, senior staff assistant, Institute for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention
• Barrett Brenton, faculty engagement associate

Ex-Officio

• Daniel Chambers, retired SUNY Oneonta police chief who rose through the ranks in the Binghamton University Police Department from his arrival in 1987 to become a deputy chief before leaving in 2012 for Oneonta.

Intern

• Ashley Harris, graduate student, student affairs administration and assistant residential director for Residential Life

The CCRB, which will begin its work by reviewing the University Police Department’s policies, procedures, actions and resources, is expected to meet at least monthly beginning in January.

A message from President Harvey Stenger 

Dec. 2, 2020

To Binghamton University Students,

I don't usually comment on Student Association Congress meetings, but some issues were brought up in the Dec. 1 meeting of the SA Congress that compel me to respond.

The issues were: First, the recent use of anti-Semitic language in a student organization publication, and second, the establishment of a crime victims assistance center on campus.

I, and my administration, strongly condemn racist and offensive acts of any kind. We stand firmly in support of the members of our University community after learning of the anti-Semitic language published in a student publication that makes light of the Holocaust. We are resolute in our support of these students and those of any race, faith, gender, sexual orientation, background or identity. At the same time, we must continue to protect, support and encourage every individual's right to express opinions freely.

We are outraged and sorely disappointed by the use of this type of language and these characterizations and we implore each of you to consider others' perspectives and the negative impact words can and do have. 

Secondly, as for establishing a crime victims center, a working group is being assembled to determine the most appropriate space on campus for the center and the kinds of services it will provide and what staff will be located there. The University expects prevention educators, counselors, social workers, members of the CARE Team and others across campus who provide supportive services to staff the center. Further, we anticipate offering space to the community-based Crime Victims Assistance Center (CVAC) to provide services as well. Our collective goal is to provide an easily accessible space where someone in need of help and support can seek assistance without visiting several campus offices. We expect this center to be in place and operational in the spring.

Sincerely,

Harvey G. Stenger
President

A message about moving to remote-only instruction 

Nov. 17, 2020

To the Campus Community,

As of noon Tuesday, Nov. 17, we reached the threshold of 100 positives cases during the current two-week period. This is not a surprise to us. Not because we haven’t collectively been doing the right thing, but because we have been aggressively testing nearly every student on campus as we gear up for our fall departure. Over the last seven days, we have completed almost 5,000 tests, a new record for our Bearcat community. So, while we have crossed the 100 positive case threshold, it is also important to understand the broader context and recognize that your efforts this past semester have paid off. While the surrounding community stands at a 3.2% positivity rate, we are here on campus at a manageable 1.61%.

Starting tomorrow, Nov. 18, we will halt in-person classes following the Fall Semester Departure Guidance issued from the SUNY Chancellor and the New York State Department of Health’s Supplemental Guidance. We recognize that this pause will bring us to the Thanksgiving break when you are to return home for the remainder of the fall 2020 semester. We ask that you remain on campus or in your current off-campus residences until the scheduled break and, most importantly, that you report for your scheduled coronavirus test prior to returning to your home communities. This is a requirement for all students in State University of New York (SUNY) institutions. Our goal is to prevent infected students from transmitting COVID-19 to their home communities. I urge you to be considerate of your families and local communities.

Similar to our last pause, the campus will remain open and all core operations of the University will remain active; employees should continue their current work arrangements. Residence halls will remain open and students will still be able to utilize critical campus resources. The libraries and classrooms set aside for student study spaces will remain open with physical distancing in place. Medical services, counseling and other services will continue as usual. Likewise, clinical and internship experiences required for licensure and some teaching labs will continue in person and research labs will remain open, consistent with the scheduling and availability of labs, in-person only classes and internships during October’s pause. In-person academic exams scheduled for Nov. 22, 23 and 24, will be held online at the same date and time.

Those of you who have had your scheduled departure COVID-19 test and live on campus are asked to follow the Residential Life instructions for moving out of your rooms. Before leaving your residence hall, you must:

• Unplug all electrical devices (except refrigerators).
• Close and lock all windows and doors.
• Close and lower blinds three-quarters down.
• Remove all perishable food and trash from your room and hall.
• If you leave a car on campus, park it in Lots G1, S2 or Y5 for security reasons. Note: Cars can be left in these lots during break, but these lots will be left unplowed and may be difficult to access if it snows. Find a parking map online.
• Plan to take home any items you no longer need.

Note: A staff member will be checking each room to see that safety and maintenance conditions have been met.

Residence halls will close for the fall semester at 2 pm Wednesday, November 25.

I remind you of the changes that will occur during this new pause:

• Dining will transition to all carry-out with no seating.
• All in-person extracurricular programs and other non-essential student activities will be suspended, including club sport activities and intramurals.
• OCCT bus service will continue every day, just with fewer buses running, so routes will be less frequent. Visit its website for details.

Unfortunately, we need to pause in-person classes once again as our community continues to struggle with this virus, but it is paramount that we do our part to reduce the pandemic's spread. Recently, we have heard good news regarding the possibility of a vaccine to fight COVID-19, but the reality is that it is still a minimum of several months before a vaccine will be available for wide distribution across the nation. In the meantime, we will need to continue to work together to do what we can to limit its spread.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Harvey G. Stenger
President

A message about civil and thoughtful political advocacy 

Nov. 4, 2020

To Binghamton University Students,

Last night's vote marked the culmination of a very hard-fought and contentious election season. Unfortunately, voting results are not yet clear, and we all await a final count of all ballots to determine the presidency. 

With the election's verdict presently uncertain, we can expect the coming days to be politically tense, as each side jockeys to produce a favorable result. Voting anomalies are going to be highlighted and ballots contested. Feelings on both sides are running hot, but we hope that these contests will be determined through the political process rather than other means.

Some of you have already expressed concern about the uncertainty and even fear about the consequences of the partisan anger that the campaign has produced. Regardless, we expect that all students will accept the eventual outcome and continue to advocate for their political beliefs, civilly and thoughtfully. Rest assured, we will ensure that all students in our community are safe and will have their voices listened to and their concerns heard.

For many of you, 2020 marks the first national election in which you've voted. As a result, this election's stakes seem very high — and clearly, both major presidential candidates have made this argument throughout their campaigns. But history will tell you that similarly contested elections have taken place before and that the nation (and our campus) have persisted. We will survive this election as well, and we look forward to hearing from our faculty about the lessons we can learn from this year's vote. 

This is not to say that your concerns and civic engagement aren't significant — in fact, just the opposite. This year's voter turnout on campus was among the highest it's ever been. Everyone is impressed by the commitment and activism of Binghamton students. Your efforts continue the University's long history of involvement in support of social change and equality. We're confident that this engagement will lead to a lifetime of leadership and active participation in our democracy.

In the meantime, the University will continue to work with local, state and national political leaders in support of our students and campus. We recognize that the next few years will likely be challenging for the campus as we work through the social and financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope you will join us to support your fellow students and your University.

We thank each of you who participated in this year's elections. Given the strength of your engagement and the power of your advocacy, we believe that the nation's democracy will be in good hands in the coming decades.

Sincerely,

Harvey G. Stenger
President

Donald G. Nieman
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

Greg Delviscio
Vice President for Communications and Marketing

Sheila Doyle
Executive Director of the Binghamton University Foundation

Patrick Elliott
Director of Athletics

Karen A. Jones
Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

John C. Koch
Vice President for Advancement

JoAnn Navarro
Vice President for Operations

Brian T. Rose
Vice President for Student Affairs

Bahgat Sammakia
Vice President for Research

A message from President Harvey Stenger about being safe 

Oct. 29, 2020

To Binghamton University Students,

As you make your weekend plans, remember that the Binghamton City and Broome County areas are still experiencing a very high infection rate. The current 7-day average for Broome County is 3.7% and for Binghamton University the 7-day average is 0.37%. Therefore, going into the community could increase your chance of getting infected by COVID-19 by a factor of nearly 10!

So, as you make your plans, if you don’t absolutely have to go someplace, don’t go! Keep wearing face masks, social distance and avoid large gatherings. These actions work in keeping positive numbers down. It’s time to stay vigilant.

My thanks to each of you for your contribution to our University community and for your commitment to creating a safe Binghamton University. I wish you a safe and productive end of the semester! Together, we can do this.

Sincerely,

Harvey G. Stenger
President

A message from President Harvey Stenger in support of student voting

Oct. 28, 2020

To Binghamton University Students,

As we enter the close of an intense and lively election season, I encourage eligible students to exercise their vital right to vote. At Binghamton University, we pride ourselves on having students who are politically active and civically engaged. There is no better way for you as a student to express this engagement and to fulfill your duty as a citizen than to participate in national, state and local elections. The ability to vote, to be active in our democracy and to select people to represent you in the civic square is foundational to our system of government. As our nation’s future leaders, your votes will help shape the nation’s direction by making known your voice and values. I encourage you to vote for individuals who respect students’ opinions and who share your concerns about the world we live in.

This year, campus enthusiasm for voting is very high. A number of student groups have focused on voter registration drives, resulting in a substantial increase in the number of potential voters. In particular, staff and students working with the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) have spearheaded efforts to encourage voter turnout. In addition, the University’s student athletes have played a key role in raising awareness of social justice issues and, in turn, motivating their peers and fellow students to vote in this election. These efforts, combined with the University’s long tradition of activism, will likely result in one of the highest student turnouts in our campus’s history. 

Because of higher than normal student voting, along with the ongoing need for social distancing due to the pandemic, the University has moved the normal polling place for students from the centrally located University Union. Because we are conducting testing for COVID-19 in Old Union Hall, coupled with the need for more space for social distancing, the on-campus polling station has been moved to the Events Center, which will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3. In addition, a number of early voting sites in Broome County are available until Sunday, Nov. 1, where students may choose to cast their ballots.

This has been a highly contentious election year. Regardless of the results on Nov. 3, I hope that all members of our University community will recognize the importance of voting and that any differences of opinion will be addressed with respectful and civil discourse. As students at Binghamton, your education is centered on the liberal arts, with the goal of giving each one of you the critical thinking skills and broad knowledge that will not only advance your career, but more importantly, make you a more effective citizen. I urge you to apply your education, your passion and your desire to make a difference when you vote this year.

Sincerely,

Harvey G. Stenger
President

A message from President Harvey Stenger about returning to in-person classes

Oct. 15, 2020

To the Campus Community,

I am happy to announce that Binghamton University will resume in-person classes on Thursday, Oct. 22. We are able to take this important step because the number of positive cases has dropped significantly in the past two weeks and we are currently at a seven-day rolling average of .54% infection rate. I want to thank members of our campus community — students, staff and faculty — on successfully navigating the past two weeks of remote learning and taking steps that have allowed us to significantly reduce the infection rate. This is a significant milestone, but we must remain vigilant and follow our health and safety protocols.

All of us at Binghamton can be proud of what we have accomplished. During the pause, residence halls remained open, students conformed to health and safety guidelines and co-curricular activities adapted to social distancing and the virtual environment. We have been successful because everyone did their part, something that typifies a campus that comes together to solve challenges.

For the rest of the semester, we will continue our aggressive program of surveillance testing, provide diagnostic tests to students who are symptomatic and ensure that students follow proper public health protocols. We have sanctioned a number of students and student groups for violating campus safety guidelines. These violations place the entire campus community at risk and threaten our ability to provide in-person teaching and learning.

I urge everyone to continue to follow the public health guidelines outlined in the “Rights and Responsibilities” document that students accepted when they returned to campus in August. We know that masks and social distancing work. So, let’s continue to work together so that, come Thanksgiving, we can all celebrate a successful in-person semester.

In the meantime, I hope I see you around campus — I’ll be the one wearing the Bearcat mask.

Sincerely,

Harvey G. Stenger
President

Indigenous Peoples Day

Oct. 15, 2020

To the Campus Community,

Earlier this week, our nation celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day. Binghamton University is proud to recognize the achievements of our Native American students and the historical and cultural contributions of their ancestors. The Indian tribes residing in what is now the United States have managed to maintain their distinct cultural identity and heritage, even as the larger society around them worked to diminish and weaken them. Our Native American communities have held strong, despite centuries of broken promises, broken treaties and removal to broken lands.

Despite these challenges, our Indian tribes have made real and lasting contributions to American society — as heroes in our armed forces, as leaders in our political life, and as activists and environmentalists working to sustain their communities. They are artists and academics, writers and researchers, athletes and actors. Their contributions have strengthened America and enriched our culture. So it is important that we, as an institution of higher education, recognize and respect this history and commit ourselves to ensuring that our campus is one that is inclusive and welcoming of all people, especially our students, faculty and staff of Native American descent.

Sincerely,

Harvey G. Stenger
President

A message from President Harvey Stenger

Oct. 7, 2020

To the Campus Community,

Due to the increasing COVID-19 infection rate in Broome County and the corresponding uptick in infections among our University-affiliated population, we will be pausing in person-classes for two weeks. Although we are currently under the New York State Department of Health threshold, the University will move to a remote learning model that will help contain the virus and bring it down to an acceptable level. Beginning Thursday, Oct. 8, all classes will be held remotely. The campus will remain open; it is not closed. All core operations of the University will remain open and employees should continue their current work arrangements.

Residence halls will remain open and students will still be able to utilize critical campus resources. The libraries and classrooms set aside for student study spaces will remain open with physical distancing in place. Medical services, counseling and other services will continue as usual.

We remain committed to in-person instruction for the fall semester and will work to make our transition back to in-person activities as quickly as we can under Department of Health guidelines while ensuring the safety of students, faculty and staff.

After consultation with the Broome County Health Department, clinical and internship experiences required for licensure as well as some teaching labs will continue in person and research labs will remain open. Faculty should consult their dean and students will hear from their faculty members concerning which of these will continue.

Rising infections have led other campuses in New York state to move to remote learning. Many were successful in bringing the infection rate under control and returning to in-person activities after the 14-day pause. That is our intention as well, and we are confident that working together we will be successful.

What will change during this two-week pause:

• Dining will transition to all carry-out with no seating.
• All in-person extracurricular programs and other non-essential student activities will be suspended, including club sport activities and intramurals.
• All in-person activity by athletics teams will be halted during the two week period.
• OCCT Buses will continue to run every day, but with fewer buses running so routes will be less frequent.

What everyone can do to help lower the positivity rate:

1. Avoid traveling, including traveling to your hometown. This risks spreading the virus even further and should be avoided if at all possible. Remember, if you are under quarantine or isolation you must comply with these orders.
2. Limit travel within the community. Travel should be limited for essential trips (groceries, doctors, work, etc.)
3. Avoid crowded places, including restaurants, bars and parties.
4. Limit your social circle. Gather with no more than six others at a time.
5. Follow mask wearing, handwashing and social distancing guidelines.

We continue to monitor the situation, conducting surveillance and diagnostic testing and making the results available daily on our website. 

We will continue to communicate to the campus via Dateline and B-Line as we obtain additional information. This is an unfortunate bump in the road. However, it is part of the necessary new reality that we are living in. We will encounter more of these and we will get through them if we work together.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Harvey G. Stenger
President

A message from President Harvey Stenger to help flatten the curve

Oct. 2, 2020

To the Campus Community,

We are now entering what may be the most challenging period of the pandemic. Public health experts have long been warning that October may see an increase in the spread of COVID-19 as people move indoors and become complacent about following public health guidelines.

With the community spread of COVID-19 trending upward, I am asking every member of the Binghamton University family — students, faculty and staff — to be a part of the solution this weekend. What does that mean? It means making some sacrifices to keep this virus under control. These include staying out of restaurants, bars and crowded spaces this weekend, limiting your social circle and avoiding unnecessary travel. Please, do not gather in groups, keep your social circle small, wear your masks, wash your hands and obey the public health guidelines to protect everyone’s safety.

Remember, if we continue to see high numbers, we could quickly be forced to shift to online instruction for at least two weeks. I had hoped I could avoid sending this message, but I had no choice. Now is not the time to let our guard down.

All of us at Binghamton can be proud of what we have accomplished so far. Classes are taking place both in person and online; residence halls are open and conforming to health and safety guidelines; and campus social activities have adapted to social distancing and the virtual environment. Hundreds of people worked through the spring and summer months to ensure we could begin the semester — far too many people to mention individually — but typical of the way Binghamton University comes together to solve our challenges.

Preventing the spread of this virus is a shared responsibility. I know it will take some short-term sacrifices to help us stay in session, but if we can stem the spread of COVID-19 in our community or on our campus, it will be well worth it.

Thank you to all who have been doing the right things and will continue to do them.

Sincerely,

Harvey G. Stenger
President

A message from President Harvey Stenger and Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Karen Jones

Sept. 18, 2020

To the Campus Community,

This has been a summer of tumult and disruption, with the COVID-19 pandemic and concerns about social injustice dominating headlines both nationally and locally.

Unfortunately, social injustice and racist issues are all too real for members of our own campus community, particularly our African American, Asian and Asian American students, faculty and staff. We have experienced an increase of anti-Asian and other racist sentiment since the start of the pandemic, and it has only increased since the killing of George Floyd and others. Members of our campus community also have been subjected to hate-filled Zoom bombing due to their ethnicity, study of religious beliefs or gender.

As a campus community, we will continue to express our support and condemn these racist, xenophobic and sexist words and actions directed against members of our community. Language that tries to blame, dehumanize or demean anyone based on their race, identity or sexual orientation is ignorant and abhorrent. This language is reprehensible and not welcomed here.

For those who have been subjected to any of these attacks, whether verbal or physical, we offer the following resources and hope you will take advantage of them by making a report or seeking assistance to help you better navigate through these unfortunate circumstances:

• Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: odei@binghamton.edu or 607-777-6009
• Office of Student Conduct: conduct@binghamton.edu or 607-777-6210
• CARE Team: dos@binghamton.edu or 607-777-2804
• Dean of Students: dos@binghamton.edu or 607-777-2804
• University Counseling Center: 607-777-2772
• Employee Assistance Program: eap@binghamton.edu or 607-777-6655
• Title IX officer: abaker@binghamton.edu or 607-777-2486
• University Ombudsman: 607-777-2388
• University Police: 607-777-2393
• Tips for avoiding Zoom bombing: https://www.binghamton.edu/its/blog/zoombomb-tips.html#article and https://www.binghamton.edu/its/blog/zoombomb.html#article

Binghamton University holds diversity, inclusion and the safety of everyone in our campus community among our highest institutional values; it is who we are and what we value. As a community, we stand firm on the ideals that a diverse campus community is the cornerstone of a broad education and free scholarly inquiry, because it encourages new perspectives and bold answers. All members of our campus community are valued and we appreciate the many contributions they make for we are all the better for it, as is the world in which we live.

We have demonstrated our commitment to diversity and inclusion through a number of initiatives, including an increase in our scholarship funding for underrepresented minority students; we initiated the Common Read (Just Mercy) and film (13th) for our incoming first-year students as well as the Inclusive Pedagogy workshops for our new faculty. But more than these, we have available to us many workshops through our UDiversity Educational Institute to address bias and microaggressions, our library is creating the anti-racist resource guide, we also have the Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Policy ensuring web and electronic accessibility across campus and we are now establishing a Campus Citizen Review Board to review the policies, procedures, actions and resources of our University Police Department.

Additionally, each college and operational unit has a diversity representative or committee to examine ways to further support students, faculty and staff. While each area has different expectations for the diversity function, what is crucial for all is to ensure a welcoming and supportive community for everyone.

We are also committed to addressing issues of sexual assault and harassment through a 12-action process including establishing a Title IX Council, hiring a new sexual violence counselor to work specifically with survivors, adding staff to investigate allegations of sexual assault, assigning two of our existing counselors to also work specifically with survivors of sexual assault. (see https://www.binghamton.edu/president/statements.html - Actions to be taken to address sexual assault policies at Binghamton University)

While we recognize much work remains to be done to combat xenophobic, racist behavior and sexual violence perpetrated against any member of our campus community, we will continue to work to make our campus a place where all people — of all backgrounds, representations and ethnicities — are safe, welcome and given opportunities to meet their full potential.

Harvey G. Stenger
President

Karen A. Jones
Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

A message from President Harvey Stenger and SA President Khaleel James

Sept. 4, 2020

Dear Students,

You have seen and heard what happened at other universities, where hundreds of students tested positive after a few parties at the beginning of the semester. The positive cases resulted in the campuses going fully remote and also required students to leave the residence halls. Today, it is essential to consider our shared responsibility to avoid the same outcome. We are Binghamton smart; we know what needs to be done. Accept your responsibility to safely socialize — mask, socially distance and stay in small groups only.

Thank you to the many students we see every day properly donning masks and otherwise honoring the work of those who have gone to great lengths to offer an in-person learning and living experience. You are demonstrating that you care and value the opportunity to be together as part of our community.

There are plenty of examples of colleges and universities that have gone to fully-remote learning because a small number of their students failed to respect proven safety measures. Whether Binghamton is added to the list is ultimately our responsibility.

Harvey Stenger
President 

Khaleel A. James
President and CEO for the Student Association

Campus Citizen Review Board to review University Police Department's policies, procedures, actions and resources

Aug. 26, 2020

Our country is witnessing yet another horrific video of a police shooting of Black man, this time in Kenosha, Wisconsin. This most recent shooting, just months after the death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, has strengthened protesters who continue to call for racial justice. This act makes our plans to establish a Campus Citizen Review Board (CCRB) even more important. Our CCRB will provide independent and evidence-based assessment of our campus police operations. Let us hope that this first step of many will set a standard for others to follow, not just in our own community, but across our nation.

The CCRB will be an independent board reporting to the president of Binghamton University and will be comprised of 11 members of the campus community, including three students, three faculty and three staff members. The board will be co-chaired by the vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion and a faculty member chosen by the Faculty Senate. The board members will have three-year, staggered terms that will be renewable once. Student turnover may require that student members are selected more frequently.

Campus citizens who are interested in serving on the CCRB will provide a statement of interest to a selection panel. The selection panel will have nine members comprised of the CCRB co-chairs, two members from the Faculty Senate, two members from the Professional Staff Senate, one member from the Student Association, one member from the Graduate Student Organization, and one at-large member selected by the president. Selection of the CCRB members will be decided by majority vote of the selection panel; emphasis will be placed on appointing people with a dedicated commitment to social justice to both the selection panel and the CCRB.

The charge for the CCRB is to provide independent and evidence-based assessment of the operation of the University Police Department (UPD) toward the goals of advising the Binghamton University president about issues and recommending changes. The president will update the campus annually on the activities and recommendations of the CCRB.

Among the ways by which the CCRB is expected to accomplish its role are through:

1. Assessment of campus support of underserved aspects of mental health support and community policing, review of the UPD annual budget and recommendations to the president for reallocations of the UPD budget to any underserved aspects of mental health support and community policing.
2. Review of the annual UPD arrest record report prepared by our internal auditor to evaluate biases that may exist when arrests are made and when infractions are referred to the Office of Student Conduct; and making recommendations on how to address patterns of bias reflected in the evidence provided in the auditor’s report.   
3. Determining if our current UPD policies and procedures are consistent with best practices by monitoring and staying abreast of cutting-edge practices and policy initiatives adopted by other campuses to ensure more equitable policing, and evaluating UPD policies and procedures in light of those standards. To start, this would include determining if our policies are in compliance with the five NAACP demands on the use of force by police, the recently proposed legislation in the state of New York, the Obama Commit to Action Pledge and the use of force, equipment and weapons for crowd control.   
4. Evaluation of the training programs provided to UPD personnel and making recommendations about gaps in that training.
5. Review of the community policing practices of UPD and making recommendations, if needed, for improvements.
6. Directly receiving and reviewing complaints against the UPD by members of the campus community and filing quarterly reports of these complaints. These reports (redacted) will be made public. A process will be created to collect and provide complaints directly to the CCRB.
7. Monthly meetings of the CCRB, or more frequently if needed, will report its findings to the president on a quarterly basis. These reports will be posted publicly.
8. An annual review of its charge and proposals for a wider scope of work if a need arises.
9. An annual budget and support staff to help the CCRB manage its workflow. In addition, it will be provided with training to help board members serve in their roles.

Send statements of interest for consideration of serving on the CCRB to the selection panel at ccrbpanel@binghamton.edu. It is our intention to have our CCRB in place by the beginning of October.

Harvey G. Stenger
President, Binghamton University

Khaleel A. James
President and CEO for the Student Association

A current estimate of our financial situation

Aug. 24, 2020

To: Faculty and Staff

During the spring semester Binghamton University took steps to protect faculty, staff, students and the surrounding community. We moved to all-online instruction, shifted to a work-from-home model, cancelled all study abroad programs, and provided refunds on housing and fees to students. The coronavirus has negatively impacted the well-being of our staff, faculty and students, and it has also taken a significant financial toll. Because I have received many questions about the financial consequences, I wanted to provide the campus community an overview of what we know right now.

COVID-19 costs to the campus were approximately $27 million in the past financial year (2019-20) and include:

• $25 million in refunded fees (including housing, dining, athletic, transportation, recreation, course, parking and study abroad fees).
• $2.0 million in extra expenses, including additional cleaning, signage, classroom assistants, supplies, student quarantine/isolations costs and technology costs.

We have been working hard on the best way to address the past and future financial impacts. Debt on student housing has been restructured, both lowering interest rates and deferring payments, saving $25.0 million in 2020-21 and 2021-22 ($50 million total); we instituted a hiring pause and  enacted greater scrutiny and controls over purchasing; we will use the $6.0 million we received in July from the federal support package to reimburse costs we incurred for paying the spring refunds; if the federal government passes either the Senate or the House stimulus bill, it is projected that we could receive between $30 million and $40 million of direct aid.

On the negative side, state support is declining. We have been told to expect a 25% cut in state funding this year, or $10 million. We also have been informed that our allocation for last year was retroactively cut about $6 million.

We are experiencing changes to our enrollment and student mix. Restrictions placed by the federal government on travel and visas over the past few years, coupled with COVID-19 impacts, will result in a decrease in the number of international and out-of-state students. Until the semester is at day 10, we will not know what the shortfall will be, but estimates show a possible $20 million reduction in revenue.

Based on registration information received this week, we now know that the number of student residents on campus this year will decline from our planned capacity of 7,200 to an expected 6,050. We will also not charge students for days they will not be living on campus after Thanksgiving. The combined impacts of these two factors will create an estimated loss of $12 million. We will also reduce our Intercollegiate Athletics fee this fall by 36%, resulting in a $2 million loss.  

If you do the math for this year, assuming our lower out-of-state and international enrollment estimates are correct, that the federal government does pass one of the two bills at some time in the next several months, that we can reallocate this year’s debt service payment saving to other costs, and we stay in person for the semester and do not have to refund additional housing and fees, the calculation is: $25 + $35 + $6 - $25 - $2 - $10 - $6 - $20 - $12 - $2 = an $11 million shortfall this year. In order to cover this, we will continue to keep tight controls on spending, including hiring, and we will draw on University reserves to fill any gaps that remain. Our goal is to serve our students in this difficult time and maintain the strength of our academic, research and student support programs so that we emerge from this pandemic strong and well-positioned to resume the extraordinary progress we have made in recent years.

Of course, there are a lot of assumptions in this estimate that will change in the next few weeks and months, but I feel it is timely that I communicate where we are at the moment.

Sincerely, 

Harvey Stenger
President

Actions to be taken to address sexual assault policies at Binghamton University

July 14, 2020

Binghamton University strives to be a campus where all individuals are respected and are given opportunities for personal development and increased autonomy. These goals are put at risk when students are subjected to sexual violence or debasement.

The recent Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS) Sexual Assault Campus Climate (SACC) survey conducted during the spring 2020 semester, as well as a recent letter from the Student Association of Binghamton University regarding the campus’s handling of sexual assault and harassment, make it very clear that the University has a lot more to do in terms of supporting victims and survivors of sexual assault. Moreover, as an institution of higher education, we take seriously our role in educating members of the campus community about their responsibilities with regard to sexual assault, and we support all campus organizations that are working to advance this purpose.

Sexual assaults and harassment have a profoundly negative impact on students’ learning and well-being. Victims of sexual assault suffer disproportionately from depression, drug and alcohol abuse, and post-traumatic stress disorder, and are also more likely to have academic challenges and leave college prematurely.

This is a serious problem at Binghamton University. As the HEDS survey shows, approximately 18% of female students have experienced a sexual assault by a male student during their time as a student at Binghamton University. At the same time, 23% of all students reported experiencing unwanted sexual contact or comments during their time at Binghamton. This is unacceptable and we are acting immediately to work to change the culture at our campus through education and training for students, faculty and staff. We also are making changes to make it easier for victims of sexual assault and harassment to report their experiences so the University can better address them.

We are taking the following 11 actions immediately to begin to address this crisis:

1.       We will create a Title IX Council that meets biweekly to discuss sexual assault cases. This council will include the Title IX officer; a representative of the University Police Department; the dean of students; the director of health and counseling; the director of the CARE Team, the director of student conduct; the associate vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion; the director of Residential Life; and the director of Health Promotion and Prevention Services.

2.       We will hire a new sexual violence counselor to work specifically with survivors of sexual assault and assign two of our existing counselors to deal specifically with these cases.

3.       We will increase the scope, enhance trainings and double our investment in programs that train students on sexual assault prevention.

4.       We will engage an outside consultant to review our practices and educational programs addressing sexual assault.

5.       We will hire two new sexual violence investigators, specifically trained for this work. These investigators will work with victims and survivors to identify perpetrators, bystanders and witnesses so that the prosecution and disciplinary sanctions against the perpetrator are executed quickly and to the fullest extent of our Code of Student Conduct.   

6.       We will increase awareness and prevention training programs for faculty, staff and administrators so that they can better support students who have experienced a sexual assault.

7.       We have created an anonymous online reporting site that students and others can use to report a case of a sexual assault that they have seen or been part of. This reporting process will protect the identity of the reporting individual. 

8.       We will review our Code of Student Conduct to make prosecution and disciplinary action more rapid, by creating a hearing process that prioritizes sexual assault cases over other student conduct cases.

9.   We will pursue increasing the mandatory sanctions for all forms of sexual misconduct to increase the likeliness of suspension and expulsion as the outcome for all sexual misconduct cases.

10.   We will conduct our Office of Institutional Research and Assessment survey annually. We will also conduct every other year the SUNY-wide Sexual Assault and Prevention Survey in the second half of the spring semester. 

11.   We will ensure and continue to be in compliance with the annual NCAA Title IX attestation requirements. This includes educating all student-athletes, coaches and staff each year on sexual violence prevention, intervention and response.

Together we will end this horrible behavior through a strong, consistent and effective educational approach. And when a sexual assault happens, we will act swiftly to support our survivors with the compassion that they need, deserve and require, and to punish the perpetrators.

Enough is enough. 

Sincerely,

Harvey Stenger
President

A message from Provost Donald Nieman on rescinded guidelines for international students

July 14, 2020

We are pleased to report that the Trump Administration has withdrawn the proposed guidelines issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last week that would have required international students to leave the country if their university offered courses exclusively online or shifted to fully online instruction during the course of the semester. DHS has decided to continue in effect the guidelines it issued this spring that gave international students the flexibility to take all courses online if necessary. This recognizes the value that international students bring to our campus, community and country, and the special difficulties they face studying abroad in the midst of a global pandemic.

I thank staff in the President's Office and the Office of International Education and Global Affairs for their work with our elected federal officials and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities to advocate for reconsideration of the guidelines. We are also indebted to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Anthony Brindisi for their advocacy, and New York State Attorney General Letitia James for filing a lawsuit in federal district court challenging the guidelines.

We still have many difficulties to overcome as we plan for the fall semester. This decision means that there is one fewer!

Donald Nieman
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

A message about the status of our international students

July 8, 2020

To the Binghamton University Community,

Binghamton University recruits the best students from across the U.S. and around the world. International students are 12% of our enrollment and a vital part of our community. They bring a variety of perspectives and experiences that contribute to the diversity of our campus and enrich the education of all students.

• International students also provide significant economic benefits to our region, state and nation:
• International students contribute $41 billion annually to the U.S. economy and make higher education the nation’s fourth largest export behind only autos, aeronautics and pharmaceuticals.
• Tuition paid by international students at public universities helps to keep in-state tuition low and has enabled public universities to function with decreasing state support.
• Recruiting smart, highly motivated students from across the globe contributes to the nation’s intellectual capital and economic productivity: international students earning graduate degrees in science and engineering enrich our innovation economy as evidenced by the fact that, according to the World Bank, a 10% increase in international graduate students produces a 4.5% increase in patent applications and a 6.8% increase in university patent grants.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted life on our campus and at universities around the world. But it has made life especially challenging for international students. They are separated from family and friends at a stressful time, and if they left the country in March, they will have a difficult time getting back to campus to resume educational programs in which they have made significant investments. Federal regulations also limit students who are studying in the U.S. from taking all of their classes online.

In March, as the pandemic struck the U.S. and universities transitioned to online instruction, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued guidelines that provided much-needed flexibility by authorizing students who held F-1 and J-1 visas to take all of their courses online.

We are deeply concerned about recently proposed regulations from DHS that prohibit international students from remaining enrolled at universities that are fully online in the 2020-21 academic year. While Binghamton’s plan for the fall will allow international students to comply with federal regulations, the proposed guidelines could create problems for international students in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak that would require us to shift to fully online instruction to protect the safety of our students, faculty and staff.

What we — and, most importantly, our students — need is the flexibility that DHS provided in March 2020 allowing international students to take all of their classes online should public health concerns necessitate a pause in, or cessation of, in-person instruction. Consequently, we implore DHS to revisit the guidelines and ask that our federal representatives work with DHS officials to extend the flexibility that it allowed in March.

International students and the universities that serve them deserve no less. Our international students have made significant investments in their education, and it would be an act of bad faith to prevent them from continuing their studies through graduation. Universities have made elaborate plans based on guidance we have received from DHS. To change the guidelines six weeks before classes begin will do irreparable damage to universities and their students — all of whom benefit from the diversity, passion and intellect that international students contribute.

Kind regards,

Harvey G. Stenger, President

Donald G. Nieman, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

A message from President Harvey Stenger

July 3, 2020

To Binghamton University Students,

Recently, there have been very disturbing social media posts reporting incidents of sexual violence involving former and current Binghamton University students and some of our student organizations.

These stories are deeply troubling and, indeed, gut-wrenching for me. Hard as they are to hear, I am grateful that individuals have brought them to our attention. No one should ever feel as if they have nowhere to turn if they are assaulted or experience any behavior that violates their personal safety, their right to a safe environment and their right to a safe college experience. These stories demonstrate disgusting behaviors and clearly illustrate how much work the University and student body have to do to ensure the safety and dignity of all of our students. 

I’ve read the stories, I hear you and I am committed to making real progress to put a halt to any sexual assaults within our community and commit that all Binghamton University offices will continue working with all students to make them feel heard and supported and to encourage students to report incidents. We have been proactive on many fronts in providing appropriate resources, training and educational messages, and we have established clear and easily accessed avenues for students to file complaints, receive justice, share their stories and receive counseling for whatever their experience has been. However, we are always working to improve systems and processes in this area, and we will continue to do so.

Therefore, I have asked that our Division of Student Affairs conduct a thorough review and examination of all of our internal procedures, policies and processes surrounding issues involving sexual assault. This process will begin with our Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life. Staff will reach out to all fraternities and sororities to reiterate our expectation that their members complete a sexual assault prevention program. We will require verification of completion as part of the accreditation process for Greek life organizations. 

Binghamton’s Office of Health Promotion and Prevention Services (HPPS) will continue to provide and update our broad range of education and training programs designed to help prevent sexual violence and encourage reporting of any incidents. We will also improve the ways we go about informing our students of available help and resources. HPPS provides more than 100 interpersonal violence prevention presentations during the academic year, including on topics of bystander intervention, consent education and dating violence. Our 20:1 program — which has gained national recognition — will continue to be an integral part of prevention measures. For a complete list visit of programming, see Interpersonal Violence Prevention.

Binghamton University does not tolerate sexual violence, harassment or assault. We make every effort possible to provide a fair and equitable process while protecting the rights of all parties involved. The specific sections of the Code of Student Conduct that pertain to sexual assault hearings come from New York state law (Enough is Enough). We are committed to investigating sexual violence charges thoroughly and fairly while holding those found responsible culpable for their actions.

Any students bringing forward a complaint alleging sexual misconduct have the opportunity to elect what action will be taken by the University. They may elect police action, referral to student conduct, both — or no action. A student can change that election if they wish at a later date.   

When a student elects to refer the matter to Student Conduct, an initial investigation is done by the staff to determine what charges are to be made under the code. When a student is charged with violating the Code of Student Conduct, the student can accept responsibility for the charges, and the case is resolved by Administrative Agreement that includes appropriate disciplinary sanctions. If the student disputes the charges, the case is forwarded for review by a Student Conduct Board. Conduct boards in sexual misconduct cases consist of specially trained students and staff.

Since August 2017, the names of 63 alleged perpetrators have been referred to the Office of Student Conduct via this process.

Of those 63 alleged perpetrators:

• 45 were charged by the office
• 5 were not charged due to lack of sufficient information
• 13 were not investigated/charged/brought to hearing at the request of the reporting individual

Of those 45 charged perpetrators:

• 36 were found responsible, of which 17 were suspended or expelled and the remainder were placed on probation and/or lost housing privileges
• 8 were charged and found not responsible 
• 1 had the charges dropped

These numbers reflect that the University takes sexual assault seriously and provides redress to victims. These numbers reflect the cases where students have sought assistance from the Office of Student Conduct. We are painfully aware that there are many, many more individuals who have experienced sexual violence whose cases are not reflected here. To reduce the number of assaults and ensure that all victims seek assistance and redress, we are committed to enhancing programming designed to change student culture and also to encourage victims to come forward.

This is our promise to you: We will continue to work to change the culture on our campus and be responsive to victims of sexual assault while listening to everyone and helping those who seek support. In return, we ask that, whenever possible, all students report any incidents they have direct knowledge of or have been directly involved in to any one of these offices: Decker Student Health Services Center, University Counseling Center, Office of Student Conduct, Residential Life, the University Ombudsman, Title IX coordinator, the CARE Team or the UPD/local police. By doing so, we can make sure that each incident is fully investigated and adjudicated as appropriate.

Sincerely,

Harvey G. Stenger
President

A message from President Harvey Stenger

June 22, 2020

To Members of the Binghamton University Community,

I am writing in response to letters that you have recently sent me regarding your concern for the emotional health, physical safety, and civil rights of Black students, faculty, and staff on the Binghamton campus. Your letters also raise questions about the University’s response to specific instances over the past eight years, as well as systemic issues present on our campus today. My most recent statements and actions have tried to address these concerns; however, these steps are just the most recent of many efforts and initiatives I have advanced as president.

Since I first arrived at Binghamton in 2012, a key priority has been to make our campus a place where everyone feels that they belong and are supported in their efforts to excel. When I arrived at Binghamton, that was not the case. Throughout this time, I’ve strongly condemned racist incidents on campus, and have called for civility and respect in all campus discourse. Still, I recognize that there have been times when neither I, nor my administration have lived up to this promise, and that we, are still learning.

In recent weeks, I have heard the collective voice in the streets call for racial justice. Moved by what I have seen and heard, I recommended that the University take actions that will reaffirm our commitment to a diverse campus and that specifically recognize that Black Lives Matter. For the first time, Binghamton University will establish a Campus Citizens Review Board to work with the Binghamton University Police, ensuring that students, faculty and staff have a voice in reviewing and improving police policies, procedures, budgets and practices. This step is just the beginning of a series of initiatives that will improve the campus experience of all underrepresented minorities.

We also support Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Say their Name Reform Agenda that has enacted specific transparency and policing requirements on law enforcement officers, including the Binghamton University Police. These reforms include release of prior disciplinary records; banning of chokeholds; the prohibition of false, race-based 911 calls; and the designation of the attorney general as an independent prosecutor in all civilian deaths by police. These policy changes echo those of President Obama’s Commit to Action call for cities to review police enforcement policies, to engage a diversity of experiences in the review process, to publicly report findings and to reform use of force policies based on those findings. I also support the NAACP’s demands for federal legislation on police policies and practices and will institute them in our university police policies.

In addition, the University has allocated $1.5 million in endowment funds to establish the George Floyd Scholarship for Social Change to support minority students. At the same time, funding for the Clifford D. Clark Diversity Fellowships program for graduate students has been increased by $200,000 annually.

These are just the most recent steps the University has made to strengthen diversity and support inclusion. As part of the University’s Road Map to Premier strategic plan developed in 2012, the campus emphasized inclusion as a strategic priority and established the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (now division (DDEI)) as well as the position of chief diversity officer — making Binghamton the first campus in the SUNY system to do so. DDEI initiated our first Campus Climate Survey in 2015, to assess the status of campus diversity. This survey provided a baseline assessment and indicated areas where we needed improvement. At around the same time, Harpur College’s Committee for Diversity and Inclusion issued a report addressing these issues in the University’s largest college. This review, like the Campus Climate Survey, indicated that the University had much work to do to truly make ours a diverse and inclusive campus.

Working with DDEI, every school and division has added diversity officers to facilitate and manage resources to promote diversity and inclusion, while the campus as a whole has established specific targets and metrics for measuring the success of our collective efforts. These goals include recruiting more minority students, hiring more minority faculty and staff, and supporting efforts to establish a culture of inclusion and ensuring greater resources for campus members with disabilities. The Harpur report strongly recommended the creation of a Faculty Senate Committee on Diversity; in the years since it was established, this committee has been a strong voice for faculty of color to help shift the campus culture.

The University’s Admissions Office and Graduate School have also played a key role in our efforts to enroll minority students, and the campus has increased minority enrollment at a faster pace than our overall growth, with historically under-represented minority (URM) students accounting for 17.9% of undergraduate and 11.2% of graduate enrollment in 2019, up from 15.4% and 7.1% in 2015. During that same four-year period, enrollment of black – non-Hispanic students increased by 15%, and by 31% since 2012. In recent years, our Admissions Office has also increased its outreach to high schools that serve underrepresented and financially challenged populations.

Over the years, Binghamton has implemented a number of programs and scholarships to attract and support minority students. At the graduate level, these include the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) and the LSAMP Bridge to Doctorate program, application fee waivers of STEM program scholarships, and the recently expanded Clark Fellowship. In addition, the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program and the Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program have provided support and mentoring to encourage undergraduates to pursue graduate education.

At the same time, I recognize that success depends on having faculty and staff role models. It is clear that the University faces significant challenges in trying to recruit and retain minority faculty. Some of these challenges are beyond the University’s ability to control, such as the number of minority scholars in the academic pipeline, partner employment opportunities and competition among institutions seeking minority applicants, as well as the cultural and social vitality of the surrounding region. After some initial success in recruiting minority faculty following development of the Road Map in 2012, our numbers have remained essentially static at around 8% of faculty since 2015. At the same time, URM staff have only increased from 4.4% to 5.2% since 2012. There are several possible reasons for this lack of progress; but we aren’t satisfied with where we are.

In an effort to increase URM faculty, in 2017, the University implemented a new minority faculty recruitment program, the Presidential Post-Doctoral Fellowship Program designed to bring to campus URM faculty in disciplines that have difficulties recruiting minority faculty. This program now serves as the model for part of SUNY’s PRODiG program that seeks to attract 1,000 new URM faculty into the SUNY system. The University also annually offers Presidential Diversity Research Grants that provide funding for URM assistant professors. In addition, we have introduced the practice of “cluster hiring.” Last year, Harpur College launched a Critical Studies in Race and Inequality cluster hire initiative that is designed to attract minority faculty and provide them with a supportive group of colleagues who share their intellectual interests. While the current pause in hiring occasioned by the pandemic has slowed this initiative, we were successful in filling two of the four positions that were part of the cluster.

At the same time, we recognize that the University’s broader culture also plays a crucial role in recruiting and retaining students and faculty of color. I hear the concerns that the University environment is one that can diminish the achievements, goals and sense of belonging of our black and brown students and faculty. Changing the culture of a campus is perhaps the most difficult task any president has, but it is essential if we are to be a place that lives up to its promise of inclusion. For this reason, I have supported a large number of programs that support minority students and educate other campus populations.

I know that this is a challenging time for our minority students, faculty and staff of color. The current cultural and political climate is especially divisive, and this is reflected on our campus. We draw students from a diverse set of backgrounds — but the reality is that some students bring with them perspectives and prejudices that lead to microaggressions against students of color, making them feel marginalized. This is a difficult problem with no easy solutions. However, we are educators, and we must work together to develop educational strategies to address the problem, ensure that students of color feel included and create an environment that realizes the potential of diversity.

The Division of Student Affairs, in particular, has established a number of programs to support and encourage minority students’ success and to show that we value their experiences and backgrounds. For example, the University Counseling Center has increased staffing by nearly 20% since 2017-18, with 66% of the new staff being diversity hires, while the Dean of Students Office also added a new position that was filled by a diverse candidate. In addition, the Fleishman Center hosted the University’s first “Diversity Roundtable” event, connecting talented students with employers that emphasize diversity in their workplaces, while also offering a Flip Fair that focused on student cultural organizations. Student affairs staff from TRIO and other offices helped organize the B-First mentoring program for first-generation students, a group in which minority students are disproportionately represented. These programs are being encouraged through the Student Affairs Divisional Diversity Initiatives, which provides seed grants for the development of programs that promote anti-racism and social justice. Student affairs also is home to the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), which supports access and success for economically disadvantaged students. Binghamton’s EOP program is a leader within SUNY in terms of student retention and graduation, with rates that frequently exceed both the national and Binghamton University averages. Indeed, the retention rate for African American students from their first to second year has averaged 91.7% between 2012 and 2018, compared to the overall University retention rate of first to second year of 90.9%. The University has been an avid supporter of EOP, advocating yearly in Albany for financial support for the program. Since 2012, the University has provided support for EOP students to earn up to 8 credit hours in the Binghamton Enrichment Program, which all EOP students take the summer before their first year. More recently, Binghamton has provided increased housing scholarships for students in this program, as well as for students who are eligible for Pell grants.

The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, which we created in 2013, has as its charge the fostering of a diverse and equitable campus culture. DDEI has taken the lead in promoting forums on diversity and inclusiveness involving members of the Thurgood Marshall Pre-Law Society, University Men of Color Scholastic Society and New York Students Rising. DDEI also oversees the University’s hiring processes to ensure fairness and non-discriminatory practices, as well as cultural competency and civility workshops that are attended by more than 600 faculty, staff and administrators each year, as well as monthly workshops for students and student organizations. These sessions have focused on issues including microaggression, disability as diversity and inclusive pedagogy. The University continues to support and strengthen DDEI’s work on campus, most recently by naming Dr. Karen A. Jones as the inaugural vice president for the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Jones comes to Binghamton with a 30-year career focused on civil rights compliance, equity initiatives and human resources strategies in higher education, healthcare and private industry. She will be a strong ally for students and faculty pushing for inclusion and equity on campus.

As a public university, Binghamton has a special responsibility to educate its students about the past and present so they can create a more just future. A number of people have suggested that the University require students take more courses that examine the history of race and gender in America. I believe this moment presents an opportunity for Binghamton to reconsider its core curriculum and I will support efforts to develop a curriculum that addresses these issues clearly and forthrightly. Nonetheless, the responsibility for curriculum at Binghamton, like other universities, rests with the faculty and I encourage engagement with the Faculty Senate on these critical matters.

Binghamton’s administration has encouraged teaching and research that address human rights and systemic oppression and has encouraged donor support for new programs in these fields. For example, in just the past three years, Binghamton alumni and supporters have established endowments to create the Ellyn Uram Kaschak Institute for Social Justice for Women and Girls, the Institute for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention (I-GMAP) and the Human Rights Institute. The Undergraduate Research Center’s Source Project also offers students targeted research and scholarship opportunities in research streams that can touch on issues of human rights and racial oppression.

Binghamton University has a long history of social activism and civic engagement. Students and faculty have created research and scholarship that challenges the status quo and have, literally, put their bodies on the line in pursuit of social justice. From the earliest days of the Red Scare and Civil Rights Movement, to Vietnam and Stonewall, they’ve pushed to create a more inclusive society — and campus. The current struggle that pushes against police brutality and proclaims “Black Lives Matter” continues this tradition and forces institutions, including this University, to consider our role in shaping and changing society. As president, I’m immensely proud of the work our students and faculty have done in the current climate to raise awareness, confront unjust power structures and advocate for the worth of black lives. I also appreciate the thoughtful engagement and measured suggestions that faculty and students have made to me regarding initiatives and proposals that would strengthen diversity and build inclusion on campus.

We are at a critical turning point for the University — we will be restarting campus and our goal is to ensure that this is a campus that lives up to its commitment to diversity and is a welcoming campus for everyone. This is a task that will be as challenging as it is important, and I look forward to working together with faculty, staff and students to develop further programs and policies to achieve these ends and I look forward to your continued support and welcome your ideas.

Sincerely,

Harvey G. Stenger
President

A message from President Harvey Stenger

June 19, 2020

Dear Binghamton University Community,

June 19, 1865 marked a turning point in American history. It was on this date in 1865 that Union soldiers in Texas informed the community of Galveston that slavery was abolished, the Civil War had ended and former enslaved people were forever free. In the intervening years, Juneteenth has become a day of commemoration and celebration, as well as a day of recognition that the promise of equality is not yet complete.

In 2020, the celebration of Juneteenth is especially relevant. Our nation, our state and our campus are currently in the midst of a difficult yet long-overdue discussion of the legacy of slavery — with continued evidence of systemic racism, inequality and stark racial disparities that stain the promise of Emancipation more than 150 years later.

Binghamton University welcomes Juneteenth as an opportunity for the entire campus community to reflect on this history, share joy in the progress our nation has made in moving toward equality and, more importantly, recognize the distance yet to travel before equality and justice are reached. At the same time, as we commemorate Juneteenth, let us celebrate the many contributions African Americans have made to American society — from playing a critical role in building our country and our culture to insisting that we be true to the promise of equality that we have too often betrayed.

We are especially pleased that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has taken the step of issuing an Executive Order recognizing Juneteenth as a holiday this year, with the promise of offering legislation in the coming year that will make it an annual state holiday. For the University, June 19 will be an opportunity to learn about this history and to grow as an institution, with the goal of making our campus a more just and inclusive space.

Harvey Stenger
President

A message from President Harvey Stenger

June 10, 2020

Dear Binghamton University Community,

The past several months have been very difficult and troubling, traumatic even, especially for Binghamton’s Black students, faculty and staff. We’ve learned about the disparate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color and, through video, we have witnessed the horrifying deaths of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery. Disturbing details regarding the death of Breonna Taylor have shocked our consciences. These events are only the most recent in a long history of violence against Black Americans and have caused our cultural community a great deal of pain. As a premier educational institution, our goal must be to make our campus a place where everyone feels that they belong and supported in their efforts to excel.

Legislative proposals by New York state and the NAACP call for sweeping police reform through federal and state legislation that mandates a zero-tolerance approach when penalizing and/or prosecuting police officers who kill unarmed, non-violent and non-resisting individuals in an arrest. 

Not only do we support these calls for change, but our campus will take action on them by immediately applying them to our police department and personnel. In alignment with these proposals, we will establish a Campus Citizens Review Board, composed of students, faculty and staff, that will be charged with reviewing and improving the Binghamton University Police Department’s policies, procedures and practice. I am dedicated to creating this board and will work with the campus community toward decisive action. We encourage all other local and regional police agencies to follow this lead.

Also, with input from the Campus Citizens Review Board, we will reallocate a proportion of funds from the police department to other campus services that are more appropriate to respond to campus emergencies related to issues such as mental health. 

We are also committed to the academic success of the Black community. Therefore, the George Floyd Memorial Scholarship has been established to support future African American leaders who seek racial justice and endeavor to make a positive impact on the world. An endowment of $1.5 million will be used to provide financial support to deserving students. In addition, to attract and support underrepresented graduate students, we will reallocate funds to add $200,000 to the annual budget for the Clifford D. Clark Diversity Fellowships for Graduate Students on our campus.

Our alumni and supporters have a tradition of civic engagement and financial support to our students. We see no better way for them to put their values into action than to support these efforts. We will make the George Floyd Memorial Scholarship a funding priority, seeking additional donations to increase its impact.

The initiatives put forth are just the beginning, but I hope that — together — we will realize a society where Black Lives Matter.

Sincerely,

Harvey Stenger
President

A message from President Harvey Stenger

May 30, 2020

Dear University Community,

I join with millions across the country in expressing outrage at the brutal killing of George Floyd and extend our deepest sympathy to his grieving family. I call upon local, state and federal officials to bring all of their resources to bear to bring those responsible to justice.

Mr. Floyd’s killing was a senseless act of racist violence made all the more horrific because it represents the brutality that people of color experience every day. More than 50 years ago, the murders of James Chaney, Mickey Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, Jimmy Lee Jackson and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. triggered massive protests that led to the passage of landmark civil rights legislation. Yet today, people of color continue to suffer from income inequality, inadequate access to healthcare and violence, often at the hands of police, as the deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and so many more demonstrate. Enough is enough! We must stop the violence and injustice that people of color endure.

While the Binghamton University community stands together with the thousands engaged in peaceful protest of Mr. Floyd’s killing, we also call on those responding with violence to desist. The pain and anger that may provoke these acts is understandable, but violence only deflects attention from the tragedy of Mr. Floyd’s death and the action we must take to stop racist violence. 

At a time when we must come together as communities and a country to protect one another from a vicious virus, I ask that our community and the country come together to mourn Mr. Floyd’s death, demand justice for the perpetrators, work together to end the scourge of racist violence and create communities that are true to the values represented by Dr. King.

Sincerely,

Harvey Stenger
President

For more information and updates, continue to visit the University's COVID-19 website.

A message about returning to normal from President Harvey Stenger

May 18, 2020

Dear University Community,

As I write this letter, I am looking out my window at an empty campus, which will largely remain empty for the remainder of the summer sessions. However, we are anticipating and planning a reopening for the fall semester.

We spent the last part of March and the beginning of April managing the transition to remote learning and work, and doing our best to minimize the impact that had on our students, faculty and staff. At the same time, we were making a pro-rata return of room, board and fees to all of our students. Both were all-consuming tasks that demanded our full attention to make sure they were as successful as possible. Our top priority was helping our students succeed academically and ensuring they had the financial resources they needed during this very challenging time.

In mid-April, Provost Donald Nieman and I formed a relatively small working group of public health experts as well as campus professionals from critical areas of campus, including student life, research and education. We call this 11-member group the Return to Normal team (RTN). The RTN team is comprised of individuals with more than two centuries of combined Binghamton University experience and expertise in medicine and public health. Their charge was not to tell us how to return to normal, or what I now refer to as Reopening the Campus (RTC). Rather, they were to benchmark our reopening efforts against peer universities across the country. As an added resource to the RTN team, I opened a portal for campus members to submit their suggestions on how to reopen. I was pleased and excited by the response, receiving more than 200 thoughtful ideas in less than two weeks, an indication of how committed our students, faculty and staff are to our campus. I have read all of these suggestions, thanked each submitter and passed these ideas on to the RTN team. 

The RTN team was also charged with evaluating scenarios with focus groups across the campus. For example, a scenario to divide the fall semester into two half semesters was tested with faculty and staff in a variety of areas and disciplines. The team quickly found significant problems with this approach. Because the benefits were marginal, the idea was not pursued further. The team is doing this with dozens of scenarios, addressing topics such as residence hall occupancy, our academic calendar, modes of instruction, classroom occupancy, restarting research activity, transportation, staff returning to campus, virus testing, etc.

In parallel with the RTN efforts, I have met regularly with the more than 100 university presidents who are members of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), the nine presidents of the America East Conference and the 64 presidents of SUNY. Similar meetings are being held with vice presidents of research, vice presidents of student affairs, provosts, business officers and chief financial officers. I have also had productive conversations with the SUNY Chancellor's COVID-19 Task Force, U.S. Congressmen Hakeem Jeffries and Anthony Brindisi, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer’s higher education staff, NY Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, NY Sen. Fred Akshar, Broome County Executive Jason Garner, Binghamton Mayor Rich David and the village trustees of Johnson City. One of the benefits of all of these meetings is learning; we all have similar problems with common potential solutions. I have also come to the realization that, in many ways, Binghamton University is near the head of the pack on assessing and planning for what it will take to reopen safely. I credit that to the excellent work of the RTN team.

During these last two months, we were also watching and waiting for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to define some of the parameters of how we could reopen. If you are watching his daily updates, you probably saw the one held Monday, May 11, at our School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences building. There, he showed more details about which regions could reopen and what process organizations would have to follow to reopen. It was gratifying to see in his presentation that the eight-county Southern Tier region had met all of the criteria for reopening. We are one of the first five regions out of 10 in the state that can now pursue gradual reopening in four phases. This was the signal that we needed to narrow scenarios, prepare implementation plans and choose among scenarios based on three important criteria: (1) protect the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff and surrounding community; (2) maximize the success of our students in their education and our faculty in their research and creative activities; and (3) fully meet the expectations of New York state and Broome County. 

To do this, we knew that we needed more than the RTN team; in fact, we probably need every employee, student and community member to make our reopening a success. And while directly engaging our 4,000+ employees and 18,000 students is impossible, we have built 15 working groups comprised of nearly 100 people.

These working groups have been charged with creating plans for the hundreds of tasks needed to reopen safely and efficiently. In most cases the topics of the working groups identify their charge and scope of work. These groups have begun to meet frequently and will meet as one single large group each week, where we can learn of strategies, best practices, an overlap of responsibilities and advancement of the plans. The progress of these working groups will be tracked and reported on by our Office of Emergency Management, ensuring that we have the resources needed to meet the schedule of all tasks.

The good news is that I am confident we will have a fully workable and detailed plan in mid- to late-June that we will present to SUNY and New York state for approval. The bad news is that we have a lot of work to do to get to the first day of fall classes. This work includes actions that are still being defined, and incorporating the anticipated changing guidance from New York state and local and national health departments. As we identify tasks, we will begin implementing them as soon as possible and not wait for the full announcement in mid-June. There just isn’t time to take that approach. In the spirit of this go-when-ready concept, we have implemented a process with associated protocols to return faculty, staff and students to campus spaces where they conduct their scholarship, research and creative activities. The reopening of these spaces to the approximately 500 people who will use them will occur over the last two weeks of May, ensuring safety and compliance with New York state and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. We anticipate that we will learn a great deal from this initial step toward reopening and that it will inform the rest of the campus reopening measures. 

Many people have asked me, “How can I help?” Let me offer a few suggestions:

For faculty: I ask that, after you’ve finished your spring grading, take a well-deserved rest. I know how hard and tiring it is to teach a full load, and I can only imagine how extra hard it was to move completely online with so little time to prepare. Then, after some well-deserved rest and recharging, you could possibly restart that paper you had set aside, dust off that project you were starting, or read the articles and books that have piled up in your inbox. However you have spent past summers, I anticipate you will do the same this summer. But you may also want to add a new routine to your summer schedule and find time to check in with James Pitarresi in the Center for Learning and Teaching at jmp@binghamton.edu. Check with him to see what he can do to help you prepare for the fall semester. One of the most likely scenarios this fall will require teaching both remotely and in person, and James and his staff are there to help. They will be reaching out to you to help you plan to deliver the high-quality, intellectually stimulating courses Binghamton is known for.

For staff: The reality is that it is best if we continue to reduce our physical density on campus for a while. For those employees who have the ability to successfully complete their work remotely, there will be a variety of options available. You will need to engage in conversations with your supervisor to determine what works best for both you and your department. Some employees may find that a combination of working remotely and coming into the office works best. However, many of our employees’ jobs require that they physically be on campus to perform them. In those instances, we are developing plans to keep our employees and the University community as safe as possible. We should all expect that the work environment will be different for the foreseeable future. We will be social distancing, wearing masks, cleaning frequently and minimizing person-to-person contact. We will not be able to congregate socially in breakrooms or hallways. I also understand that there a number of employees who have health concerns and we will work with you on a case-by-case basis to address those concerns.

For students: Take a break! You deserve it! Go for a walk, read a novel, play a game with your sibling and sleep in until noon a few days a week. But at the same time, start getting excited about returning — not too excited though, as social distancing will have new expectations for how you will live and learn this fall.

This letter was way too long, but there is so much to say and do, and I want everyone to be informed and prepared — and ready to take on the challenges we face. While I won’t be making as many videos this summer, I will continue to communicate with you often.

Thank you for your great work and commitment to Binghamton University during this challenging time.

Sincerely,
Harvey

For more information and updates, continue to visit the University's COVID-19 website.

Congratulations to the Class of 2020!

This weekend, Binghamton University celebrates the achievements of the Class of 2020.

Ordinarily, we would see the campus filled with parents and families streaming to the Events Center, eager to see their student walk across the stage, marking the culmination of their years of study at Binghamton. I would be on stage, happily shaking hands with more than 4,000 graduating seniors and graduate students, each with a big smile and a well-deserved look of achievement on their face.

This year, of course, is different. With the state’s pause in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Binghamton University has had to postpone our normal Commencement ceremonies.

Still, I want to take some time today to recognize your achievements and congratulate you on a job well done. I also want to thank all of the friends and family who have worked alongside you to help you reach this milestone, a responsibility made all the more vital as you left campus to continue your work from home.

This has been a long and challenging year for you — a year that required a complete rethinking of how to complete your coursework, how to maintain networks and strengthen friendships, and how to adapt your knowledge and intelligence to helping meet the new challenges posed by the coronavirus. I know that these circumstances have left us all unsettled — with our lives interrupted and the future uncertain.

But if there is one thing I know, it is that Binghamton students — and especially you in the Class of 2020 —are resilient.

I have seen you and your class do amazing things, including building cross-cultural and international bridges with peers halfway around the globe, finding ways to combat climate change, and taking center stage in theater and musical performances on campus and on Broadway. But most of all, I’ve been impressed by the care and concern you’ve demonstrated for your fellow students.

You’ve shared some interesting times as students at Binghamton — separated by COVID-19 today, but also brought together in celebration. Indeed, one of my enduring memories of the Class of 2020 will be of last October, when the campus community — including many of the seniors and graduate students we celebrate today — helped recognize Binghamton University Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Materials Science M. Stanley Whittingham on his award of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

It was a remarkable day that showed us the joy and pride that fills our campus when one of us succeeds — much like the satisfaction and elation we share with all of you today.

And I am certain that in the near future, because of the education that you received here at Binghamton, you, too, will have opportunities for national acclaim for your personal and professional accomplishments. You, like Professor Whittingham, will leave your mark on the world and change it for the better.

I can say this because you already have.

So congratulations to all of you and best wishes for the future. I can’t wait to see you again later this year when we get together to celebrate Commencement for this truly exceptional class.

Sincerely,
Harvey Stenger

P.S.: Hopefully, you were all in attendance on May 14 at the Champagne Sendoff. If not, here is a link to the recorded event. Enjoy!

For more information and updates, continue to visit the University's COVID-19 website.

A message to continuing students about the fall semester from President Harvey Stenger

As we approach the end of this highly unusual semester, many are asking, “What will the fall semester look like?”

First, we’re planning for a semester that prioritizes keeping our students and community safe. We have a team of public health and medical experts who are working closely with New York health authorities to be sure that health and safety guide our thinking.

Second, we’re planning to have students on campus this fall. The details are being ironed out as our public health team evaluates the situation. We’ll keep you informed as plans develop, but our focus is to find a safe way to return to learning on campus.

Third, we recognize that things can change quickly. Just as we all had to shift rapidly to a remote learning environment this spring, public health requirements might result in another disruption to the fall semester. While we intend and plan to be on campus, we are also preparing for scenarios in which that’s not possible for part or all of our fall semester.

If we are forced to teach and learn remotely again, we’ll take what we’ve learned this spring to provide the best learning experiences possible. With several months to prepare, we’ll make good use of the time. And it won’t just be classes — we’re preparing to have a broad range of co-curricular activities even if we have to make another temporary departure from our typical on-campus experience.

We’d like to be able to tell you exactly what our fall semester will look like, but at this time we can’t. What we can tell you is that while we’re expecting a full return to on-campus learning, we’re also preparing to deliver a great online learning and co-curricular experience if those plans have to be modified.

As we learn more and our plans become more clear, we’ll be providing updates to you. Meanwhile, best wishes for health, safety and a successful conclusion to a semester like no other.

Harvey G. Stenger
President
Binghamton University

For more information and updates, continue to visit the University's COVID-19 website.

An updated message about the tenure process 

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted higher education, profoundly changing the way we teach and interact with students and colleagues and interrupting research, scholarship and creative activities. The disruption and uncertainties created by the pandemic may make it more difficult for tenure-track faculty to meet department, school and University expectations for reappointment or tenure on the timeline mandated by the Procedures for Personnel Cases.

Binghamton University is strongly committed to the success of our faculty. To ensure that tenure-track faculty are not unfairly disadvantaged by extraordinary circumstances beyond their control, Binghamton University will pause the tenure clock of all current tenure-track faculty for one year. This policy, which replaces the guidelines announced on March 25, 2020, does not apply to tenure-track faculty whose reviews have been considered during the 2019-20 review cycle. Any tenure-track faculty member who nevertheless wishes to proceed with reappointment or tenure review on what would have been their regularly mandated schedule in AY 2020-21 may still do so by informing the Provost’s Office in writing (with a copy to their department chair and dean) by no later than May 10, 2020, to allow sufficient time to begin preparation of their case.* Non-mandated cases — whether for tenure and promotion or promotion to professor — may proceed according to the schedule stipulated in the Procedures for Personnel Cases.

*This date applies to faculty whose term appointment ends in August 2021. The deadline for faculty whose term ends in December 2021 will be Feb. 1, 2021.

Sincerely,

Donald Nieman
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

For more information and updates, continue to visit the University's COVID-19 website.

What will a return to normalcy look like?

When the worst of the coronavirus pandemic is behind us and New York state’s pause is over, Binghamton University will need to return to a new normal — but what will a post-pandemic normal look like?

A Public Health Advisory Group and six coordinators have been charged by President Harvey Stenger and Provost Donald Nieman to develop recommendations for the University’s “the new-normal” plans.

“As a campus, we were able to come together quickly to move classes online, drastically downsize student housing and learn to work remotely,” said Stenger. “We need similar quick action to do the reverse as we develop plans to ramp back up to our new normal.”

The Public Health Advisory Group, chaired by Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Johann Fiore-Conte, includes:

• Yvonne Johnston, associate professor and founding director of the Master in Public Health program
• Mario Ortiz, dean and professor of nursing for Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences
• Richard Moose, MD, medical director of Decker Student Health Services Center
• Hiroki Sayama, professor of systems science and industrial engineering

“This group will monitor research and best thinking by public health professionals from across the nation on strategies for universities to accept students back to their campuses and resume in-person instruction,” said Nieman. “Four of the group’s members have expertise in public health, while one has expertise in systems thinking and modeling. Combined, we believe they will be able to provide the guidance we need as we make some very difficult decisions in an uncertain time.”

“The provost and I have also selected individuals to coordinate the planning teams who are knowledgeable, action-oriented and able to quickly identify key leaders and offices from all areas of campus to help in their efforts as they gather information and make recommendations to senior leaders,” Stenger said.

The coordinators for academic areas will consult with deans, faculty and faculty leaders, staff and students, said Nieman. Coordinators for non-academic areas will also use a broad-based approach to gather input.

“We’re not forming committees; we have identified individuals who will reach out broadly, including to shared governance groups, to find those who can best help develop recommendations for how we get back to a bricks-and-mortar model,” Nieman said.

Coordinators and their areas of responsibility are:

• Johann Fiore-Conte: Student and Residential Life
• Mary Beth Curtin: Research
• Donald Loewen: Undergraduate Education
• Krishnaswami “Hari” Srihari: Graduate Education
• Patrick Elliott: Events
• James Pitarresi: Online Instruction and Services Delivery

Coordinators will participate in periodic briefings by the chair of the Public Health Advisory Group, Nieman added.

“In all cases, the coordinator’s role will be to enlist the support of others on campus who possess appropriate knowledge and expertise, monitor what other universities are doing nationwide and develop best practices for Binghamton’s return to normalcy,” Nieman said.

For more information and updates, continue to visit the University's COVID-19 website.

A Commencement update from President Harvey Stenger

Dear members of the Binghamton University graduating class,

Although we are eager to set a Commencement date to celebrate your accomplishments, there are still many unknown factors facing us, so at this time we cannot finalize a date for our rescheduled ceremonies.

We will take into strong consideration the feedback we received in our survey, which showed a 4-to-1 favorite of Aug. 8−9, and a second-place choice of Oct. 2−3. We are keenly aware that accommodations, reservations and travel arrangements will need to be made, and we intend to give you at least two months’ notice between the time of the announcement and the chosen date.

We hope to provide this information and associated details in the second half of May, as we learn more from New York state government and health officials. However, with the current level of uncertainty, we may need to postpone our decision even further.

I wish this message included more information, but I know you needed an update and this is the best we can do at this time. 

Sincerely,

Harvey Stenger
President

For more information and updates, continue to visit the University's COVID-19 website.

A message from Provost Donald Neiman on Graduate Student Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) and other policies for spring 2020

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

This spring, we face an unprecedented public health crisis that has disrupted life across the globe, led universities, including Binghamton University, to move all instruction online, and created uncertainty for students and faculty who are trying to cope with dramatic, rapidly occurring changes. In response to the disruptions created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Binghamton University’s Graduate School is adopting temporary changes to its academic policies to minimize the impact of the disruption on our graduate students.

Policy on S/U grades

For spring 2020, the Graduate School’s policy with respect to the S/U grade option is waived except for those academic programs where licensure or accreditation regulations would prohibit the waiver of this policy.  Specifically, the S/U policy change DOES NOT apply to nursing; pharmacy; clinical psychology; and programs in Teaching, Learning and Educational Leadership.

All students should consult with their graduate program director to determine whether taking a course S/U will result in adverse consequences. These changes affect only Binghamton University graduate degree programs; graduate students who plan to apply to another graduate program after completing their current program should consider how the decision to select the S/U grade option may affect future applications to such programs.

Grades will be assigned normally at the end of the spring 2020 semester. After students see their grades, they will be able to change to an S/U grading option if they would like to do so. The deadline to request a change in grade option to S/U will be June 5. With the exceptions noted above, graduate students may change to an S/U grade option for any course they are currently enrolled in during the spring 2020 semester and a grade of S will fulfill progression and degree requirements accordingly. Correspondingly, S/U courses taken in spring 2020 will count toward residency and degree completion requirements. 

S/U-graded courses do not count toward GPA calculation. Students who need to raise their GPA above the threshold required for graduation (i.e., 3.0) must therefore take this into account in their decision making.

Continuous Registration Policy for graduating students

For summer 2020, the Graduate School’s continuous registration policy has been modified. For students who need to be enrolled for one credit hour to complete their degrees in summer of 2020, and who therefore must maintain continuous registration, the University will absorb the cost of one credit hour of tuition upon petition. To make the request, students who are planning to complete their degrees must submit a general petition form to the Graduate School requesting tuition support for the one credit hour necessary to maintain continuous registration. 

Eligibility for funding for the 2020-21 academic year

The Graduate School will waive the requirement that students have no incompletes or withdrawals on their transcript for the spring semester to remain eligible for funding in the 2020-21 academic year.

Policy on Grade Point Average (GPA)

Graduate students must have a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 to receive their graduate degree. The GPA requirement will not be adjusted and S/U courses do not count toward GPA calculation.

Degree completion and conferral

Degree completion deadlines and degree conferral for spring 2020 will remain unchanged. Students who have been negatively affected by COVID-19 and cannot meet spring 2020 graduation deadlines may submit a general petition form to grad@binghamton.edu for a summer 2020 continuous registration waiver.

Sincerely,

Donald Nieman
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

For more information and updates, continue to visit the University's COVID-19 website.

A message from President Harvey Stenger about refunds

Dear Students:

The COVID-19 pandemic is creating challenges for our society unlike any I have seen in my lifetime.

While we all worry about the health and well-being of family and friends, I know that the pandemic is causing financial stresses and uncertainties for many across the country, including our students and their families. 

Therefore, I’m reaching out to you to let you know that Binghamton University is crediting your student account for prorated housing, dining, course and several broad-based fee charges incurred during the spring 2020 semester that were unused. To provide a clear understanding regarding the calculations used to determine the credit, we have outlined them in the Student section on our COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions webpage and we encourage you to visit the page to review these details.

Beginning April 3, you will see adjustments on your student account. For most of you, depending on your account balance, the University will issue a refund based on these adjustments    

In anticipation of a refund, we encourage you to sign up for direct deposit, ensuring that you will receive all refunds as quickly as possible. You will find instructions on how to sign up for direct deposit on the Student Accounts webpage.

We hope these financial adjustments to your account provide an additional element of assistance during this challenging time.

All of us at Binghamton University are committed to helping you be safe and successful during this time of unprecedented disruption. Please stay in touch and stay healthy.

Harvey G. Stenger
President

For more information and updates, continue to visit the University's COVID-19 website.

A message from Provost Donald Nieman on Undergraduate Pass/Fail and other policies for spring 2020

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

This semester's academic disruption and the current public health crisis have had a significant impact on our courses and on students' ability to do their best in coursework this semester. We have heard from faculty, students and deans' offices about examples of the challenges you are facing: students taking on the role of primary caregiver for siblings, students without internet access, students dealing with sudden economic stress due to family job losses and more. We know this is a very difficult time for students and we want to support their efforts to continue making progress toward their Binghamton University degrees, so we have implemented the following policies for the spring 2020 semester.

1. Pass/Fail policy

For spring 2020, the following Pass/Fail policy will apply for all Binghamton University undergraduates except for those in academic programs where licensure or accreditation regulations prohibit (nursing and social work).

These changes affect only Binghamton University degree programs; your decision to select the P/F grade option may affect future applications to medical school and other graduate or professional programs. Students who are considering applying to such programs should consult their advising office for guidance.

These are the basic details for those in academic programs without licensure or accreditation restrictions:

• Up to 12 credits may be taken with a P/F grade option in spring 2020 and used to satisfy degree requirements, including major/minor/General Education requirements, even if these 12 credits would cause a student to exceed their school/college’s cumulative P/F credit limit. (Students may take more than 12 credits for P/F and credit toward their degree if these additional credits do not cause them to exceed the cumulative P/F credit limit for their school/college. Refer to your college’s advising page for your specific limits.)
• Students can decide whether to choose the P/F grading option after spring 2020 grades have been assigned. To give advising offices a chance to help each student make the decision that is best for them, the grade change option will be turned on after spring 2020 grades have been assigned.
• Students will continue to have the option to receive a letter grade if they choose to do so. All undergraduate courses, except those in licensure-qualifying or accreditation-limited programs, will have the P/F grade option even if the P/F grade option was not originally offered for the course.
• A grade of “P” will satisfy progression requirements in prerequisite courses.

Many students will benefit most by electing to take only a few or even no courses with the P/F option. This policy allows students to wait until after grades have been assigned before deciding whether to choose the P/F grade option.

Follow the links below to find your school’s specific advice:

• College of Community and Public Affairs
• Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences
• Harpur College of Arts and Sciences
• School of Management
• School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science

2. University Semester Withdrawal policy

For spring 2020, the University Withdrawal deadline will be June 5. This means that students will be able to see their final grades before making a decision about a University Withdrawal.

3. Class Schedule Policy

Students and faculty have reported that some instructors or discussion section leaders have rescheduled "live" (synchronous) meetings at times that conflict with another course. Instructors who are continuing with synchronous class meetings are required to use their originally scheduled meeting schedule. To report concerns about changed class meeting times, contact Donald Loewen (djloewen@binghamton.edu).

4. Academic Standing

Enforcement of GPA-based probation, suspension and dismissal will be suspended for the spring 2020 semester.

5. Syllabus modification policy

For spring 2020, instructors have been encouraged to modify their syllabi to account for the academic disruption and the shift to remote instruction. Quizzes, assignments and tests completed before the shift to remote instruction should not be re-weighted to change their percentage of the final grade unless students opt in to the changes. For students who opt out, alternatives will need to be offered.

6. Fall 2020 registration

The fall 2020 registration period will begin April 13. Time tickets will be issued this week.

Sincerely,

Donald Nieman
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

For more information and updates, continue to visit the University's COVID-19 website.

A COVID-19 message to campus

This evening, March 26, Binghamton University learned of a confirmed case of COVID-19. This person does not live on campus, has been isolated and has not been to campus since March 13. The University has taken the necessary precautions, working with the Broome County Health Department, to help reduce further cases. Despite these steps, community spread is inevitable. As a result, and in compliance with requirements of the Jeanne Clery Act, Binghamton University is providing this emergency notification to the campus community. For additional information about COVID-19 and steps that the University is taking to protect the health and safety of our community, visit the University’s website.

Binghamton University and the Broome County Health Department will not identify any individuals who have tested positive for the virus, nor will information be provided that may compromise confidentiality in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) for students and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for employees. Public health officials will determine who needs to be contacted based on their investigation of the case. They will then provide appropriate medical instructions and Be vigilant about this CDC guidance and in monitoring your health and in self isolating when necessary. Doing both will help reduce COVID-19 infections within our community.

Binghamton University understands that this situation is worrisome and wants to assure you that a tremendous amount of work is happening to ensure the health and safety of the campus community. This public health crisis is changing rapidly, so continue to check the Binghamton University COVID-19 website for the latest updates.

Campus leadership is monitoring this crisis daily and advises that all of us continue to take precautions, including:

• Avoiding contact with persons who are sick.
• Practicing social distancing of remaining at least six feet from others.
• Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throwing the tissue in the trash and washing your hands. 

Be vigilant about this CDC guidance and in monitoring your health and in self isolating when necessary. Doing both will help reduce COVID-19 infections within our community. For more information, visit the CDC website.

If you are feeling ill, please contact your local health provider via the phone or online methods first, rather than visiting facilities in person. 

If you’re a Binghamton University student in the area, call the Decker Student Health Services Center at 607-777-2221. 

For more information and updates, continue to visit the University's COVID-19 website.

An update about Binghamton University Commencement from President Harvey Stenger

Dear members of the Binghamton University campus community,

As the coronavirus pandemic continues, it has become clear that Binghamton University must postpone its May 2020 Commencement ceremonies until a future date, yet to be determined. This decision to cancel Commencement comes after careful consideration by students, faculty and staff.

Commencement is one of my favorite events, and I recognize the disappointment this will cause our seniors who were looking forward to the culmination of their academic career at Binghamton. I know that Commencement is a special time for the campus and especially for our seniors, and this decision is difficult for all of us.

It is my greatest hope that we will be able to hold our ceremonies at a later date. Students who are eligible to graduate will be surveyed in the near future and are encouraged to respond to help the University select a date or dates in the summer and/or fall when the campus, family and friends will be able to join in our traditional ceremonies. In the meantime, I hope that everyone will understand our reasons for postponing this year’s Commencement and will take time to reach out to congratulate and recognize our graduating seniors.

This is an extraordinary time for the campus and for all of our students. The members of the Class of 2020 will always have a special place among Binghamton University alumni. I look forward to seeing you soon for an event that you will always remember.

(Watch a video message from President Stenger.)

Sincerely,

Harvey G. Stenger
President

For more information and updates, continue to visit the University's COVID-19 website.

A COVID-19 message from President Harvey Stenger

The Broome County Health Department notified Binghamton University earlier today that a member of the Binghamton University community has been diagnosed with a case of COVID-19.

Binghamton University is working with the Broome County Health Department (BCHD) to support the health and wellness of the individual, who lives off campus, has been in isolation and is receiving care. As work continues to identify people who may have been in contact with this case, they will be notified of actions they should take to care for themselves.

Binghamton is committed to protecting our community and the greater region.

Protecting the anonymity of this person is paramount. If you are aware of their identity, please do the right thing by respecting their privacy so they can focus on healing. Binghamton University will do everything in our power to support any individuals found to be positive for the virus through this difficult time.

This confirmed case was not unexpected: With more frequent testing and the rise of this virus, we knew sooner or later that a case would appear within our campus community. What we can do now — as a campus — is adhere to the practice of social distancing. Every member of this community must help to flatten the curve. It is our responsibility.

As more information becomes available about this or any new situations related to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will continue to make all updates on our COVID-19 website and through Dateline and B-Line announcements. We look forward to the time when we are past this pandemic.

Stay well.
Sincerely,
Harvey Stenger
President

For more information and updates, continue to visit the University's COVID-19 website.

Video: Words of advice and encouragement from President Harvey Stenger

President Harvey Stenger speaks to the campus community.

For more information and updates, continue to visit the University's COVID-19 website.

A letter from President Harvey Stenger: Our collective responsibility

March 18, 2020

Hello everyone, 
I’ve read that fear can be highly contagious, especially in situations where everything is changing quickly and we often don’t even know the outcome. 

It’s an important insight that informs our rapidly changing, unprecedented situation. While there are many things we can’t control, we can control our fear.

So I have come up with a few things we should think about.

First, it's only a matter of time until the virus affects a member of our campus community. We need to prepare ourselves for the reality that we will be totally online until the end of the semester. And we mustn't be afraid. We must begin by helping you navigate the online learning formats, holding meetings via Zoom and mastering the art of social distancing.

Second, this virus appears to be more contagious than the flu and it may spread faster unless we all do our part to take steps right now to slow it down. That is why the University has implemented all classes online — a good start, but just one step of many we must take. All of us must continue following the guidelines put forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and public health experts. Social distancing, cleaning and practicing good personal hygiene are proven measures to slow the spread of the virus. 

At the same time, keep informed about the virus and recent developments from trusted news sources and websites (like Binghamton's COVID-19 page) and avoid sharing rumors that impede the medical response and build mistrust and fear.

Lastly: We are all in this together. It is our collective responsibility to keep our friends, our colleagues, our campus, our community and our nation safe. It's equally important that you treat your colleagues and neighbors with empathy. This virus knows no nationality, state borders or ethnic backgrounds. We can't place blame on or shun certain groups of people because of fear instilled by this virus. It won't be long before you know somebody who will be quarantined or you will learn one of your colleagues has the virus. When that happens, we must continue to treat everyone with compassion and kindness. Reach out to support those who are vulnerable or afraid. Now is the time to come together and contain and defeat this virus.

I will continue to stay in touch during this time of online instruction and a reduced campus environment. I encourage you to keep in touch with your faculty, classmates and your family. I am hopeful we'll see you back on campus in the fall. 

Sincerely,

Harvey Stenger
President

For more information and updates, continue to visit the University's COVID-19 website.

Residential Life update message from Vice President Brian Rose

March 18, 2020

At 9 a.m. this morning, approximately 3,050 residential students had indicated an intent to move out and approximately 140 students had indicated an intent to stay. A large number of students have not yet used the housing portal to confirm their plans. All on-campus students who have not yet done so must confirm their intent in the housing portal as soon as possible. The University cannot develop firm plans for managing residents who stay until we have a confirmed status from most residential students.

The University has provided a window for students to move out. It is possible that state and local government agencies may impose additional restrictions on movement at any time that would make it difficult to leave. If your intent is to move out, you are urged to do so at your earliest opportunity. If your intent is to stay on campus, understand that we do not know and do not control whether further governmental actions will further restrict your movement once you make that choice.

Students who have left campus, but not yet retrieved belongings, must confirm that they have checked out on the housing portal. If you are prevented from retrieving your belongings by March 24 because of the imposition of government restriction on travel, the University will not financially penalize you; however, we cannot assure you of access to your belongings by any specific date. Accordingly, you are strongly urged to retrieve your belongings while that is still possible.

For those choosing to stay on campus, be advised that the status of on-campus operations will be very limited for an indefinite period of time. Most of our staff are working remotely in accordance with public health directives. We will continue to provide food service on a take-out basis, but service hours will likely become more limited. We will develop a consolidation plan consistent with public health guidance given our reduced staffing level. Other campus services (gym, library, etc.) are closed and will likely remain so for an extended period of time. Transportation services will be limited and are subject to further government restrictions.

On March 17, there were significant challenges with students not respecting social distancing guidelines, providing building access to off-campus students and hosting parties. The University will be restricting building door access to residents of that building only. The University will not tolerate social gatherings that violate social distancing guidance and University policies and procedures. Students who permit non-compliant gatherings in their assigned spaces may lose the privilege of staying on campus. More detailed direction will be provided shortly. Students are urged to take responsibility for their actions in the interest of public health.

The University recognizes that this is a time of great anxiety, uncertainty and disruption. We will continue to communicate information to you as we can confirm it. We are all saddened by the extraordinary impact the pandemic has had on the University, but also are resolute in our responsibility to do our part to respond. We urge you to accept your own personal responsibility to comply with University and government directives.

For more information and updates, continue to visit the University's COVID-19 website.

A message to students from Provost Donald Nieman

March 15, 2020

Dear Students,

The past days have changed your educational experience in ways that none of us could have imagined even a few weeks ago. The disruption to our normal semester is completely unprecedented for all of us and I know that the changes and cancellations, combined with the greater uncertainty about the impact of the coronavirus outbreak in your home community as well as here, have had a tremendous impact on you. We understand the fear, disappointment and anxiety that can set in with disruption of this magnitude. 

I would like to address some key questions related to your academic degree progress as we transition to online course delivery. 

As instructors modify their courses and syllabi to deal with the changes, we have asked them to keep one fundamental principle in mind: modifications should be reasonable and not disadvantage students. 

• This means that no student should be required to take previously unscheduled tests in the days before courses go online unless they choose to do so. 
• Previously completed quizzes, assignments or tests should not be reweighted to change their percentage of the final grade unless students opt in to the changes.

Additionally, we have changed the date for individual course withdrawal to April 29, 2020. The date for changing your grading option has also been set to April 29, 2020.

We recognize that things will not go perfectly. Your instructors are doing their best to change their accustomed teaching methods in ways that most of them had never imagined and in a time frame that is extremely challenging. Making the transition will need to be a team effort — I would ask that you work together with your classmates and your instructors as we make this big shift. Together you can help each other find ways to make the rest of this semester as meaningful as possible. 

Finally, we know that completing courses in an online environment is challenging. It requires a different kind of discipline, different ways of communicating, and even the use of different tools or software.  

To help, we have created a special support page focused on students’ academic success in online courses: https://www.binghamton.edu/students-online/

Please check this frequently. It will be continually updated to help you with study strategies, technical challenges, instructions on how to access online tutoring and more. We’re also expanding our support so that you’ll have more access to live help. 

Binghamton University students are special. You were admitted to this University because you showed the kind of aptitude, tenacity and creativity that will help you succeed as students and then excel in your professional lives. These circumstances are a disruption, but you are exactly the kind of student who will rise to the occasion. We will find our way through this together. 

Sincerely,

Don Nieman
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

For more information and updates, continue to visit the University's COVID-19 website.

Binghamton University’s response to K-12 school closures

March 14, 2020

In light of the Broome and Tioga county schools being closed for a period of time, we are now allowing employees to work directly with their supervisors to create alternative work solutions. 

All supervisors are instructed to provide maximum flexibility to employees affected by the closure of the K-12 schools as people attempt to make other arrangements. This includes remote assignments and change in work hours. Please contact Human Resources if you need assistance. However, keep in mind that the general expectation is that maximum flexibility will be afforded to all employees. 

It’s also good to remember that this is not a time to panic. By working together, we will get through this. 

Thank you

Harvey Stenger
President

For more information and updates, continue to visit the University's COVID-19 website.

A message from President Harvey Stenger

March 11, 2020

Due to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s announcement at his press conference today (March 11), the following will remain in effect until the end of the semester:

• All classes must go online by Thursday, March 19. 
• Laboratory classes will be taught remotely; exceptions can be allowed by dean. 
• Internships and clinical work can continue. 
• Research laboratories and facilities will remain open. 
• Residence halls, dining halls and other campus facilities and buildings will remain open. 
• Students can stay on campus or may choose to go home.'
• All events (including seminars, conferences, etc.) scheduled on or after March 19 must be canceled or moved to an online format, excepting as follows: 
  • Spectators will not be allowed at athletic competitions and performances as of March 19.
  • A decision on Commencement will be announced by Friday, April 17.
• Staff report to work as normal.
  • VPs/division heads can approve limited employee remote work assignments as a pilot for business continuity purposes.
  • Staff with health concerns may request a remote work assignment.
• All University business travel is suspended. Exceptions may be approved by division heads when travel is critical to the University’s mission.

For more information and updates, continue to visit the University's COVID-19 website.

An update from President Harvey Stenger about COVID-19

March 10, 2020

I am writing to update the campus community on our plans to deal with the evolving situation the coronavirus poses.

Through consultation with public health officials, faculty, staff and senior administrators, Binghamton University has developed markers to determine when to implement certain aspects of its online learning formats to respond to the coronavirus, COVID-19, in a manner that serves our educational mission and protects the well-being of students, faculty and staff. The plan has been approved by the Faculty Senate.

The first marker is when there is one confirmed case of COVID-19 in Broome County (not on campus). At that point, faculty are encouraged to move to an online format for instruction. Staff will be expected to report to work as usual and buildings, including residence halls will remain open and accessible. All campus operations including classes will continue as usual.

The second marker is when one confirmed case of COVID-19 is confirmed among Binghamton faculty, staff, or students or there is significant increase in confirmed cases in Broome County. At that point, all courses will move to an online format. Students will have the option to leave campus if they so choose. Staff will be expected to report to work as usual and buildings will remain accessible. Essential services for student housing and dining will be maintained.

The third marker will be met if Gov. Andrew Cuomo takes any action to suspend campus physical operations. All faculty will then continue to teach online, only designated critical employees will be required to come to work, and students will determine whether they remain on campus or leave.

Binghamton University is a resilient, caring community where intellectual curiosity thrives, and we pride ourselves on overcoming challenges. As we face one of our biggest challenges ever, I’m confident that we will overcome any obstacles before us. We will have to remain flexible and nimble. It won’t necessarily be easy, and we will make some mistakes along the way. However, by working together and communicating openly and freely, I believe we will come out stronger than ever.

For additional updates on COVID-19 at Binghamton University, visit our COVID-19 website.

Sincerely,

Harvey Stenger
President

A message to students about COVID-19

March 8, 2020

Dear students,

As you are all aware, the recent outbreak of the coronavirus, known as COVID-19, is creating challenges and concerns for universities across the United States and around the world. We have been monitoring the situation since mid-January, consulting with public health professionals and taking steps to protect the campus. We are providing up-to-date information on the rapidly evolving situation on our website, Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). 

As of noon, Sunday March 8, there are no confirmed cases within our faculty, students, staff, county and neighboring counties. Therefore. it is premature to cancel classes or to move classes online. I understand there is a risk taken with this decision, but it is a risk that is acceptable to take and it is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), SUNY, NYS Department of Health, the governor’s office, our Faculty Senate leaders and our administration. To lower the risk of the disease reaching our county and our campus, please follow all of the health guidelines and practices found in the March 4 announcement on my statements page, “Practice good health habits…” 

While we hope that the campus is spared from COVID-19, the rapid spread of the virus suggests that it will be affected at some level, so we are developing contingency plans that will allow all students to complete their coursework during the current semester. Those plans will be discussed with our deans at a meeting this Tuesday and with the Faculty Senate at its faculty meeting this week.

We are working to ramp up access to online course materials and other educational technologies so that courses can continue via alternate platforms, with Vice Provost and Executive Director of the Center for Learning and Teaching (CLT) James Pitarresi charged with planning for academic continuity. Meanwhile, faculty are strongly encouraged to be flexible and to work with students who miss class because of illness.

Your well-being, which includes your education and your health, is our paramount concern, and the University will continue working with public health officials to keep everyone in our community safe. This is a quickly-moving situation and we will be working to provide the campus with the most up-to-date information we can. Bookmark our Coronavirus 19 (COVID 19) website for quick access to the most current news.

Binghamton students, faculty and staff are smart and caring. If all members of our community take simple, common-sense precautions, we will protect one another from the worst consequences of this most recent threat to public health and ensure the well-being of everyone.

We will update you after our conversation this week at the Faculty Senate meeting.

Sincerely,
Harvey Stenger
President

A message from the vice president for research regarding COVID-19

March 7, 2020

Although there have been COVID-19 cases reported in New York, there have been none detected in Broome County. Therefore, the campus remains open, and our expectation is that research will continue and that all labs will stay open and serviced.

We urge all faculty, staff, and students to practice good hygiene, including washing their hands frequently, avoiding shaking hands, and coughing into their sleeves. Anyone who is sick should not come to work and self-isolate at home.

While we hope for the best, we also need to put plans in place in the event the campus closes or there is a curtailment of activity. We recommend that researchers with active labs:

• Review the list of critical and essential employees for your area and update it as necessary with the relevant person (in Academic Affairs, that’s Michael McGoff). If you have experiments that require upkeep, now is the time to identify who will continue to come to campus in the event of an emergency and make sure that those individuals are reported to Paul Parker in the Research Division, Michael McGoff in Academic Affairs, and the appropriate dean.
• Do what you can to ensure you have remote access to files you may need. Consider moving files to the cloud and reviewing SSL or VPN procedures as well. (For information about connecting from off campus, go online.)
• Update your contact lists so that you can reach colleagues and research staff in the event of an emergency. You can reach the Division of Research at 607-777-6752. 

This is a dynamic situation. I am encouraging staff in the Division of Research to be both flexible and prepared, and I would ask the same of our entire research community. Let’s prepare for the worst, but also hope that it won’t come to pass.

Message from the provost on preparing for academic disruption

March 6, 2020

In light of uncertainties surrounding the spread and impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19), I am writing to inform you of how we will deal with any disruption of classes that we may face.

The most recent news of persons infected with COVID-19 in New York state demonstrates that the circumstances regarding the virus are changing quickly. Campus leadership is working closely with the Broome County Department of Public Health and staff in the Decker Student Health Services Center to monitor developments and make sure that we employ evidence-based approaches to limit any impact on students, faculty and staff. More information about the virus and our response is available online. This site will be updated regularly, so it is a good place to go for the most current information.

Faculty and students have been asking about anticipated impacts on instruction and what steps we will take to ensure continuity in our academic programs. Thankfully, the number of people in New York with confirmed infections remains low, and the effects on our current instructional programs are minimal. Consequently, instructors can continue their teaching as usual. However, the situation is fluid and circumstances could change quickly.

Public health officials have recommended that people possibly exposed to the virus, or those demonstrating symptoms consistent with the flu or COVID-19, stay home from school or work and avoid contact with others. If students in your classes let you know that they cannot attend because they are sick, please accommodate them. Don’t ask them to get an excuse from a doctor or the Decker Student Health Services Center; the center’s staff needs to focus attention on treating those who are ill. I ask that you provide these students course materials and offer them the opportunity to make up work, including quizzes and exams. Please be as accommodating as possible. Making course materials and assignments available through myCourses, which most of you already do, makes it easy to manage the distribution of materials and assignments to all your students, including those who are ill. 

James Pitarresi, vice provost for student and faculty success, has pulled together a group that is developing a plan to allow us to continue instruction in the event that the campus is closed. Our plan is to support instructors in offering their courses online. This plan will include the use of existing teaching and learning technologies: myCourses, Panopto, Camtasia, Zoom and Webex. You can find information on best practices in the use of technology for teaching at the Center for Learning and Teaching website. The Center will also provide support to help faculty become familiar with these tools.

Our task force is currently consulting with academic leadership before finalizing the broader plan; it will be available shortly. In the meantime, if you are unfamiliar with these technologies, I encourage you to ask colleagues who do use them for advice about how to use these tools, or contact the Center for Learning and Teaching at clt@binghamton.edu. 

There are many unknowns, and the situation will undoubtedly change in the coming days and weeks. I want to thank you, in advance, for your efforts to ensure that we bring the semester to a successful conclusion irrespective of the challenges we face. Awareness and planning are the best ways we can do that.

Practice good health habits on campus and when traveling/faculty assistance requested

March 4, 2020

With the coronavirus spreading around the globe, and the campus in the midst of an active flu season, students, faculty and staff are reminded to practice good health habits at all times and to make informed decisions about travel destinations, especially as the winter and spring breaks approach.

Before you travel internationally, check out five tips from Richard Moose, MD, Binghamton University’s medical director, online.

Overall, the most important good health habit that anyone can do is wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Additionally:

• Get a flu shot, if you have not had one already.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash, then wash your hands.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Finally, to limit the spread of flu on campus, the Provost’s Office encourages faculty to support absence from classes when students develop respiratory symptoms with fever. Students and instructors are put at risk when sick students choose to attend class when they are ill. The health service does not have the resources to issue medical excuses for missed classes, exams or papers. Students are encouraged to make individual arrangements with their instructors when illness interferes with course work.

For updates and information about COVID-19, visit the University’s web page with information about COVID-19.

University-funded travel to South Korea on hold, web page for COVID-19 created

Feb. 28, 2020

Due to the recommendations by the U.S. Department of State and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that there be no nonessential travel to South Korea, Binghamton University is putting a hold on all University-funded travel to South Korea.

Anyone planning travel to South Korea not connected with University business or programs should carefully review State Department and CDC advisories and also be aware that anyone returning to this country from South Korea may be subject to screening and public health measures that may be in place at the time of their arrival back to the U.S.

The advisories may be found online:

• U.S. Department of State 
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

Binghamton University has developed a web page with information about COVID-19 and will update it as necessary.

University-funded travel to China on hold

Jan. 31, 2020

In light of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China, the U.S. Department of State and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recommended against non-essential travel to China. Given these advisories, Binghamton University is putting a hold on all University-funded travel to China as well as all University-sanctioned education-abroad travel to China by Binghamton University faculty, students and staff. Anyone planning travel to China not connected with University business or programs should carefully review State Department and CDC advisories and also be aware that anyone returning to this country from China may be subject to screening and public health measures that may be in place at the time of their arrival back to the U.S.

The advisories may be found online:

• U.S. Department of State
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Campus supports those impacted by coronavirus, travel restrictions

Jan. 30, 2020

We all continue to be very concerned by news of the coronavirus outbreak in China and the extreme hardship it is creating for millions of Chinese, whether ill or affected by quarantine and travel restrictions.

The most recent information from the Broome County Health Department is that the test results were negative for the two patients under investigation for the novel coronavirus, and there are currently no other people in Broome County under testing, nor any confirmed cases. We continue to work in cooperation with the Broome County Health Department to monitor the situation, and remind everyone to follow all recommended health and safety habits noted at the link below.

We also know that many members of the Binghamton community are deeply concerned about family, friends and colleagues in China and other locations where the coronavirus has spread. Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time and we sincerely hope that efforts to bring the disease under control are successful and that loved ones are able to return to normal lives.

In the meantime, our Office of International Student and Scholar Services has reached out to students who are directly affected by the spread of this virus, and our Division of Academic Affairs is working with other divisions on campus to respond to others who are directly impacted, many because they are unable to return to campus due to travel restrictions. Students who have questions, or who are experiencing symptoms, can find information or schedule an appointment with Decker Student Health Services at https://www.binghamton.edu/health/

As this outbreak evolves and organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization continue to grapple with it, Binghamton University will continue to support members of our community to the best of our ability.

Harvey Stenger
President

Donald Nieman
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

Coronavirus update

Jan. 27, 2020

With several individuals in New York state now having been identified for testing for coronavirus, the campus is reminded that, in cooperation with the Broome County Health Department, Decker Student Health Services continues to monitor the evolving outbreak of this newly-recognized virus that can cause fever and respiratory symptoms. Those with fever and cough or shortness of breath and who have traveled to or through outbreak-affected areas in the preceding 14 days should call ahead to the facility where they will be seeking care.

For up-to-date information on the coronavirus, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.

At the same time, it is also flu season. Influenza and coronavirus are both thought to spread by contact with respiratory droplets. Therefore, students, faculty and staff can reduce their risk for these infections by:

• Getting a flu shot, if you have not had one already.
• Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.
• Staying home when you are sick.
• Covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throwing the tissue in the trash.
• Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

People with the flu should not go out in public, other than to seek medical care, until their temperature is less than 100° for 24 hours.

To limit the flu on campus, the Provost’s Office encourages faculty to support absence from classes when students develop respiratory symptoms with fever. Students and instructors are put at risk when sick students choose to attend class when they are ill. The health service does not have the resources to issue medical excuses for missed classes, exams or papers. Students are encouraged to make individual arrangements with their instructors when illness interferes with course work.

For more information on influenza, visit the CDC website.

Campus is monitoring coronavirus

Jan. 23, 2020

Decker Student Health Services, in cooperation with the Broome County Health Department, is monitoring the evolving outbreak of a coronavirus that began in Wuhan, China. There is still much to learn about this virus and how it is spread, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the risk to the general American public is very low at this time.

Students who have traveled to or through Wuhan, China, in the past 14 days and exhibit any symptoms such as a fever, cough or difficulty breathing should contact Decker Student Health Services to make an appointment for a health assessment before walking into the clinic. Faculty and staff in the same circumstances should contact their physician for an appointment.

For the most up-to-date information on the coronavirus, visit the CDC website.

The campus community is reminded that this is also cold and flu season, so it is best to practice healthy habits including frequent hand washing, covering your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, avoiding contact with sick people and getting a flu vaccination.

Recommitting to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s ideals

Jan. 14, 2020

Every year, Binghamton University joins with millions of Americans across the nation to honor the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who dedicated his life to the pursuit of equality, mutual respect, understanding, peace and social justice. Nobel Peace Prize laureate, architect of the nonviolent civil rights movement and the Poor People’s Campaign, King is among the 20th century’s most influential figures.

It has been more than 52 years since King published what would be his final book: Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? Written two years after the Voting Rights Act was signed and just a year before his assassination, this prescient work predicted a backlash to the progress made in civil rights in the United States and called upon the nation to use its vast resources to eradicate poverty. While he recognized the sharp divisions in American society and the forces arrayed against progress, his was a message of hope that we could come together to achieve social justice.

“Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the greatest organic intellectuals in American history,” writes Princeton professor and activist Cornell West. “His unique ability to connect the life of the mind to the struggle for freedom is legendary, and in this book — his last grand expression of his vision — he put forward his most prophetic challenge to powers that be and his most progressive program for the wretched of the earth.”

On the eve of what would have been King’s 91st birthday, it is an excellent time to remember his tireless work on behalf of racial and social justice while also recognizing as he did that we have further to go in our pursuit of equality. Whether it be the color of one’s skin, the religion practiced, the identity lived, the country of origin or any other factor that someone chooses as a basis for intolerance, King would remind us that we are all more alike than different. We are indebted to his vision and passionate belief in humanity that cost him his life in his pursuit of every individual’s rights.

As a student at Morehouse College, King was a contributor to the college newspaper, The Maroon Tiger. In 1947, he wrote an article for the paper in which he said, “Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education.” While you are at Binghamton pursuing your own education, we encourage you to reflect on King’s writings, activism and impact. His essays on racism, social justice, civil disobedience and nonviolence still resonate, especially in today’s political climate.

As we enter this new decade, we invite you to be respectful and open-minded in your conversations and debates around important issues on which we may disagree. By doing so, we can have productive conversations that lead to a better understanding of both our differences and our commonalities. Those conversations are vital to our campus culture and must be protected to maintain the academic freedom that is essential to the pursuit of knowledge and understanding. This is an important aspect of effective leadership that will serve you well long after you have graduated.

We know that, like Dr. King, members of the Binghamton University community are passionate about the causes they believe in; through this passion, you are making the world a better place. In just a few days, our spring semester will begin. We hope you will join us in taking time to reflect on and recommit to King’s ideals so that we can, together, build a more inclusive, equitable and engaging community at Binghamton.

“An individual has not started living,” Dr. King so wisely wrote, “until they can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”

Harvey G. Stenger
President

Donald G. Nieman
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

An end-of-the-year message from President Harvey Stenger

Dec. 23, 2019

As does every year, 2019 had its twists and turns, but, overall, it was an exceptional year for Binghamton University. Not only did we achieve “R1 – very high research” status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education in the spring, we took several steps forward in a number of national rankings and we ended the year celebrating our Nobel Prize in Chemistry winner, Distinguished Professor M. Stanley Whittingham.

I can’t say enough how wonderful it is to see Stan recognized in such a magnificent way, and, like a proud father, I’m thrilled for how his work has helped put Binghamton on the map in a way we’ve never been before.

We added to our ranks of SUNY distinguished professors when Nkiru Nzegwu, professor of Africana studies, and Kanad Ghose, professor of computer science, were promoted to the highest rank in the SUNY system. And Subimal Chatterjee was promoted to distinguished teaching professor, the first in our School of Management to achieve the rank.

We also saw two Watson School faculty members earn very competitive five-year, $500.000 National Science Foundation CAREER Awards. Assistant professors Ning Zhou in electrical and computer engineering and Scott Schiffres in mechanical engineering will further their research with the funding.

Elizabeth Mozer won Best Drama in the internationally recognized United Solo Theater Festival for her one-woman show, The Asylum Project. Mozer created the play from personal accounts, historical documents and imaginings, chronicling the lives of patients at the Binghamton State Hospital over the course of six decades.

And four of our students received Fulbright Awards, while geology student Jasper Bauer won a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship to continue his research in plastic landmine detection.

I mentioned improvement of our facilities. I’m extremely proud of our campus facilities and how we care for them as we work to support students and provide them an outstanding education. To that end, a number of renovations began in 2019 and will be ongoing: our Engineering Building, Science 2 and Hinman Dining Hall are among the larger projects, as is the transformation of an old shoebox factory into the Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

We also reached an all-time high student enrollment hit in the fall, putting us over 18,000, thanks to work by our admissions staff at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Meeting our targets, particularly at the graduate level, helped us bring fiscal stability to the campus after nearly a year of a hiring hold and changes to our budgetary process.

Several things came together to help us achieve fiscal stability so quickly, including commitments by our departments and divisions to making some hard choices and working to reduce costs; extraordinary recruiting of highly qualified undergraduate students; growth in graduate enrollment in almost every graduate program in each of our schools and colleges; support from the SUNY Administration and SUNY Board of Trustees that approved our 2019-20 budget parameters, including fees and tuition rates; and support from the New York State Legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who approved funding to cover a portion of our retroactive faculty and staff raises

We also dealt with issues of free speech and will continue to do so in the coming months as part of the national conversation about the exchange of ideas on college campuses. We are absolutely committed to upholding free speech here at Binghamton University and will not tolerate efforts to disrupt or shut down gatherings where academic and personal freedoms are being exercised. I have great faith that our students and their teachers will find answers to these problems we face, and as we look to the future, we are in conversations about what type of programming and ways we can facilitate additional campus dialogues, particularly in the context of the upcoming 2020 national election.

On a more positive note, we held nine Commencement ceremonies in May of 2019 — and are already planning for spring 2020 ceremonies. In 2019, I congratulated and shook hands with over 3,200 bachelor’s degree, more than 740 master’s degree and 120 PhD, DNP and EdD degree recipients!

The campus has also had a successful fundraising year, with alumni and other donors supporting many of our key initiatives. One example is the seven-figure gift from alumna Ellyn Kaschak ’65, who established the Institute for Social Justice for Women and Girls to enable our students to conduct research in different fields that contribute to Kaschak’s vision of a direct, positive impact on the lives of women and girls.

And did I mention that Stan Whittingham won the Nobel Prize? 

I wish everyone a healthy and happy holiday season and look forward to the new year when we continue to celebrate Binghamton University, Harpur College of Arts and Sciences in its 70th year, and the School of Management, Decker School of Nursing and women’s athletics in their 50th year!

Hope to see you soon!

Harvey G. Stenger
President

A message from Vice President for Student Affairs Brian Rose

Nov. 18, 2019

On Thursday, Nov. 14, two groups tabling outside of the Union attracted counter-protesters. The tension between the groups tabling and protesters became volatile and University Police intervened to remove the tabling groups in the interest of the safety of all involved.

Social media posts have misrepresented the course of events and encouraged political pressure upon the University based upon those misrepresentations. What actually transpired and how the University did and will respond is as follows:

The College Republicans, an organization chartered by the Student Association (SA), was joined by another group known as Turning Point that, by its own choice, is not chartered by the SA or otherwise recognized by the University. Representatives of the two groups set up tables outside the Union in a reservable space without having followed procedures to properly secure use of the space. Representatives of the Union professional staff and of the SA notified the tabling students that they were tabling without reservation in a space that had to be reserved in advance and asked them to relocate. The groups refused twice to move. The groups’ display included provocative posters with gun imagery, this being the same day as the Saugus High School shooting.  Self-evidently from the nature of their display and their refusal to comply with procedures for reserving the space in question, the groups intended to be provocative. Social media activity suggesting they were handing out hot chocolate and promoting an upcoming lecture fail to accurately represent the context.

Students offended by the display and disapproving of the views of the two tabling organizations gathered around the tables in increasing number. University Police were alerted by several members of the University community and responded to monitor the escalating situation. Counter-protesters began pulling down the tables and sweeping the political literature and materials of the tabling groups into boxes in an attempt to close down the tabling activity. This increased the volatility of the situation and University Police stepped in between students from the tabling groups and protesting students to try to maintain safety. Eventually the police directed the tabling groups to abandon the area and escorted them away. Some protesters viewed the actions of police as protecting the tabling students based upon race and directed chants at police.  The escalating situation was successfully defused without physical injury to anyone present. 

The University’s response was and will be guided by principles and values related to safety, equity, free expression and reason. As the College Republicans were advised prior to the incident escalating, they had violated applicable procedures related to reserving the space in question. The purpose of those procedures is to avoid conflicts among groups for use of the space and to allow the University to safely manage activity in this area. Had the group followed procedures, the University would have had the opportunity to plan for what was self-evidently a provocative presentation in a manner that may have facilitated expressive activity by both the tabling groups and those who wished to demonstrate against them. Any future action taken against the College Republicans will pertain to their violation of University and SA policies and procedures and not to the content of their message. The University will also work with the SA to ensure that there is clarity and understanding around policies and procedures related to the use of space by campus-affiliated groups and others, and will review how to best respond to those violating these policies and procedures. 

There were also protesters who acted in a manner that may have violated University rules. In the context of the incident and in keeping with the principles and values noted above, the University did not seek to identify or charge any protesters. To do so would have escalated an already volatile situation and run counter to the primary interest in safely de-escalating the situation. In other circumstances, the University has taken action against individuals infringing upon expressive activity without regard to viewpoint.  Our response has and will continue to take into account the full context in each instance.

We acknowledge the larger political context in our country that is polarizing our society.  It is unfortunate that interests external to the campus have seized upon this incident and attempted to mischaracterize it to feed their own narrative and to attempt to influence our response. We will not be responding to those external voices or altering our approach as a result of external pressure. We will continue to work within our community to facilitate the expression of the many diverse viewpoints that are present on our campus, to encourage members of our community to respect one another through disagreement, to maintain a safe campus community and to exercise professional judgment fairly to achieve those ends.

Brian T. Rose
Vice President for Student Affairs

A message from President Stenger

Nov. 15, 2019

There was a contentious gathering on campus Thursday afternoon that required the intervention of University Police. Police were dispatched to the area because there were reports that conversations were getting loud, aggressive and possibly volatile. Police response was appropriate and important to make sure that every student involved in this matter was safe and remained safe. The incident ended and the crowd was able to be dispersed without anyone getting injured. 

This incident from all perspectives was unfortunate. As a University, we encourage everyone to consider the perspectives of others — and the damaging impact words and images can have — even if they are protected as free speech under the First Amendment. As an institution of higher education, freedom of speech is fundamental to our core mission; academic inquiry and the exchange of ideas rest on the principle that all have a right to express their beliefs. We strongly condemn any acts that impede the expression of one's beliefs but also encourage everyone on this campus to enter into meaningful interactions with respectful dialogue and actions. 

Harvey G. Stenger
President

A message for students about respect

Oct. 23, 2019

Dear Students,

As a student, you are never alone at Binghamton University. We work hard to create the safest environment possible for you and to help you make good decisions, whether in your academic or social lives. When we speak of all that safety encompasses, we are including more than your physical safety; we also include your emotional well-being.

A recent occurrence of disrespectful and racist social media posts has left us outraged and disappointed in ways that are difficult to quantify. As a public institution where intelligent discourse is the norm, we are offended by this behavior, so we encourage everyone to consider the perspectives of others — and the damaging impact words and images can have — even if they are protected as free speech under the First Amendment.

Issues such as this raise stress levels across campus, and with the additional stress of mid-terms, upcoming holidays and the end of the semester, we encourage everyone to prepare — and celebrate — while being respectful of others. For example, Halloween is almost upon us, and can be a time for revelry and fun. But often, offensive costumes and language become part of the celebration. We urge you, again, to prepare for Halloween and the upcoming whirlwind of the end of the semester by being aware of the potential impact your choices can have on the feelings of others. Intolerance in any form does not help us. Understanding the perspectives of others can.

If you are feeling stressed by any of these situations, we encourage you to reach out to the Counseling Center or the CARE Team in the Dean of Students Office.

Harvey G. Stenger
President

Celebrating our Nobel laureate

Oct. 17, 2019

What a busy, busy time we’re having at Binghamton University — and it’s all good!

Since the announcement that Distinguished Professor M. Stanley Whittingham won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, we have all been riding high as we shine a spotlight on his accomplishments. Stan holds the original patent for the lithium-ion battery, and it is not an understatement to say that his work has truly changed our world, bringing us the ability to power our laptops, smartphones and cars.

Celebrating Stan is paramount for us!

But we have more stories to tell, and my annual State of the University address highlights not only our progress over the past year, but achievements by our faculty, milestones for our schools and what we have done to weather our fiscal challenges.

If you were not able to attend the address, I encourage you to watch it on video and read about it elsewhere on my website.

This academic year has started with some of our most exciting news ever. Let’s keep our momentum going!

Harvey G. Stenger
President

Celebrating National LGBTQ History Month

Oct. 10, 2019

October is National LGBTQ History Month, so we celebrate with Pride!

During the summer of love in 1969, pivotal moments changed the landscape of America. The Stonewall riots in June and Woodstock in August were bookend events that ignited the fight for LGBTQ rights and brought diverse people together through music. In between, the anti-war and Black Power movements brought people into the streets. While these events share a common theme of peace, love and power, they also contributed to 1969 being a year of revolution, resistance and change. With such a tumultuous year, nothing would be the same in America.

Binghamton University is proud of the contributions that our LGBTQ students, faculty and staff make to our educational and research missions, and we appreciate the influence they have on making our campus a place that is diverse, warm and inclusive. We have worked hard to create a campus climate that is welcoming to every individual, developing policies and services that address the needs of our LGBTQ communities.

The Q Center, our campus LGBTQ resource center, is extremely active, with engaged weekly volunteers, undergraduate interns, graduate assistants and 1,648 visits during the past academic year, just its third year in existence.

This fall, we are announcing our new Chosen Name Policy, which will better support transgender students, faculty and staff of the University by supporting their choice of whatever preferred or chosen first name they wish to be known by. I am thankful to the broad group of students, staff and faculty who helped to draft the policy and especially grateful to Information Technology Services for the massive undertaking of changing our database systems to accommodate this important need.

While our nation and our community have made much progress in moving toward equal rights for all, we must continue to push back against prejudice and oppression whenever it occurs. I want Binghamton University to be a place where everyone can reach their full potential.

This fall, the Q Center has launched our new Safe Zone Active Ally program to support all of us in growing in our awareness of issues that continue to affect LGBTQ people and how we can be most supportive of our LGBTQ friends and colleagues. The first faculty and staff workshop is being held Tuesday, Oct. 15, and I encourage you to register to attend. 

Happy Pride!

Harvey G. Stenger
President

We focus on student mental health

October 4, 2019

As the trees start to turn and the nights get cooler, campus is up and running with some of the smartest students in the world, and our faculty and staff are ready to support them.

One priority for us is the mental health of our students, and the Binghamton University Council recently heard from Vice President for Student Affairs Brian Rose and Assistant Vice President for Health and Wellness Johann Fiore-Conte about the many ways we address what Rose called “the most challenging topic we have.”

As the rates of psychological distress for adolescents and young adults continues to rise, the University has developed a comprehensive model to assist students that goes far beyond counseling alone. About two dozen offices and initiatives across campus are heavily involved in providing mental health supports to students.

You can read more about Binghamton’s initiatives in this area in the coverage of Rose’s and Fiore-Conte’s presentation, found in BingUNews. 

On another note, I am often asked questions about the general operations of the University. These questions might concern our budget process, how we’re working to diversify our student and faculty populations, and even how someone can find information about construction on campus. To help respond to some of these questions, we’ve created a new Frequently Asked Questions page here on my website. You’ll find responses to some questions on the page — but you’ll also have an opportunity to ask a question there as well. Simply fill out the form and we’ll do our best to get you an answer as quickly as possible!

I also invite you to my annual State of the University address. Join me at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, in the Anderson Center’s Osterhout Concert Theater to hear about how we’re doing and where we’re headed!

Sincerely,
Harvey G. Stenger
President

Welcome back to campus!

August 15, 2019

I welcome all of our new and returning students, faculty and staff back to campus, and particularly welcome the newest members of our Binghamton community — the class of 2023. I hope that all of you are as excited about the months ahead as I am.

The upcoming semester looks very promising as the University nears completion on its new Health Sciences Campus in Johnson City, has a new ranking as a Research I – Very High Research institution from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education and has enrolled the most qualified incoming class in our history.

I know that the first weeks of the fall semester can be a bit overwhelming. There are new classes to master, books to buy or rent, new suitemates to meet and a campus social life to learn to navigate or get reacquainted with. But what is most striking is all the new faces. About one out of every three students you see on campus is new to us, so I encourage to make eye contact as you walk across campus and say “hi!” You could be meeting your next best friend.

At Binghamton our #1 goal is to help our students succeed and we have many resources on campus to help them on their scholarly journey, from academic advising and tutoring to career coaching and leadership development. Still, the most important factor in each student’s success is their own motivation and commitment. I’d like to offer a few tips to our new students and as a reminder to returning ones:

• Use your time well. Try not to procrastinate as work will build up and bury you pretty quickly.
• Get plenty of sleep and exercise, and follow good nutrition. Your body (and brain) will thank you for it.
• Set aside some “me” time. A balanced life is crucial to your success.
• Meet with your faculty and teachers early in the semester. Help them put a face to the name on the class roster. It will help you build confidence in yourself and them in you. Develop a study routine and stick with it. Studying and classwork is a hard job at Binghamton, but if you work hard, you will be rewarded.

So, to our students, faculty and staff, I wish you a successful and engaging year ahead. I look forward to seeing you on campus. And if you do see me, please say “Hi, Harvey!”

Sincerely,
Harvey G. Stenger
President

It's ranking season

August 9, 2019

It’s ranking season and that means we get to brag about our reputation among our peers.

Different agencies evaluate universities using different criteria, so not every ranking offers the same information. For example, in a recent list of U.S. public colleges assembled by Business First, Binghamton University is ranked #16 in the nation, ahead of schools such as the University of Minnesota, The Ohio State University, Rutgers, Penn State and the University of Massachusetts. (https://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2019/04/01/collegerank.html).

In Kiplinger’s recent list of Best Value Colleges, Binghamton ranked #14 for in-state public colleges, #7 for out-of-state public colleges, and #69 for both overall. No other SUNY school comes close.

Kiplinger’s searches for schools with modest price tags, substantial financial aid for students who qualify and low average debt among students who borrow.

We have much to be proud of. Binghamton University has a growing reputation for academics, research and scholarship, and these rankings are proof that our students — whether at the bachelor’s, master’s or PhD levels — are taking advantage of so many opportunities. That, combined with a committed group of faculty, staff and alumni means that we believe we’ll see Binghamton rising in the rankings in the coming years.

Harvey G. Stenger
President

Reasons to be proud

July 9, 2019

You’ll not be surprised to know that we are proud at Binghamton, and we have great cause to be. Binghamton University has a growing reputation for academics and research, and our graduates — whether at the bachelor’s, master’s or PhD levels — go on to do great things.

But we’re not the only ones paying attention. The number of publications at the state and national levels that are taking notice of Binghamton University continues to grow, as we shine in rankings based on solid measures of achievement. One of the most recent rankings, by Business First, has Binghamton as the 16th best public college in the nation — out of 505 colleges ranked — and the #1 public college in New York state.

The ranking “was designed to identify the public universities and colleges that offer the best educational experiences to their students” according to Business First, and the highest scores were compiled based first on eight categories and then by using a 22-part formula that included highly selective admissions, strong retention and graduation rates, impressive earnings by alumni, affordable tuitions and housing costs, and diverse faculties and student bodies.

Chalk up another accolade for Binghamton University!

Harvey G. Stenger
President

Celebrating LGBT Pride Month

June 9, 2019

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the uprising at the Stonewall Inn in New York City, generally considered the spark to the modern fight for equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens in the United States. June is now widely celebrated as LGBT Pride Month to commemorate the events at Stonewall as well as to recognize the work of LGBTQ people in promoting equal rights, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. In recognition of Pride Month, I have asked that rainbow colors light the Library Tower this week.

Binghamton University is proud of the contributions that our LGBTQ students, faculty and staff make to our educational and research missions, and we appreciate the influence they have on making our campus a place that is diverse, warm and inclusive. We have worked hard to create a campus climate that is welcoming to every individual, developing policies and services that address the needs of our LGBTQ communities.

The Q Center, our campus LGBTQ resource center, is extremely active, with engaged weekly volunteers, undergraduate interns, graduate assistants and 1,648 visits this academic year, just its third year in existence.

This fall, we will announce our new Chosen Name Policy, which will better support transgender students, faculty and staff of the University by supporting their choice of whatever preferred or chosen first name they wish to be known by. I am thankful to the broad group of students, staff and faculty who helped to draft the policy and especially grateful to Information Technology Services for the massive undertaking of changing our database systems to accommodate this important need.

While our nation and our community have made much progress in moving toward equal rights for all, we must continue to push back against prejudice and oppression whenever it occurs. I want Binghamton University to be a place where everyone can reach their full potential. This fall, the Q Center will begin to roll out our new Safe Zone Active Ally program to support all of us in growing in our awareness of issues that continue to affect LGBTQ people and how we can be most supportive of our LGBTQ friends and colleagues. But this month, I encourage everyone to take time to celebrate the achievements of our LGBTQ students, faculty and staff, and to do what you can to advance equality for all LGBTQ people.

Happy Pride!

Harvey G. Stenger
President

End of the academic year

May 30, 2019

Well, we’ve done it! Another academic year is done at Binghamton University. Seniors and graduate candidates have received their degrees, faculty are taking a well-deserved break from teaching, and students have mostly returned home for the summer. This leaves the campus quieter, but still busy.

More than 3,600 students received degrees during our nine (!) Commencement Ceremonies, and, as always, I was fortunate to congratulate each of them as they crossed the Events center stage. I hope that everyone of our graduates finds success on the road ahead – they’ve worked hard and their degree is proof to the world that they are capable and up for any challenge.  Meanwhile, the campus is getting ready to welcome our next batch of freshman. And the academic cycle begins again.

Sincerely,

Harvey G. Stenger
President

Freedom of speech is fundamental to our mission

May 8, 2019

Dear Students and Campus Community,

A recent incident occurred in the Bartle Library lobby that is currently being investigated by Binghamton University Police and the Dean of Students Office, who will take swift and decisive action once the investigation concludes.

The University deplores all acts of racism and any action that limits the expression of ideas. Freedom of speech is fundamental to the core mission of the University; academic inquiry and the exchange of ideas rest on the principle that all have a right to express their beliefs. We strongly condemn any acts that impede the expression of those beliefs and caution anyone who attempts to inhibit another's free speech. We will protect, support and encourage the right of every individual to express concerns freely and to engage in peaceful protest. Our campus is resolute in its support for those of any race, faith, gender, sexual orientation, background or identity.

Sincerely,

Harvey G. Stenger
President

Not all stress is bad stress!

Dear Bearcats,

With less than three weeks to go in the semester, now is the time when students really start to feel the pressure and let their stress get the best of them. I'm here to remind you that stress is a normal part of life, especially for students. So don't worry, you are not alone in feeling overwhelmed.

Over the last few weeks (like all dads out there!) I have been offering tips with some assistance from our knowledgeable faculty. These have included how to eat right, sleep right and keep safe during the end of the school year. To round out these tips, Jennifer Wegmann of the Health and Wellness Studies Department offers five more tips to help you successfully manage stress during one of the hardest times of the semester.

1. Change your expectations about stress. Don't approach this crunch-period expecting to be stress-free, because that will just lead you to stress over being stressed.
2. Attach meaning to your stress. Attaching meaning can positively change the way you interact with your stressors. Remind yourself that all your work is leading you to your goals and aspirations.
3. Use your support system. Reach out to those around you (e.g. parents, friends, professors) and share what you are going through. Research shows that connecting socially is one of the most effective ways to manage and cope with stress.
4. Adopt an attitude of gratitude. When you get stressed, it is easy to forget about the positives and only see the negatives. If you can tap into what is right in your life and express genuine gratitude, you will notice positive changes in how you are experiencing the stressors in your life, which will then make it easier to manage your stress.
5. Change your mindset about stress. While stress can be harmful, it can also make you more productive, focused and even healthy. The way you frame stress can be very powerful. If you adopt a more positive mindset about stress, it may lead to more positive outcomes.

To quote Jennifer, "You can be happier, healthier and more, not in spite of your stress, but through your stress."

Don't forget to check out all of our Stress-free Bing events going on every day, all over campus.

And not to sound too much like a dad, but while you are in the midst of getting all your work done, don't forget to have a little fun and make the most of your time left here.

Good luck!

Sincerely,

Harvey Stenger
President

A reminder to get enough sleep

Dear Students,

We're approaching that time of year when you might feel pressure to stay up all night to cram in more studying or to put those finishing touches on an assignment.

Well, this week, I, along with Meredith Coles, psychology professor and director of the Binghamton Anxiety Clinic, want to share with you why it is so important to get a full and good night's sleep, especially during this busy season!

The tips below will help you build beneficial sleep patterns to maintain your health, improve your mood and help you perform your best!

1. Aim for 8 hours of sleep per night. Inadequate sleep has been linked to poor academic performance. Sleeping one hour less has been shown to be associated with performing two grade levels lower (e.g., someone in grade 9 performing as if they were in grade 7).
2. Aim to go to bed "early." Staying up late may reduce your ability to control your thoughts and behaviors. Research suggests that going to sleep at a late hour (such as 3 a.m.) may have negative consequences on your body and mind.
3. Turn off your phone and computer at least 30 minutes before bed! The light from these devices can trick your body into thinking it is still daytime and cause it to stop preparing for sleep.
4. Try to stick to a regular schedule. For most college students, going to sleep between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. and waking between 7 and 9 a.m. works well.
5. Be sure to sleep! Studies have shown that sleep is important for retaining information and that getting more sleep is associated with a higher GPA.

Don't wait to start a good habit. Try out some of these tips tonight; your body will thank you tomorrow.

Here's to a strong and successful rest of the semester!

Sincerely,

Harvey Stenger
President

A reminder to focus on healthy eating and exercise

Dear Students,

With just a few weeks left to go in the semester, it is crucial that you remember to make time for your own well-being, in addition to your school work and other responsibilities.

This week I would like to focus on the importance of good food and regular exercise to help manage stress levels and improve your mood.

Lina Begdache, assistant professor of health and wellness studies at the Decker School of Nursing, offers five tips below to help you build healthy and successful patterns to carry you through the rest of the semester.

1. Your food affects your mood! So, make sure you choose each meal wisely.
2. Foods like coffee and carbohydrates (bread, rice, pasta) activate our stress response and make us more likely to experience mental distress, so limit your intake of these foods.
3. Meat, fruits and vegetables are full of vitamins that will help boost your mental state and make you feel good, so stock up on these!
4. Eating breakfast jumpstarts your metabolism and gives you energy to get through the day. Your brain relies on a routine of eating at the same time every day, so make sure to start each morning with a balanced meal!
5. Exercising at least three times a week leads to the buildup of serotonin and dopamine in your brain, both of which help reduce stress and promote a good mood! So take a walk, hit the gym, get moving!

According to Lina, "If you have good exercise and diet practices, you feel better. And when you feel good, you're more likely to exercise and eat right."

This week we officially launched our campus-wide Stress-free Bing initiative aimed at providing interesting, fun and stress-reducing activities for students as they prepare for finals. 

I hope to see you at some of the activities!

Sincerely,

Harvey Stenger
President

A message regarding the death of Shakeel Khan

To the Campus Community,

The murder last week of local business owner Shakeel Khan was a shock to all of us. We are heartbroken by this tragedy and our condolences go out to his family and friends. We understand that many within our community are devastated by what has occurred. We share in those strong feelings. We are also aware that members of our Muslim community and their many community supporters are concerned for their safety following this incident. We have spoken to officials in Johnson City who have been working around the clock on the case. They assure us that they do not believe there is any threat to the public, but they do ask anyone with information to come forward to police.

At the moment, we do not have enough information about this senseless murder to understand the nature of the crime; this is an on-going Johnson City investigation with support from the New York State Police. We are actively following this case and can make a better determination once we learn more.

Binghamton University is committed to the safety and well-being of its students, faculty and staff and we've significantly increased the resources that support this work. Every campus official, beginning with me, is very aware not only of the need to establish a safe campus, but also to communicate with the community if that safety is compromised. In this case, there was never any immediate threat to students.

The University delivers B-Alerts in situations that concern the immediate safety and well-being of our campus community. Typically, the University does not issue B-Alerts in cases when a crime does not occur on or near University property. However, in rare cases, the University may issue a crime advisory to the campus in order to provide relevant information to the campus community about serious crimes that occur off campus. In deciding whether to issue a crime advisory, the University must consider all of the facts surrounding the incident, such as the nature of the crime, the continuing danger to the campus community and the possible risk of compromising law enforcement efforts. Our commitment to safety is something we take very seriously.

For students in need of counseling services, the Dean of Students Office and CARE Team, along with the University Counseling Center (UCC) and Residential Life, can offer support. If you would like to speak to someone, reach out to the Dean of Students Office and CARE Team by calling 607-777-2804. The UCC can be reached by calling 607-777-2772. To reach a counselor after hours, students should call 607-777-2772 and select #2. In an emergency, call 911.

Sincerely,

Harvey Stenger
President

Top five tips on finishing the semester strong

Dear Students,

As you return from Spring Break, it's hard to imagine there are only eight weeks left in the semester. Soon enough there will be finals and paper deadlines looming. The end of the spring semester can be a lot more stressful than it needs to be. So with that being said, here are my top five tips to help you make this final run as stress free as possible:

1. Get at least eight hours of sleep each night.
2. Eat healthily and exercise.
3. Give yourself a break once in a while.
4. Unplug and reconnect! While often necessary, the internet can also be the worst distraction.
5. Ask for help when needed. The University has tons of resources for those who need extra help or just someone to talk to. binghamton.edu/case-management/support/resources.html

Over the next couple of weeks, I will be supplying you with more tips on how to make this semester a little less stressful. Sorry for worrying about you, but as a dad and a grandfather, I will never stop worrying!

Have a great finish to the year!

Harvey

Binghamton University's growing reputation

To the Binghamton University Community,

It strikes me how many positive things have happened recently that are adding to Binghamton University's growing reputation.

• We are now among the elite universities in the nation that have achieved "very high research" status according to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
• We received a seven-figure gift from alumna Ellyn Kaschak '65 to establish the Institute for Social Justice for Women and Girls.
• Our Community Schools program was awarded a $1.7 million grant.
• Construction of our expanded Decker School at our Health Sciences Campus is truly taking shape.

These are just a few of the highlights that underscore the excellence and innovation I see everywhere I look. They are public recognition of the ways we continually strive to provide the best education for our students even as we make path-breaking discoveries that will impact us all.

As we move into the last weeks of our semester – and, yes, we are already preparing for Commencement! – I commend everyone at Binghamton University who works to maintain our beautiful campus, build partnerships with our many constituencies and ensure our students have the resources they need to succeed.

Sincerely,

Harvey G. Stenger
President

Binghamton University is proud to celebrate February as Black History Month

Binghamton University is proud to celebrate February as Black History Month and to acknowledge the many contributions African Americans have made to society. As a University, we welcome this opportunity to come together to celebrate the accomplishments of generations of African Americans, to increase our understanding of the African diaspora and to recommit ourselves to the pursuit of equal rights and social justice.

Building and sustaining a diverse and inclusive campus is a crucial part of our efforts to becoming the premier public university. Our educational and research missions obligate us to search for the knowledge that enables our students to thrive in a diverse world. At the same time, a diverse campus broadens the range of insights and experiences that our students, faculty and staff can draw on in their work, so we can ask new questions and find better answers. Education, particularly at places like Binghamton, is essential to building a more inclusive society.

I hope that everyone on campus will take the opportunity this month to engage with the history and heritage that Black History Month honors through the variety of programs planned by the Black Student Union, other cultural student organizations and academic departments, in addition to larger community events.

Sincerely,

Harvey G. Stenger
President

Partial shutdown of the United States federal government

To the Binghamton University Community,

As the partial shutdown of the United States federal government enters its fourth week, I want to update you regarding its impact on Binghamton University and the steps the University is taking to mitigate its affects.

As you are aware, beginning Dec. 21, 2018, leaders in Washington, D.C., were unable to agree on an appropriations bill to fund several of the government's departments, forcing them to shut down. Included in the shutdown are several federal agencies that interact with academics and institutions of higher education, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As a result, these agencies have suspended much of their normal activity, which is impacting the University and faculty in various ways.

We are most concerned about the impact on faculty research grants provided by agencies such as the NSF. Currently, processing of new grants is on hold, existing payments due are being withheld and the distribution of articles for peer review is being postponed. Faculty seeking answers to questions regarding their grants are unable to contact responsible parties. Faculty who rely on these grants for research as part of their tenure process are also impacted, and news reports suggest that the backlog at these agencies may take months to fully resolve, which may delay start dates for new research projects.

This has resulted in real hardship for faculty who rely on these grants, and particularly for those graduate students and post-docs whose salaries are funded by them. As of this week, the University is awaiting reimbursement from the NSF of over $300,000, with the amount growing each day the NSF is shut down. Meanwhile, faculty must continue their research and produce progress reports in compliance with NSF contracts. Should the shutdown continue through January, we estimate that the University will have absorbed over $500,000 in unreimbursed NSF expenses. The Binghamton University Research Foundation is advancing funds for these grants so that work can continue unimpeded.

Other campus offices that have been affected by past governmental shutdowns, such as our Admissions Office and the Office of International Student and Scholar Services, have not experienced any significant delays or challenges so far. We will continue to monitor the situation and will work to support our students and faculty should any difficulties emerge.

We have spoken to our political leaders in Washington regarding the challenges caused by the shutdown and have urged them to find a speedy resolution to the impasse. In the meantime, I encourage students, faculty and staff to contact my office if you find your work hampered by the current shutdown.

Sincerely,

Harvey G. Stenger
President

Year-end Statement

To our campus community, friends and supporters,

Join me in taking a deep breath as 2018 comes to an end. The year has been filled with a whirlwind of activity – mostly positive! – and I for one believe we all deserve a brief respite to enjoy time with family and friends.

Our whirlwind included saying goodbye to our Class of 2018 and welcoming our Class of 2022, opening an incredible new building to house our School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, grieving the loss of students, yet celebrating milestones such as 50 years of our exceptional Educational Opportunity Program and wrestling program.

We saw students excel in the classrooms, on the courts and playing fields, the stage and in the community. Our students and faculty made scientific discoveries and advanced areas of inquiry across the social sciences, humanities and the arts.

I couldn't be more proud of our excellence, our resiliency and our progress toward becoming the premier public of the 21st century.

Thank you all, and I wish you a joyous – and relaxing – start to the new year.

Sincerely,
Harvey Stenger
President

Financial plans for 2018-19 and 2019-20, Part II

We have held three open meetings with faculty and staff over the past two weeks. During those meetings, and from emails and conversations with deans and campus governance leaders, we have been answering questions about the financial challenges we are facing. To distribute those questions and answers, we have created an FAQ page.

We hope these are helpful and address many of your questions. We plan to update these FAQs as we receive and answer additional questions. An important clarification to the previous memorandum is that the exemption of TAs and adjuncts includes all graduate and undergraduate assistant appointments (RPAs, GAs, TAs and UG SAs). Renewal of currently employed lecturers does not require a request for an exception. However, we expect deans to continue to use discretion in authorizing renewals because of budget uncertainty for 2019-20.

Going forward, we are implementing a process to apply for exceptions to the hiring hold as described in this form.

The University is committed to providing all departments with adequate and appropriate administrative support as well as faculty – contingent and tenure-track – that are essential to delivering the quality education that our reputation is built upon. We believe this procedure will allow us to do that and at the same time help us move toward a balanced budget.

We hope that this process will allow us to move forward in this period of uncertainty, and we appreciate the work and effort you are contributing to help us meet our challenges.

Sincerely,
Harvey Stenger
President

Donald Nieman
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

Financial plans for 2018-19 and 2019-20

As described in this year's State of the University address, our campus is facing a financial challenge as we work to generate the revenue necessary to cover the costs of the negotiated, well-deserved and overdue raises for our UUP employees. While we are still determining the complete impact of these raises, we have estimated that we need approximately $4 million in new revenue each year for each of the six years of the new contract from 2016-17 to 2021-22. This means that for the current 2018-19 year, we need approximately $20 million − $8 million in one-time funding to cover the retroactive raises for 2016-17 and 2017-18, and $12 million to bring all salaries to the contract requirements of 2018-19. In preparation, we have been building reserves and generating additional recurring revenue through modest tuition increases and increased enrollment over the past three years.

In context, this challenge appears manageable when we consider that our growth in yearly revenue and expenditures from 2011-12 to 2017-18 was approximately $99 million (up from $293 million/year to $392 million/year), an increase of $16 million/year. See our financial report.

Our growth over the past six years has been made possible through these increased revenues and has been impressive. We have grown our tenured and tenure-track faculty by 31 percent from 475 to 620, while increasing our enrollment by only 14 percent and decreasing our student-to-faculty ratio from 20.6 to 18.9. We have grown our staff by 14 percent, at the same rate we have grown our enrollment. We have renovated several buildings and increased our physical space by 543,000 square feet through strategic investments provided by New York state to build our Center of Excellence building, Smart Energy Building, Koffman Southern Tier Incubator, pharmacy building and pharmacy R&D building, as well as to move the Decker School of Nursing to 48 Corliss Ave. in Johnson City in 2020. All of these capital projects are supporting our growth in enrollment and funded research programs, and simultaneously helped to increase our economic impact in the local region. In addition, over the past six years we have grown philanthropic cash gifts to the University from $5.3 million to $10.7 million per year, research expenditures from $32 million to $47.5 million per year, and our U.S. News & World Report ranking rose from #97 to #80 for all national universities and from #37 to #32 among public universities. All these are impressive gains that we can be proud of and that we can use as examples of what we can accomplish in the future.

Over the past two years, the vice presidents and directors of our eight divisions have built a plan that can meet the anticipated new contractual salary increases described above. An important part of this plan was an expected growth of 530 students this fall – including 380 graduate students and 150 undergraduates. Unfortunately, we did not meet these enrollment targets, which has created a shortfall of approximately $5 million this year for our needed $20 million increase in salary expenses ($8 million one-time and $12 million recurring), and, if enrollment does not grow in fall 2019, this $5 million shortfall will grow to $9 million in 2019-20 and by $4 million each year after that.

To meet these challenges, we will take the following steps:

1. Create a task force to evaluate the long-term enrollment projections for our undergraduate and graduate student populations for New York residents and nonresidents. Growth in enrollment will be challenging due to the decreasing number of high school graduates in the Northeast, decreased international student demand and strong competition for out-of-state students. Don Nieman will lead this effort.
2. Create three task forces to identify alternative revenue sources, including expanding our online education offerings, creating public-private partnerships and capitalizing on our growing intellectual property portfolio. James Pitarresi, Sheila Doyle and Bahgat Sammakia will lead these efforts.
3. We will delay, for 12 months, investments in our University Initiatives developed through the Road Map Renewal process, with the exception of the Presidential Diversity Post Doc program, which is a contractual obligation with SUNY created by the SUNY Performance Improvement Fund. We will, however, pause the development of a college of nursing and health sciences, expansion of the health sciences core facilities and the data science initiative. We will consider restarting them in fall 2019 when we know if we have met our enrollment and revenue targets.
4. We will limit the leadership searches for the dean of students, chief diversity officer, vice president for advancement, director of the Educational Opportunity Program and dean of the Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science to internal, interim appointments, retaining all salary savings to help meet our financial shortfall. We will revisit these searches in the fall of 2019 when we know if we have met our revenue targets.
5. With the exception of adjuncts and TAs, we will put all faculty and staff hiring plans and searches in all divisions and at all levels on hold until we are certain of the fiscal year 2020 state budget and our fall 2019 enrollment and revenue. Exceptions to this will be made when there is a significant impact on our ability to meet future revenue goals, it will negatively impact the health and safety of our campus community, a written offer has been extended or the position is necessary to meet a contractual obligation. Human Resources records show that there are currently more than 60 open positions across campus with a total starting salary estimate of more than $4 million. A review of this list shows that few of these meet the exemption criteria listed above; however, if a vice president or divisional director believes there should be an exception, the request will be made to the two of us for consideration. Exceptions will be reported quarterly to the campus community. Salary savings from the delays of these hires will be applied to our financial shortfall for this academic year. Our intention is to return these lines to the units once we are certain we have met our revenue targets.

As you can imagine, we are not taking these steps lightly, but we believe we will jeopardize our long-term financial position and lose many of the gains we have achieved in the past six years if we fail to take these steps now. We know that this will create hardships, but we are confident that the vice presidents, directors, deans, faculty and staff will work together diligently to overcome them and develop the new sources of revenue necessary to enable us to meet our financial challenges and continue the progress we have achieved during the past six years.

We understand that many of you will have questions, so we have scheduled the following sessions for faculty and staff where we will answer your questions and respond to your concerns:

• Thursday, Nov. 15 − 3:30−4:30 p.m. in the Center of Excellence Symposium Hall
• Friday, Nov. 16 − 3:30−4:30 p.m. in the Anderson Center Chamber Hall
• Monday, Nov. 19 − 1−2 p.m. in the Mandela Room

Sincerely,

Harvey Stenger, President
Donald Nieman, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh

To the campus community,

Our thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to members of the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh and all who lost family members, friends and colleagues in the violent, anti-Semitic attack that occurred there on Saturday. This appalling act grew out of anti-Semitism, hate and intolerance. It is antithetical to the values that our nation stands for and strives to realize, if imperfectly. It comes in the wake of the murder of two African Americans in a suburb of Louisville, Kentucky, by a man who had attempted and failed to enter an African American church, and mail bombs sent to prominent individuals because of their political views.

At a time when political passions are heated, respect for facts under attack and bigotry is on the rise, Binghamton University reaffirms its commitment to diversity and inclusion, civil discussion of controversial issues, scrupulous respect for facts and the pursuit of truth grounded in rigorous research.

The campus provides support services to students, faculty and staff to help them cope with tragedies, including the Dean of Students CARE Team; the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; the University Counseling Center; and the Employee Assistance Program.

Harvey Stenger, President
Donald Nieman, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

To the campus community,

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and in recognition of the survivors of domestic violence, Binghamton University joins a coast-to-coast effort to raise awareness and engage in activities that support those who are abused. We believe that Awareness + Action = Social Change.

Domestic violence is also a college violence issue, with college-age women experiencing a higher rate of interpersonal violence (IVP) and sexual coercion than any other segment of the population. Over the next few weeks, Binghamton's Division of Student Affairs will develop opportunities for students, faculty and staff to bring attention to the impact violence has on individuals and our communities, as well as to participate in activities designed to reduce domestic violence on campus and in our community.

Numerous events are planned, but we want to highlight a few:

• The One Love Foundation will provide a training for student leaders at 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5, in SL-206, as well as a workshop for faculty and staff at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 5, in UU-Old Union Hall.
• Health Promotion and Prevention Services (HPPS) has partnered with the Crime Victims Assistance Center (CVAC) to spread domestic violence awareness through the color purple and will help Paint the Town Purple by lighting the Library Tower purple Friday, Oct. 5. CVAC's official event will be held at 7 p .m. Friday, Oct. 5, at Peacemaker's Stage on Court Street in Binghamton.
• Residential Life will host a bulletin board and door IVP decorating contest running from Oct. 8-31, with judging to take place Monday, Oct. 15. 
• Volunteers will gather at the Peace Quad at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16, for The Clothesline Project, where they will create T-shirts representing victims of domestic violence. Around noon, participants will make a human clothesline at various locations around campus.

In addition, the Binghamton University Student Association will sponsor events throughout the month to stand against sexual assault and educate students on issues of consent and interpersonal violence. Activities include a campus pledge against sexual assault, tabling in the MarketPlace and a candlelight vigil, among other events.

Binghamton University is committed to supporting the victims of domestic abuse. The University offers a number of confidential and anonymous resources to assist those who have been or are being abused, including the University Counseling Center, Decker Student Health Services Center, Harpur's Ferry and the University Ombudsperson. If you, or someone you know, is at risk or is being harassed or abused, reach out for support. Additional resources may be found on the IVP website. If you are in immediate danger, call the University Police emergency hotline at 607-777-2222.

Sincerely,
Harvey G. Stenger
Binghamton University, president

A safe campus, but one that we continually strive to make safer.

To the campus community,

Binghamton University is a safe campus, but one that we continually strive to make safer.

Over the summer, I established four committees to examine our response to the tragic events of the spring 2018 semester: Safety and Security, Counseling and Student Support, Student Engagement, and Communications. Each committee has focused on campus procedures and practices, gathered feedback and worked to implement many of the ideas put forth.

We are committed to making Binghamton a safe and secure campus, and we recognize that this requires the engagement of the entire campus. The actions are also described in the following committee summaries.

I encourage you to email any of the committee leaders with feedback or new ideas that might be relevant to their area.

Sincerely,
Harvey G. Stenger
Binghamton University, president

Committee Summaries

Safety and Security Committee

JoAnn Navarro, vice president for operations, leads the University's Safety and Security Committee. Enhancements and improvements include:

• The campus has installed the Alertus Enhanced Notification system. This system, which is connected to our B-Alert system, gives our police dispatchers the ability to press one of the "easy buttons" in the University Police (UPD) Dispatch Center to initiate a predetermined set of actions such as the automatic delivery of the following generic message: "B-ALERT: A violent incident has been reported on the Vestal campus. Police are responding. Move indoors — secure doors now. Monitor B-ALERT for additional info."

  Dispatchers are authorized, by specific campus policy, to activate the system without seeking any supervisory approval. In theory, an initial message would be sent within a minute or two of the event.

  In addition, we will utilize the Alertus app to push notifications to individuals who have downloaded it (similar to weather notifications you might get on your phone). This will be operational by early fall.

• Additional security cameras have been installed in residence halls. This summer, approximately 160 cameras have been installed in residence halls that had no camera coverage (Hinman, Hillside, Susquehanna and College-in-the-Woods). During the fall semester, we will upgrade older cameras in residence halls that already have coverage.
• We have purchased an overlay to our current phone system that will allow us to use all office phones as a mass-notification system (an emergency message could automatically come over your speakerphone).This will be operational by mid- fall semester.
• Sixty additional panic buttons have been installed in residential assistant and residential director offices this summer.
• The Distributed Antenna System will improve cell phone reception in the basements of buildings with weak or no reception. The University Union, Academic A and the Glenn G. Bartle Library will be updated during the fall semester.
• The Active Shooter training video is available online on our UPD and Emergency Management websites.
• The Safe Ride Program continued to operate throughout the summer. During the regular academic year, it is operated by Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS). In summer, when usage is lower, it is operated through University Police (UPD). TAPS resumes operation of the program this fall; it is open to all members of campus. (Update July 31, 2020: This program has been halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Members of the campus community can call University Police at 607-777-2393 at any time, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to request a walking escort if they feel unsafe walking on campus.)
• We have also created an "Employee Communication Subcommittee comprising 13 individuals representing leadership from all the unions, Professional Staff Senate, Faculty Senate Executive Committee, Auxiliary Services, Emergency Management, Human Resources, and Communications and Marketing.

The group reviewed current methods of communicating with employees, brainstormed ideas for enhanced communication and reviewed suggestions submitted by campus employees.

Current methods include the B-Alert System (Rave), B-Alert page at binghamton.edu/alert/, B-Alert Line at 607-777-7700, Dateline, University website, message boards and signs at the entrances to campus, the Call Center and the siren system. New ideas include the two-way radios used by some Physical Facilities employees, the library PA system and establishing a "testing day" once a semester to test all emergency systems. We will also be including more information in next year's Right to Know Compliance training program.

Counseling and Student Support Committee

The Counseling and Student Support Committee is led by Johann Fiore-Conte, assistant vice president for health and wellness. The committee has been involved in the following initiatives:

• Three full-time positions are being added to the University Counseling Center (UCC). Specialty areas include people with competencies in multicultural, LGBT and trauma counseling. We anticipate these staff will be in place early in the fall semester.
• Binghamton University has been invited to join a Tele-Counseling pilot, sponsored by SUNY. This option is in the process of being implemented.
• The University Counseling Center is looking at creating a dynamic staffing model for the fall, ensuring additional resources are available later in the semester, when demands naturally increase.
• Conversations are underway with the Crime Victims Assistance Center (CVAC) to bring resources to campus for students experiencing negative impacts of a critical incident. This could be in the form of additional direct counseling resources and assistance with outreach efforts.
• A letter has been sent to all new students outlining the scope of on-campus mental health services and the potential of referrals to the community. Assistance is offered in connecting students to appropriate resources while at Binghamton.
• We are increasing support for mental health outreach by hiring a second health educator in Health Promotion and Prevention Services.
• Bystander programs will be expanded to provide broader reach.
• We are reviewing interpersonal violence prevention, and other forms of critical-incident preparation for students. The goal is to provide training that reaches all students periodically and strategically throughout their time here.
• We are investigating ways to build in faculty/staff training on topics such as identifying distressed, disturbed and dangerous students; critical-incident preparation; trauma-informed sensitivity; etc.
• Dr. Ramona Mazzeo, director of psychiatry services in the Decker Student Health Services Center, is expanding the residency program to include Elmira and Guthrie (in addition to UHS) residents. While this will support the training goals of the respective residency programs, it will also increase access to intake appointments for psychiatry on campus.

Student Engagement Committee

The Student Engagement Committee, led by Randall Edouard, assistant vice president for student affairs and interim dean of students, has been involved in initiatives focusing on training and safety. There has been direct engagement with students to provide avenues for feedback through:

• Meetings with all resident assistants, resident directors and central staff to hear concerns and provide information on safety planning.
• Meetings with Windham and Hunter residents, UPD, University leadership and Residential Life staff to discuss ongoing safety concerns and receive feedback.

We have reviewed and updated training and strategies in several areas, including:

• Our Residential Life staff training program — defining guiding principles and re-designing safety training priorities are in process.
• Engagement strategies over the summer — created and rolled out plans for improved safety, and coordinating with summer-student staff and the new Student Association executive board.
• We have analyzed current communication protocols and proposed improvements for regular communication, as well as crisis communication mapping charts and refined strategies, based on student feedback.
• Case management has connected with interpersonal violence prevention to develop training sessions.

Communications Committee

Gregory Delviscio, associate vice president for communications and marketing, leads the Communications Committee. The projects the group is working on include:

• A review of ways to include all students and staff in the B-Alert system. ITS is working with Undergraduate Admissions and the Department of Communications and Marketing to opt all current student cell-phone numbers into the B-Alert emergency notification system. Once completed, a message will pop up in the portal directing students to review the number on file in the system. The target completion date is September 1.

  Another goal of the team was to simplify the process of signing up for B-Alert. Now, students, staff and faculty can log in with their University PODS account and update or edit their contact information.

  To log into the site and verify your phone number, visit: https://www.getrave.com/login/binghamton

• Generic instructional and safety messages were crafted and will be used during future emergencies via the Alertus System. The goal is to reduce response time and quickly deliver a message.
• We are working to improve our ability to push messages and instructions to residential directors quicker and more effectively.
• The University will begin using the B-Alert system to deliver safety messages via email rather than through B-line and Dateline additions. The change provides two advantages for the campus.
  • It utilizes the B-Alert message function so everyone will receive a B-Alert email message, rather than a B-Line/Dateline Addition, and the message can also be pushed out to social media.
  • This will keep the message on the B-Alert system, give more people access to send the message out and enable the University to update social media much more quickly.
• We have created teams to monitor social media during a crisis, which could inform the possible development of an FAQ page in an emergency.

If you have an idea that you think will enhance:

• Campus safety, contact JoAnn Navarro (jnavarro@binghamton.edu).
• Counseling and Student Support, contact Johann Fiore Conte (jmfconte@binghamton.edu)
• Student Engagement, contact Randall Edouard (redouard@binghamton.edu)
• Communications, contact Gregory Delviscio (gregdelv@binghamton.edu)

Looking ahead

Dear University Community,

After a hectic and difficult spring semester, Binghamton University saw about 4,000 students cross the stage to receive bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in May. While we remembered students recently lost at each ceremony, we also celebrated the achievements of students and those who helped them reach their academic goals during our nine separate Commencement ceremonies.

Looking ahead, this summer we are moving forward with a number of initiatives to keep us on the path to becoming the premier public university of the 21st century – including the opening of our $60 million, 105,000 square-foot pharmacy building in Johnson City, N.Y.

We're also reviewing and updating safety and security policies, trainings and Orientation activities to ensure that our students, faculty and staff know what to do in crisis situations. Some initiatives include enhancing our B-Alert emergency notification system to speed messaging to the campus, making the B-Alert system an opt-OUT instead of an opt-IN program for our students, installing additional security cameras in residence halls and adding three counselors to our University Counseling Center staff.

I am proud of the Binghamton University community and how students, faculty and staff support each other and continue to look for ways to make this campus the best it can be.

Thank you all for your good work.

Sincerely,
Harvey G. Stenger
President

A Letter to Campus on Inclusiveness

Dear University community,

Recently, a number of students, especially students of color, have expressed concern about racism and discrimination on campus and the University's response to it. In addition, LGBTQ students participated in a "Day of Silence" to raise awareness of the challenges they face. We understand these concerns and share with the students a commitment to making this campus a welcoming and inclusive place. Binghamton strives to be a University where students, faculty and staff can learn and work freely and productively, without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual identity.

We are committed to combating institutional racism on campus and to supporting our students of color and the LGBTQ community. We hear your criticisms and are actively working with faculty, staff and students to ensure that our University is a safe and equitable community. We take all instances of racism and homophobia very seriously and will continue to make it abundantly clear that we have no tolerance for hateful acts.

Nonetheless, we understand that actions speak louder than words. For this reason, over the past year, the University has supported a number of programs and offices that are focused on reducing racial inequality, fostering inclusivity, supporting civic and political engagement, and promoting social justice. Below are just a few of these programs:

• Residential Life has led 15 programs that addressed race relations, including a forum following the discovery of racist drawings in Newing and a gathering in CIW to develop a community response to similar drawings found in that community.
• The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, in collaboration with Residential Life, provided cultural competency training, racial justice deliberation and mental health support emphasizing the intersectionality of race.
• Binghamton University Police recently participated in training seminars regarding fair and impartial policing perspectives and a cultural competency training. All newly hired officers will attend these programs by the end of the summer.
• Through the Road Map Renewal process, the campus has made a significant investment in a Presidential Post Doc program designed to significantly increase the number of underrepresented faculty at Binghamton University.
• The Provost's Office has sponsored cultural competency training for department chairs to give them the tools to create a more inclusive environment in their departments. In September 2018, Benjamin Reese, vice president of institutional equity at Duke University and Duke University Health System and a licensed clinical psychologist, will conduct a workshop for chairs on implicit bias.
• Faculty and staff within all the schools have been offered a program on cultural competency training.
• The President's Office, the Provost's Office and the Division of Student Affairs provided support for training 20 individuals in mediation and restorative justice to prepare them to resolve conflicts growing out of intergroup conflict that occur on a diverse campus such as ours.
• The Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science and the College of Community and Public Affairs conducted workshops for faculty and staff on cultural competence, macroaggressions and unconscious bias.
• Harpur College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Community of Public Affairs created faculty diversity committees to study diversity and make recommendations on steps that would increase diversity and inclusion.
• In April 2018, the Provost's Office collaborated with the Faculty Senate to sponsor a University-wide convocation, "Campus Speech: What Are the Limits?" The panel explored ways in which our campus can balance its commitment to free speech with its commitment to diversity and inclusion.
• Health Promotion and Prevention Services staff received cultural competency and LGBTQ training.
• The Sexual Assault Response Team has added three key representatives to expand programs and enhance the provision of services to the diverse populations of Binghamton University.
• The Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) has promoted Passion to Action, educational programming on topics ranging from healthcare policy, criminal justice reform and sexual assault to legal rights for activists.
• The Student Conflict and Dispute Management Program (SCDMP) continues to provide mediation and restorative justice to help resolve interpersonal conflicts between students. Established in 2016, in its first year, 22 cases were referred to the SDMP, with 11 of these being resolved through the program.
• Student Affairs established the Student Affairs Divisional Diversity Committee (SADDC) composed of representatives from Student Support Services, the Student Association, the Q Center, Residential Life, the Educational Opportunity Program, Services for Students with Disabilities, the CCE and the Office of Student Conduct. SADDC develops initiatives and programming and financially supports projects that focus on raising awareness and celebrating diversity at Binghamton University.
• The Division of Student Affairs hosts Conscious Conversation brown bag lunches where issues related to inclusion are discussed and best practices are examined with the goal of nurturing an aware, involved community.
• Binghamton University Ombudsperson Bathabile Mthombeni has provided interpersonal dialogue training in Mountainview College.
• Over the summer, the University Counseling Center will add three more counselors to its staff with the focus on bringing in a diverse staff.

Anyone who wishes to participate in any of these ongoing programs or wishes to report incidents of discrimination is encouraged to contact any of these offices for further action:

• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at 607-777-4775 or odei@binghamton.edu
• Multicultural Resource Center at 607-777-4472 or mrc.binghamton.edu
• CARE Team at 607-777-2804
• Dean of Students at 607-777-2804 or dos@binghamton.edu
• University Ombudsman at 607-777-2388
• University Counseling Center at 607-777-2772

Sincerely,

Donald G. Nieman
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

Harvey G. Stenger
President

A Letter to Campus on Safety Initiatives

As we take time to process and reflect on the past few weeks, my staff has begun an immediate review of our safety policies and procedures to ensure everyone in our community can feel secure. We've already made progress on ways to further improve our campus safety. In addition, we are addressing other factors beyond just physical changes to our campus infrastructure. As such, I have directed staff to thoroughly review and seek ways to improve our approach to student mental health, conflict resolution and interpersonal violence aspects as well.

To do all this, I have created four teams to begin focusing on different priorities: Safety and Security, Counseling/Student Support, Student Engagement and Communications. These teams are working now to develop effective strategies for positive change. Below are some initiatives that they have identified for immediate change. In the coming weeks and over the summer they will discover and implement more.

Below are some initiatives that we have identified as just our first steps in this process:

• The Alertus Enhanced Notification System will be installed. This system will give us the ability to notify people of an emergency within a few minutes through our B-alert system.
• We will increase the frequency of peer education training, including the bystander, sexual assault prevention and mental health outreach training modules. These are needed to give students strategies and skills to intervene to prevent possible sexual violence.
• Security cameras will be placed in all residential halls that don't already have them. They will be located on the main doors and the elevators and some public areas. Cameras will not be installed where privacy might be a concern.
• We will allocate more resources to mental health and conflict resolution resources. For example, we've secured money from the Parents Leadership Council for our restorative justice program – a form of alternative dispute resolution that brings students together in small groups, empowers them to resolve conflicts and focuses on the needs of all involved, providing a stronger sense of community.
• Our police will continue to train in all aspects of community policing. Recently, the entire department participated in training seminars regarding fair and impartial policing perspectives and in cultural competency training. All newly hired officers will attend these programs by the end of the summer.

This is only the beginning and I pledge to make continuous efforts to ensure our campus is a place where you can feel safe and secure. Over the summer we will also work with RAs and residential staff to gather student feedback. We will continue to review and work to improve ways to protect our students, faculty and staff. Over the coming weeks, look for more updates on our progress.

Sincerely,

Harvey G. Stenger
President

A Letter to Campus on Recent Tragedies

9:52 p.m.

Suspect arraigned and charged with second degree murder

Michael M. Roque, 20, a Binghamton University student, was charged this evening with second degree murder in the stabbing death of 19-year-old freshman engineering student Joao Souza.

Roque has been assigned a public defender who entered a not guilty plea on his behalf at the Broome County Central Arraignment facility.

Roque was taken to the Broome County Jail following the arraignment.

Suspect in custody; message from President Harvey Stenger

5:33 p.m.

Dear Binghamton University Community,
I am deeply saddened to write to you regarding last night's stabbing that led to the death of one of our students, Joao Souza, a 19-year-old freshman engineering student. The entire campus mourns for him. Our sympathies go out to his friends and family, as well as to his classmates and peers. A suspect is in custody. I thank our Binghamton University Police, New York State Police and the Broome County District Attorney's office for their quick work in apprehending the individual as quickly as possible.

As president, my top priority is keeping everyone in our campus community safe. I want to reaffirm to you Binghamton University's commitment to providing a safe learning environment. Unfortunately, we live in a time where violence is part of society, and, as a campus of 17,000+ students and several thousand faculty and staff, there are occasions where violence will intrude on our campus. We will continue to focus on keeping ours a safe campus, with a fully-empowered state law enforcement agency that works closely with the residential communities to protect life and property.

Part of fostering a safe campus involves quick, clear communication with the community. Over the past 18 hours we've sent a number of messages alerting parents, students and faculty and staff. However, to get the alerts, faculty and staff need to sign up for the service by going to https://www.getrave.com/login/binghamton and logging in or going to BU BRAIN in http://my.binghamton.edu to update B-Alert contact information. Subscribers can add up to three email addresses and three cell phone numbers by clicking on "My Information" and updating their information under Emergency Alert Notification (Rave Mobile Safety).

This has been a very difficult semester for me and the entire campus with two student deaths in just a few weeks. These tragedies shake us to the core and we grieve together.

President Harvey G. Stenger
President

2:19 p.m.

University statement

The University has understandably received questions with respect to what actions people on campus should be taking while a suspect remains at large. As previously stated, law enforcement believes the attack was not a random act and that the victim was targeted. University Police have the support of other law enforcement agencies that are currently on campus assisting with the investigation and with other law enforcement responsibilities. If there is any specific action that law enforcement believes people on campus should take in the interest of their safety, the University will communicate that information via the campus alert system and on the binghamton.edu/alert page. We anticipate a return to our normal schedule of classes tomorrow, April 17.

We have always offered safety advice to students living on and off campus. In reminder of those precautions – our residence halls are always locked and only residents of that building have key card access. Do not allow someone unknown to you to follow or tailgate you in. If that happens, report it to hall staff on duty or police.

In addition:
• Keep your Binghamton ID with you at all times. If your ID is lost, it should be immediately reported to University Police.
• Keep doors to your room and/or suite locked and do not share room combination/key information.
• Register for the Binghamton Alert System at https://www.getrave.com/login/binghamton or at BU BRAIN to receive emails and/or text messages about critical campus information and emergencies. You can add up to three email addresses and three cell phone numbers to your account and I encourage you to add your parents as well.
• Report any suspicious activity to University Police at 607-777-2393 or https://www.binghamton.edu/police/

1:53 p.m.

Students are encouraged to subscribe their parents to their B-Alert account by going to https://www.getrave.com/login/binghamton and logging in or going to BU BRAIN at http://my.binghamton.edu to update B-Alert contact information. Students can add up to three email addresses and three cell phone numbers by clicking on "My Information" and updating their information under Emergency Alert Notification (Rave Mobile Safety).

9:41 a.m.

Binghamton University Police and New York State Police are actively investigating the tragic stabbing that took place on campus Sunday, April 15.

At this time, the police are confident this was not a random act. If there is information that relates to the immediate welfare of students and the campus community, we will communicate it via our alert system.

The victim has been identified as Joao Souza, a 19-year-old freshman engineering student. The family has been notified and has requested privacy.

To follow the University's progress on this investigation, visit this website: https://www.binghamton.edu/alert/

For students in need of counseling services, the Dean of Students Office and CARE Team, along with the University Center (UCC) and Residential Life, can offer support. If you would like to speak to someone, reach out to the Dean of Students Office and CARE Team by calling 607-777-2804. The UCC can be reached by calling 607-777-2772. To reach a counselor after hours, students should call 607-777-2772 and select #2. In an emergency, call 911.

7:00 a.m.

Dear Campus Community,

Binghamton University is sad to report that a student has died due to a stabbing on campus that occurred at about 10:30 p.m. Sunday, April 15. The deceased is a male, age 19, in his first year at Binghamton University. Further information about the deceased will be provided after his family has been notified. We are in the process of contacting them.

The suspect, described as a light-skinned male wearing dark pants and a dark, Puma hooded sweatshirt, remains at large. Additional details will be provided as soon as possible. Any information that you have should be reported to Binghamton University Police at 607-777-2393.

Investigators from multiple agencies have been interviewing numerous people throughout the night. They have reported that this does not appear to be a random act.

All classes have been canceled for today, Monday, April 16. For those in need of counseling services, the Dean of Students Office and CARE Team, along with the University Counseling Center (UCC) and Residential Life, can offer support. If you would like to speak to someone, reach out to the Dean of Students Office and CARE Team by calling 607-777-2804. The UCC can be reached by calling 607-777-2772. To reach a counselor after hours, students should call 607-777-2772 and select #2. In an emergency, call 911.

Employee Assistance Program staff are available to provide support to faculty and staff dealing with this loss. They can be reached at 607-777-6655 or 607-777-6650 during regular office hours, or an off-campus coordinator can be reached after hours by calling the 24-hour EAP call line at 1-800-822-0244.

Sincerely,
Harvey G. Stenger
President

A statement about freedom of expression and peaceful protest

Dear Campus Community,

In light of events that occurred at the University Downtown Center (UDC) on March 28, we write to reaffirm our commitment to freedom of expression on campus and the right of members of the campus community to engage in peaceful protest. Early in the morning of March 28, a group of students hung over 100 posters throughout the UDC. The students' intent was to protest racism on campus and to criticize the University for not responding more forcefully. Another student who saw the posters believed that they contained racist images and asked a University Police officer to remove them. Because the posters were hung in violation of the University's posting policy, the officer removed them and questioned a student who was identified as one of the individuals who hung the posters. The officer told this student that he was in violation of University policy and state law. None of the students who hung the posters were charged with a criminal offense or violation of the Student Code of Conduct, nor will they be. Later in the day, the students engaged in their right of peaceful protest by distributing copies of the same posters in front of the UDC and in the University Union on the Vestal campus. We respect our students' commitment to social justice and civic engagement, and we will continue to support their right to express their ideas freely and to engage in peaceful protest.

Harvey G. Stenger
President

Donald G. Nieman
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

A Letter about "Campus Speech: What Are the Limits?"

Dear Campus Community,

Freedom of speech is a fundamental, constitutional value that lies at the core of academic freedom: the freedom to inquire, discover, express ideas and opinions, and debate. Sometimes individuals will express ideas that others consider offensive, hurtful, demeaning and without merit. In some cases, people exercising their right to speak can create a climate that makes others feel marginalized, even threatened.

Across the country, campuses have grappled with the tensions between protecting freedom of speech and creating an inclusive, welcoming campus community.

I encourage you to join us for "Campus speech: What are the limits?" from 3:30-5 p.m. Wednesday, April 11, in the Anderson Center Chamber Hall, featuring:
• Suzanne Nossel, executive director of PEN America, the leading voice of writers in the U.S.
• Jonathan Karp, associate professor of history and Judaic studies and chair of the Faculty Senate
• Jermel McClure, a senior majoring in sociology and politics, philosophy and law, and president of the Student Association

Sponsored by the Faculty Senate and the Provost's Office, this convocation will explore the role of freedom of speech on our campus; our efforts to create a diverse, inclusive community; and what, if any, limits there are to campus speech.

Sincerely,
Harvey G. Stenger
President
Binghamton University
hstenger@binghamton.edu

A Letter about an offensive email message sent to their listserv

Dear ECE graduate students, faculty and staff,

The Provost and I find the email sent yesterday afternoon by Professor Skormin to this department listserv to be deeply offensive. Both Professor Skormin's comment and the platform used are inappropriate. Clearly, this is neither the level of professionalism that we expect from members of the Binghamton University community nor is it compatible with the University's commitment to diversity and inclusion. We support the mission of the students and faculty active in the National Society of Black Engineers and recognize the important contributions they make to the University, their disciplines, and our society.

We condemn his commentary and hope that he understands the pain that he has caused.

Harvey G. Stenger
President

Donald G. Nieman
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

A Statement on the death of Haley Anderson

With the tragic death of senior Haley Anderson, we have lost a beloved and vital member of the Binghamton University family. Today I had the opportunity to meet with members of Haley's immediate family and learn more about her as a daughter, sister and loyal friend. Haley was just months away from graduation, with a bright future ahead of her, and it is difficult to comprehend that she will no longer be with us.

Haley touched the lives of many classmates, staff, patients, and faculty during her time here, and we mourn her loss. I offer my sympathies to Haley's family at this challenging time, as well as others close to Haley – friends, classmates and coworkers.

For those in need of counseling services, the Dean of Students Office and CARE Team, along with the University Counseling Center (UCC) and Residential Life, continue to offer support. If you would like to speak to someone, reach out to the Dean of Students Office and CARE Team by calling 607-777-2804. The UCC can be reached by calling 607-777-2772. To reach someone after hours or for emergencies, students should call 911 or the UCC after-hours counselor by calling 607-777-2772 and selecting #2.

Sincerely,
Binghamton University President
Harvey G. Stenger

A Message about sexual harassment and sexual assault

Dear Campus Community,

Over the past few months our country has begun to confront a pervasive issue that most of us knew existed, yet frequently remained hidden. Sexual harassment and sexual assault are real and serious problems that happen far too often on college campuses and are reinforced by an inherently permissive culture.

If we want to make genuine headway in addressing this damaging culture, people in leadership positions must step up and speak unequivocally in support of survivors of sexual harassment and assault. I intend to do so and call on all members of our campus community to take action as well.

Be upstanders rather than bystanders. If you witness sexual harassment or assault, step up and stop it. For example, if you see someone getting too aggressive at a bar, let security know. Whether on campus or off, there are many ways to report these types of incidents and provide support to survivors. To learn about the range of resources the University has available for survivors of sexual harassment or sexual assault, go online.

We all need to be part of the solution. Each of us can begin to make a difference by pledging to create a culture of consent, bystander intervention and survivor support wherever we are.

I want to make this abundantly clear: Binghamton University's commitment to preventing violence and to properly investigating and addressing allegations is unwavering.

Sincerely,

Harvey G. Stenger
President
Binghamton University

A Letter about our values

Dear Campus Community,

In 1965, as Harpur College became the State University of New York at Binghamton, our campus identified its values through three words — Unity, Identity and Excellence. Inscribed on our University seal, these values have endured for over 50 years.
Here is what they mean to me:

Unity – We are an inclusive community made of people from diverse backgrounds who come together to learn, discover and serve. We have developed a common bond — the Binghamton bond — that will be ours for a lifetime.

Identity – We are an academically selective community that shares ideas across departments, disciplines and borders. We encourage faculty, students and staff to ask unexpected questions, foster open dialogue and develop innovative solutions to important problems.

Excellence – In all endeavors we choose, we will compete with the best universities; transforming lives and impacting our world. We pursue our goals with determination and strive for intellectual and personal growth.

The three words on our seal — Unity, Identity, and Excellence — are the University's cornerstone, inspiring our students and faculty. These words and the values they represent are today more relevant than ever, and I hope that they will inspire you during your time at Binghamton University.

This is how I interpret our values, but they may have a different meaning to you. I am interested in hearing what they mean to you. Please write me with your thoughts.

Sincerely,

Harvey G. Stenger
President
Binghamton University

DACA remains a major concern for Binghamton University

As the president of a state university that prides itself on access, inclusivity and equality and as a place of higher learning that values each and every one of its students, I am writing to express my sincere concerns about the lack of a solution for those impacted by the approaching end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA).

Through your public statements and your direct communications with my office, I know you are committed to bringing about a legislative remedy. We understand that President Trump is also supportive of a plan that secures these individuals here in the United States. However, I am troubled by the lack of progress on this issue to date.

Their status continues to be up in the air. As legal challenges regarding DACA move through the courts, it is imperative that Congress reach a definitive decision regarding this population.

I am hopeful that you and your colleagues on both sides of the aisle will still be able to come together and find a thoughtful and effective resolution. However, time is running short for these innocent young people caught up in this bureaucratic entanglement. I hope that you and your colleagues will be able to find a solution that will allow these individuals to remain in this country and be allowed to pursue their dreams of a higher education and/or other interests.

On my own campus, I know there are a number of students who are impacted by this change. In my experience with them, they are all law-abiding, committed students. They are working to better their lives and the lives of their families, and are eager to join the workforce and strengthen our communities as employees, entrepreneurs and taxpayers.

During what will surely be a contentious debate, we must remember that at the core of this discussion are young people, many of them just barely adults who, through no fault of their own, were brought to this country. They have embraced this as "their country" and know of no other way of life. Let's work together to make sure that, while we tackle bigger political issues, we never lose sight of these young people and remember our own humanity as we put them and their futures first.

I thank you for your continued support of Binghamton University in your role as this campus' federal representative in Washington, D.C. We thank you and stand ready to help you as you tackle this important issue.

Sincerely,

Harvey Stenger, President
Binghamton University

A Letter about Tax Cut and Jobs Act

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

As the semester comes to an end, we want to provide an update on where things stand with provisions in the Tax Cut and Jobs Act that eliminate essential support for higher education. We strongly believe the proposed changes will discourage individuals from pursuing a postsecondary education, make college more expensive for those who do enroll, and undermine the financial stability of public and private two- and four-year colleges and universities.

The version of the bill passed by the House of Representatives treats employer-provided tuition payments as taxable income, a policy that would be devastating to graduate students, universities and the entire nation. The House legislation also repeals the Student Loan Interest Deduction (SLID) and reduces tax credits for tuition that help students and their families offset college costs. Fortunately, the bill passed by the Senate does not include any of these provisions. Differences in the Senate and House bills will be reconciled in the coming weeks.

The University has advocated forcefully on behalf of our students and against the provisions contained in the House bill. We have expressed our views to our congressional representative, and to our two U.S. senators, Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. We have also worked with colleagues from other universities through the Association of State and Land-grant Universities (APLU), which maintains a respected lobbying organization in Washington, and the Council of Graduate Schools, which represents the views of graduate deans across the country to Congress.

It's important to stress that while the situation remains fluid and uncertain, we remain hopeful that these provisions will not be in the final bill. Regardless, we stand in strong solidarity with our students and will continue to explore all avenues to advocate against this bill.

Sincerely,
Harvey Stenger, President
Donald Nieman, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Binghamton University

President Stenger votes in favor of Faculty Senate statement on free expression and inclusiveness

As president of Binghamton University, I have the privilege of being a voting member of the Faculty Senate. I was pleased to vote in favor of the following important statement that was approved overwhelmingly at the Faculty Senate's Nov. 28, 2017, meeting.

Binghamton University Faculty Senate Statement

"Our Mutual Principles of Free Expression and Inclusiveness"

The Faculty Senate of Binghamton University is concerned at a number of recent disturbing trends in American society. As members of that society, we are appalled by the promotion of demonizing rhetoric and restrictive policies designed to marginalize and denounce particular groups of people. As educators, we are alarmed at the parallels between racist policies in this nation's past and present and the current rise of anti-immigrant, anti-Islamic, anti-Semitic and other exclusionary ideologies, as well as a resurgent culture of violence and intimidation. And as academics, we are chilled at the promulgation of a "post-factual" stance aimed at discrediting and undermining the pursuit of rational inquiry and the value of expertise.

In the face of such moral and intellectual threats, we, the Faculty Senate at Binghamton University, affirm our commitment to the ideal of inclusiveness and to the fundamental values of free expression and the critical evaluation of truth claims. We therefore oppose prejudicial bans on travel and immigration. We denounce the vilification of the press, the suppression of scientific research, and the erosion of American institutions dedicated to education, culture, the arts, and the environment. As scholars and educators, we commit ourselves to standing against these destructive trends and upholding our core traditions rooted in free intellectual exchange and the promotion of democracy and human rights.

Approved by Faculty Senate
November 28, 2017

A Letter to U.S. Congresswoman Claudia Tenney about Tax Cut and Jobs Act concerns

The following letter was sent to The following letter was sent to The Honorable Claudia Tenney, U.S. Representative for the 22nd Congressional District:

November 7, 2017

Honorable Claudia Tenney
US Representative
555 French Road
New Hartford, NY 13413

Dear Rep. Tenney;

I write to express strong concerns with provisions in H.R. 1, the Tax Cut and Jobs Act that eliminates essential support for higher education. At Binghamton, we strongly believe the proposed changes will discourage individuals from pursuing a postsecondary education, make college more expensive for those who do enroll, and undermine the financial stability of public and private two- and four-year colleges and universities.

As you know, the plan reduces tax credits for tuition that help students and their families offset college costs, moves to treat employer-provided tuition payments as taxable income, repeals the Student Loan Interest Deduction (SLID) and proposes taxing endowment income at prestigious private universities.

While some of the proposals impact our colleagues in private institutions more than public institutions, it is my strong belief that any measure that makes it more difficult to access and pay for higher education is bad for all postsecondary schools.

As a member of the Association for Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the American Council on Education (ACE), Binghamton University joins its association counterparts to encourage our federal representatives to review and consider the potential fallout, and work to come up with a tax reform plan that does not have such negative impacts on higher education.

We share APLU President Peter McPherson's assessment of the plan:

"Reforming our nation's tax code is long overdue and we appreciate the effort that went into crafting this legislation. We recognize that policymakers have many priorities they must balance. But as written, the bill would have deeply negative consequences for access to higher education, the cost of college, and efforts to develop the highly skilled workforce that is needed to propel our nation's economy forward."
— APLU President Peter McPherson.

Thank you for all that you do for the State University of New York and Binghamton University. We
know you have our best interests in mind as you debate and vote on this important issue. We sincerely appreciate any consideration you can give to our concerns outlined above.

Sincerely,
President Harvey G. Stenger
Binghamton University

Police investigating swastika left on Post-it note in residence hall

October 24, 2017

Binghamton University Police are conducting an investigation after a swastika on a Post-it note was found on a lounge window in Digman Hall. We take all instances of this nature very seriously and have zero tolerance for such appalling acts. We are working to ensure the matter is investigated thoroughly and those responsible are held accountable. We will continue to work with our campus and community partners to ensure that all students feel safe and welcome on campus and that incidents like this do not happen again. Anyone with information is encouraged to call University Police at 607-777-2393.

A Message about a racist incident

October 9, 2017

Dear Campus Community,

On Sunday, Oct. 8, another racist comment was found in a bathroom in Onondaga Hall, closely following the discovery of a similar depiction in Endicott Hall.

Let me be unequivocal: These drawings are deplorable and have no place on campus. That Binghamton University should face two incidents of this sort in less than a week shows how immature, ignorant, potentially dangerous and insensitive people can be, even after being admitted to this University. I, and my administration, strongly condemn racist and offensive acts of any kind. Personally, and as a campus community, we reject these acts and we will call them out as long as they persist.

I am appalled that a small number of individuals spew hatred and bigotry and represent ideas that are fundamentally and systematically inconsistent with the values of inclusion and intellectual engagement that Binghamton University stands for. As long as I am president, the University will continue to promote these values and will respond forcefully to those who try to sow division and discord on campus.

Sincerely,
Harvey Stenger
President

A Message about a racist drawing

October 6, 2017

Dear Campus Community,

On Thursday, Oct. 5, a racist drawing was found on a whiteboard in the Common Room of Endicott Hall in Newing College. Personally, and as an institution, we strongly condemn racist or offensive acts of any kind.

Following an investigation by New York State University Police at Binghamton, two individuals admitted to creating the drawing, which was removed when it was discovered. Police indicated that the students considered the drawing to be a social experiment that was not targeted at any individual.

The residential community and the larger campus community held meetings Thursday evening to discuss the incident and hear student concerns. The meetings were attended by representatives of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, as well as members of Residential Life and Student Conduct. It is important that we continue to have these discussions as a campus now and in the future.

I encourage any individual who requires support to deal with this incident is encouraged to contact any of these offices for assistance:

• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at 607-777-4775 or odei@binghamton.edu
• Multicultural Resource Center at 607-777-4472 or mrc.binghamton.edu
• CARE Team at 607-777-2804
• Dean of Students at 607-777-2804 or dos@binghamton.edu
• University Ombudsman at 607-777-2388
• University Counseling Center at 607-777-2772

Again, racist incidents will not be tolerated at Binghamton University, and in the coming weeks we will look for ways to ensure our campus is continuing to be welcoming and inclusive.

Sincerely,
Harvey Stenger
President

A letter was sent to The Honorable Claudia Tenney, U.S. Representative for the 22nd Congressional District:

Sept. 12, 2017

Dear Ms. Tenney,

As president of Binghamton University, I thank you for your support and engagement with the campus in your role as United States Representative for the 22nd Congressional District of New York. Your work is deeply appreciated by the Binghamton University community, and we thank you for it. I hope that you will be as supportive of our University on a matter that has recently commanded the attention of campuses across the nation.

As you know, President Donald Trump recently called for the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that gives legal protections to roughly 800,000 young people who were brought into our nation without documentation by their parents. As president of Binghamton University, I am asking that you work with your colleagues in the U.S. House and Senate to develop legislation that will restore these protections so that these young people may continue to pursue the American Dream without fear of deportation.

Our University community is deeply concerned about the status of our DACA students. More than 42,000 residents of New York are currently affected by the president's actions; already many of the state's higher education leaders, including the presidents of Colgate University and Hamilton and Union colleges, have issued statements calling for new legislation to protect students who fall under this law. On my own campus, I know that there are a number students who are impacted by this change, though their exact number is unknown. In my experience with them, they are all law-abiding, committed students. They are working to better their lives and the lives of their families, and are eager to join the workforce and strengthen our communities as employees, entrepreneurs and taxpayers.

The DACA decision has special relevance for us at Binghamton University. We are frequently lauded for our academic excellence and value, but these are markers of something even more important — our role as an institution that serves as a ladder up for the economically disadvantaged. We have received accolades for being a campus that does the "most for the American Dream," (New York Times, 2017) and have been highlighted as a college that "helps students get ahead" (CollegeNet, 2015). As such, we are mindful of our responsibility to support students as they pursue their dreams, regardless of their social, cultural or ethnic background.

I urge you to work with your fellow Congressional leaders, many of whom have already expressed support for legislation that would restore protections for individuals covered by DACA. In the meantime, I invite you to visit our campus to meet with students who may be impacted by this change so that you might learn from them both their concerns about their status under the law and their hopes for the future.

Sincerely,
Harvey Stenger
President

An updated message on DACA

Dear Campus Community,

In support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy enacted in 2012, I strongly endorse the Sept. 2 letter issued by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) calling on Congress to take swift action to protect DACA participants.

In a follow-up to the APLU letter of Sept. 2, the organization's president, Peter McPherson, released a statement urging Congress to, at a minimum, codify the provisions of the DACA program into law. Again, I endorse APLU's strong position regarding DACA.

I remind our campus community that we stand firm in our commitment to protect student confidentiality under the Family Educational and Rights of Privacy Act (FERPA). In addition, New York State University Police at Binghamton do not gather information about the citizenship or immigration status of our students and we have no plans to alter this practice.

Students who have questions or concerns about DACA are encouraged to contact the Dean of Students Office case managers or the Student Legal Clinic, which maintains a privileged attorney/client relationship.

Sincerely,
Harvey Stenger
President

A message on DACA

Dear Campus Community,

In support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy enacted in 2012, I strongly endorse the Sept. 2 letter issued by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) calling on Congress to take swift action to protect DACA participants.

I remind our campus community that we stand firm in our commitment to protect student confidentiality under the Family Educational and Rights
of Privacy Act (FERPA). In addition, New York State University Police at Binghamton do not gather information about the citizenship or immigration status of our students and we have no plans to alter this practice.

Students who have questions or concerns about DACA are encouraged to contact the Dean of Students Office case managers or the Student Legal Clinic, which maintains a privileged attorney/client relationship.

Sincerely,
Harvey Stenger
President

A message on Charlottesville, Va.

In support of the University of Virginia, I want to reiterate what I have said on multiple occasions during my term at Binghamton University: incivility, hate and violence have no place on a university campus and it will be condemned and addressed if it occurs. I strongly endorse the statement issued by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and I stand beside the University of Virginia in the wake of its painful and tragic occurrence.

A message to the University of Virginia President Teresa A. Sullivan

President Teresa A.Sullivan
Office of the President
University of Virginia
Post Office Box 400224
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4224

Dear President Sullivan,

On behalf of the Binghamton University community, I want to extend my support for you and your University during these difficult times. All of us at Binghamton are dismayed by the actions that have transpired over the past week, and join with you in rejecting the hate and bigotry espoused by racists including such groups as Neo-Nazis, the KKK and White Supremacists. It is especially distressing that these events should take place at a campus whose history is linked so closely to the author of the words that define our nation: "that all men are created equal."

Public universities have a unique role in American society; we are at once a place of enlightenment and equality, and we are a space where contentious ideas are weighed and measured. Presidents of these institutions must walk a fine line in balancing the requirements of free speech with the concerns of public safety and order. I stand with you in condemning the groups that were intent on spreading racist views, and I commend you on the manner in which you've handled this challenging situation.

All of us at Binghamton University offer our thoughts and prayers to all members of your campus who have been targeted for intimidation this past week. We honor them for their willingness to stand up for the values of diversity and inclusion that are hallmarks of the University of Virginia.

Sincerely,
Harvey Stenger
President

A letter to the campus about student protest

Dear Binghamton Campus Community:

We have received inquiries into the origins of the student protest that has led to some students staging a sit-in of the Couper Administration Building and questions about the University response.

Members of an unrecognized student group known as the Frances Beal Society are opposed to an initiative announced in the mayor of Binghamton's February 2017 State of the City Address, whereby the city would install better lighting, security cameras and emergency phones in student neighborhoods with some contribution from the University. At the time of the announcement, the initiative was tentative and based on an informal understanding. The University did not and has not committed to any amount of funding.

We also discussed with the mayor establishment of a Town-Gown Advisory Board based on a model shared by a national association of town-gown groups, and agreed in principle to move forward to create one.

Under the Frances Beal Society name, some students argued for investing University support for city initiatives differently. While we had not anticipated controversy around investments in off-campus safety given long-standing student concerns, we nonetheless thought the Frances Beal perspectives merited consideration. Accordingly, the University contacted the mayor's office on Wednesday, April 26, and indicated additional time was needed to consult student governance on alternative investments before committing to support any specific initiative this year. Some Frances Beal students and a member of the Student Association came to the administration building that evening and were so informed.

Despite having been assured that the University would not be providing support for blue light phones without first having more dialogue with student governance, Frances Beal members began a sit-in at the Couper Administration Building the next day.

On Friday April 28, the University released the statement that links here, confirming that:

• The University will not proceed with providing support for initiatives Frances Beal does not wish us to support now or over the summer
• The University and city of Binghamton will move forward to constitute the Town-Gown Advisory Board (TGAB) with expectations to convene in the fall
• The University is willing to be guided by the TGAB as to any municipal initiative that it will support

Also on Friday, April 28, a University administrator met with the students occupying the Administration Building and presented the statement. Leaders of the assembled students instantly rejected the statement, interrupted any attempt to explain it and berated and verbally attacked the administrator using offensive language. The group then issued new demands and has continued to occupy the Administration Building. Given this response, we will not engage the group in further dialogue.

The University is proceeding with the approach described in its original statement. University officials have been or soon will be in contact with representatives of shared governance groups, including the Student Association, Graduate Student Organization, Faculty Senate Executive Committee and the Professional Staff Senate to nominate participants to the TGAB. The city will develop its own process to identify its TGAB representatives. We have no intention of stacking the appointments to the TGAB with individuals having any one perspective or issue. The TGAB is being organized using a model that has been successful in other locations. We will be happy to consider alternatives to investments in safety that fall within the broad purpose of the TGAB and are willing to consider safety initiatives should the TGAB recommend any. We look forward to engaging with students and community members interested in productive discussions through the TGAB process.

Sincerely,
Harvey Stenger, President
Donald Nieman, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
Brian Rose, Vice President for Student Affairs

A statement about the "blue-light" proposal

Binghamton University has a deep connection to the surrounding community through its students, faculty and staff, its facilities, programs, research and other contributions. Those connections create many contexts for University, community interaction. Most recently, discussions the University has had with the city of Binghamton about possible university support for city improvements aimed at public safety have stirred some controversy on campus. The University's goals have been and remain simple and clear: we aim to be a good community partner and to provide support to our students who live off-campus as well as on-campus.

Given concerns with what is now referred to as the "blue light project," the University will not now provide funding specifically directed at this project. We did agree in principle to provide some support this year to the city of Binghamton and want to honor in some way that commitment. Separately from the recent controversy, we have begun discussing establishing a Town-

Gown Advisory Board with the following broad goals:

• Foster improved communication and collaboration between university students, the city and the university surrounding issues of mutual interest
• Identify mutual concerns and recommend thoughtful responses to those concerns
• Identify opportunities for improving the community through shared initiatives
• Improve utilization of resources available within the city and the university
• Retain Binghamton University graduates in the greater Binghamton area post-graduation

We anticipate launching the advisory board in the fall 2017 semester. To respond to the recent concerns about the blue light project and to also honor our intent to provide some support to the city of Binghamton this year, the University will work with the City to entertain requests for one time funds for projects endorsed by a new Town-Gown Advisory Board that respond to the broad goals noted above. To what extent the University can provide support in future years and at what amounts will be in part a function of the overall university budget. For this year, the projects and amounts funded will be determined by the recommendations of the Town-Gown Advisory Board and review by the city and University.

A letter concerning death of a student

Dear Binghamton Campus Community:

Binghamton University suffered a terrible loss last weekend with the accidental death of freshman Conor Donnelly. Our campus is saddened from the sudden loss of such a bright, popular young man, but I am grateful to the many people on our campus who have made themselves available to assist those who are grieving.

Conor touched many people in his time here, as demonstrated by his election as president of Johnson Hall, and the University continues to offer support to those affected by his death. The University's CARE Team, Residential Life and Counseling Center staff met with approximately 25 students at the hospital on Saturday, arranged to bring them safely back to campus and provided in-person counseling in the University Union both Saturday and Sunday. Staff have been working closely with an additional 55 students who have been affected by Conor's death.

The CARE Team has provided outreach to the faculty of these students.

Late Tuesday afternoon I met with five students who had witnessed Conor's fall. Listening to them made me better understand their inability to focus on academics, so I especially thank faculty who have been working to schedule make-up exams and other accommodations for these students as well as other students who were Conor's friends.

Moving forward, I ask that students who do require help with academics be directed to the Dean of Students Office and CARE Team for assistance in arranging for specific needs with faculty as necessary. I believe this will make a difficult time easier for both students and faculty. The DOS and CARE Team can be reached by calling 607-777-2804.

Other offices that have provided support to students include the University Union and Ombudsman. They join with the DOS, CARE Team, Counseling Center and Residential Life in providing ongoing support to students as needed.

The Employee Assistance Program is available to provide support to faculty and staff who knew Conor, and can be reached at 607-777-6655 or 607-777-6650 during regular office hours, or an off-campus coordinator can be reached after hours by calling the 24-hour EAP call line at 1-800-822-0244.

Members of the Dean of Students Office and CARE Team have also provided support to Conor's parents and have arranged a bus to transport students to the funeral on Thursday.

Conor's family will receive visitors from 3-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, March 22, at the Wyman-Fisher Funeral Home, 100 Franklin Ave., Pearl River, N.Y. A funeral mass will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, March 23, at St. Aedan's Church, Reld Dr., Pearl River, with burial to follow in St. Anthony's Cemetery, Nanuet, N.Y.

Residential Life will coordinate a campus memorial service in the future.

Sincerely,
Harvey G. Stenger
President

A letter concerning a new Executive Order

Dear Binghamton Campus Community:

On March 6, the White House announced a new Executive Order (Protecting the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the United States) to replace its earlier order that restricted entry by individuals from seven nations. This new order exempts individuals from Iraq, as well as people who are legal permanent residents, hold dual citizenships and those already granted asylum or refugee status.

If any students, especially those from the affected countries are planning to travel outside the U.S., we encourage them to visit the Office of International Student and Scholar Services that will serve as a resource for information on your travel plans.

Other campus resources that can be of assistance to students concerned by the impact of the Executive Order include:

• The Dean of Students Office has appointed case managers, available to students who have questions/concerns.
• The Student Legal Clinic, which maintains a privileged attorney/client relationship, is an available resource for students with immigration law-related issues.

We remind you that the University will continue to protect student confidentiality, not sharing private information about our students in accordance with the (federal) Family Educational and Rights of Privacy Act (FERPA). In addition, although the University is bound to comply with state and federal law, enforcement of federal immigration policy primarily rests with federal authorities.

Binghamton will continue to support all its students and scholars and their efforts to make Binghamton University a welcoming, inclusive community.

Sincerely,
Harvey G. Stenger, President
Donald G. Nieman, Provost
Hari Srihari, Executive Vice Provost for International Affairs

Report on offer of resources to international students

Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin

Binghamton University President Harvey G. Stenger released a statement Sunday urging international students and scholars from affected countries to suspend all international travel until further notice. The statement comes after President Donald Trump's executive order barring citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.

"Binghamton University remains committed to the continued success of all of our students and faculty, regardless of religious belief, country of birth or citizenship, and we are here to provide all them with support through this difficult time," Stenger said.