Anti-Racism Commitments

The Center for Student Accountability, Growth, and Education (SAGE) seeks to take a proactive stance on anti-racism. Here is our commitment and promise to not only ourselves but the UC San Diego community and larger society. Download a PDF version of this statement.

The Center for Student Accountability, Growth, and Education (SAGE) would like to acknowledge the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Nina Pop, and too many others. The safety and welfare of our students and colleagues is a top priority for us. We do not condone hate, bias, violence, or any other behavior inconsistent with our campus Principles of Community.

Like many in our community and around the country, we are grieving. We are also angry. Angry that inaction, apathy, and lack of accountability have allowed anti-blackness, racism and systemic inequity to persist in our country. We recognize the disproportionate impact that these events have on communities of color, particularly Black Americans, and acknowledge the role that oppressive systems and historical bias have played in enabling inequity to continue. Following George Floyd’s murder, activist Tamika Mallory powerfully called for action by saying,

“If you want us to do better, then damnit, you do better.”

We couldn’t agree more. We must do better. Therefore, as an office and as individuals, we pledge to actively confront and dismantle anti-blackness, racism, systemic inequity, and other forms of bias. We commit to the following actions:

• Develop, maintain, and distribute trainings, educational materials, and procedures, that incorporate an equity-minded and race conscious lens;
• Continue addressing and enhancing student, staff and faculty decision making, personal responsibility, conflict resolution, deep listening, and learning through the administration of the Student Conduct process and Restorative Practice;
• Provide opportunities for the campus community to dialogue and actively address anti-blackness, racism, systemic inequity, and other forms of bias using Restorative Justice and Restorative Practice.
• Hold ourselves and others accountable by being transparent about our values, procedures, decision-making processes, and assessment and evaluation results;
• Expand opportunities to give meaningful feedback throughout our process, and use it to continually improve and enhance our processes;
• Partner and collaborate with other campus departments in pursuit of our actions; and,
• Honor the vibrant, varied identities and lived experiences of our community members by actively celebrating and cherishing them, and resisting their erasure or appropriation.

We each share responsibility in realizing a campus community and society that values and includes its people. It is not enough to be non-racist. We must be actively anti-racist. To that end, we call on our community to join us in doing better. If you have ideas on how we can continue to do better, we invite you to contact us at (858)534-6225 or sage@ucsd.edu.