To: Mark Poorman, University of Portland President
Stand UP
In light of recent events, it is time to Stand Up for what we believe in as a University and bring to the attention of our administration that we will not sit idly by and accept a culture that condones offensive messages or an unsafe atmosphere.
Why is this important?
I am starting this petition on behalf of my fellow University of Portland community members who were deeply disturbed by the events that took place at this years Wally Awards. The events that took place mean that we as a University have created an environment in which an individual felt comfortable delivering offensive messages that blatantly perpetuate a culture of objectifying women and disregarding sexual assault. Additionally, the lack of a timely and appropriate response by our administration is very concerning. This time should be used to bring this very prevalent issue into the forefront of our attention. It is time for a large scale open conversation about sexual assault and gender dynamics at this University and an equally large response on how our administration intends to act to prevent anything like this from happening again in the future.