Dean's Community Message

March 19, 2021

Dear College of Engineering Community,

To those who are Asian or of Asian descent, you are welcome and highly valued here. In the wake of the heartbreaking shooting rampage in Georgia earlier this week — and in the face of xenophobia, discrimination, and violence against Asian and Asian Americans across the country — I have heard from individuals in our community who are understandably fearful, grieving, and in pain. This is a time of tremendous struggle for many of our friends, neighbors, and colleagues.

It is difficult to find new words to adequately express the outrage and sadness that I personally feel because of these terrible acts and because of the persistent racially motivated rhetoric, discrimination, and violence in our society. Difficult as it may be to find the “right” words in times like these, silence is not the answer. To those who are experiencing fear and uncertainty, I stand with you — we stand with you — in solidarity and in our commitment to building and strengthening a community that embraces people from all backgrounds, in an environment where everyone can thrive.

Across our University at large and here in our college, we are made unquestionably stronger and more vibrant by the contributions and perspectives of individuals from many cultures around the world and from all corners of the U.S. Within the engineering community — the one that I address with each of these regular email messages — there are thousands of undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, faculty and staff, alumni, and friends who identify as Asian or Asian American. We would not be Penn State or the College of Engineering without you.

“The things that go unsaid are often the things that eat at you — whether because you didn’t get to have your say, or because the other person never got to hear you and really wanted to.”
—Author Celeste Ng

If you encounter an act of racial bias or violence, or witness such an act, report it. If you need immediate assistance because of an act of bias, whether based on your race, religion, gender, ethnicity or some other attribute, you also can call campus police or 911. Additional resources for students and faculty and staff are listed below.

Here are today’s updates:

Spring Commencement

As announced earlier this week, Penn State will host in-person commencement ceremonies in May, along with virtual and livestream options. As part of a two-step process for ticket registration, later this month, graduates will receive an email from MarchingOrder via graduation@psu.edu to RSVP to attend the in-person ceremony. In April, graduates who RSVP’d will receive an email from golions@psu.edu to secure tickets for themselves and their guests (students will not be able to change their guests once registered). Both steps must be followed in order to receive tickets. Seating will be arranged in pods of three — the graduate and up to two guests.

Community Message Transition

Beginning next week, the twice-weekly Dean’s Community Message will shift to once weekly on Fridays, with additional outreach to the engineering community as needed.

Teaching Tip #83 – Assisting students in other time zones for exams

This FAQ on the Keep Teaching site has recently been updated with more information on tips for assisting students who are in other time zones with scheduling exams. If you need assistance with exam settings in Canvas, contact the Office for Digital Learning for help.

Resources for Students

Resources for Faculty/Staff

Take care and be well!

Justin Schwartz
Harold and Inge Marcus Dean, College of Engineering