Board Statement 2006
Hate Crime

The members of the Board of Trustees of Naropa University deplore the violent physical attack last week on one of our students, an incident that is currently being investigated as a hate crime by the City of Boulder Police Department. This malicious attack evokes our profound sense of sadness and shock, feelings that we know are being acutely experienced throughout the Naropa community.  Our deepest sympathies are with the victim as well as her family and friends. 

Further, as Naropa trustees, we condemn all speech and actions born of hatred and intolerance, and the patterns of oppression they characterize. There is no place for acts of this nature in our communities or at Naropa University, where they will absolutely not be tolerated. As put forth in our mission statement, Naropa embraces the richness of human diversity with the aim of fostering a more just and equitable society and an expanded awareness of our common humanity. The hateful violence that targeted our own student reflects the dehumanization of experiences outside the so called conventional mainstream that our mission, and more importantly our actions, seeks to counteract. While the violence did not take place on the Naropa campus, these sentiments are nonetheless critically important for all of us.

At this time, we also want to encourage our students to engage in meticulous self care in order to ensure their personal safety in all areas. Nothing is more important. In addition, we want to remind our community of the teachings so close to Naropa’s heart, of the discipline of treating all of those around us with intentional compassion and generosity. Only our own actions can build bridges between individuals and nurture peace and understanding in place of intolerance and hatred.