I write to share with you the Campus Safety Services (CSS) audit report, including findings and recommendations, as submitted by Judge LaDoris H. Cordell (Ret.) to me at the end of December. An experienced and independent professional in the field, Judge Cordell reviewed records, received community feedback, and conducted interviews over the course of four months. The report can be accessed through the link here. 

Judge Cordell’s audit, conducted for the purpose of making recommendations concerning the manner in which CSS provides security for the University, is the first of its kind for Santa Clara University. The audit is an important action step as we -- like many educational institutions across the country -- examine our policies and practices through a broader lens of safety, equity and belonging. 

I approached the process with humility, an open mind, and a heartfelt desire to improve who we are as a community. This process is not simply a transactional task, but a critical part of the deep cultural and structural changes needed for us to better embody our Jesuit, Catholic mission, one that ensures the safety, security and belonging of all members of our campus. As we work through the report’s findings and recommendations, I am committed to fulfilling this mission with your collaboration, feedback and support. We will make the necessary changes. 

In the next few weeks, I will meet with many of you through collaborative governance bodies, as well as with Campus Safety Services and other units impacted by this report. I have already reached out to the presidents of the Associated Student Government, Staff Senate and Faculty Senate Council to arrange discussions.  Please note the dates of the upcoming meetings of the respective governance bodies:

• Faculty Senate, January 13, 2021
• Staff Senate, January 14, 2021
• Associated Student Government, January 14, 2021

These consultations from across campus will guide me and my leadership team as we evaluate the recommendations and implement meaningful change that will best serve the entire campus community. Yesterday I spoke with Phil Beltran, Director of Campus Safety Services, who has just received and read the audit report. He indicated that he welcomes the opportunity to participate in the collaborative process and discussions. I will update the community as the quarter progresses regarding my decisions on the audit’s recommendations. 

As we begin a new year, I understand that our community needs healing. The audit is just an initial part of that process, but clearly an important one. Collectively and individually, we also reckon with the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, live in the wake of a divisive political season (culminating in yesterday’s violence at the U.S. Capitol), and address systemic issues of racism, poverty, and environmental degradation. The path to truth-telling, reconciliation, and justice-making is not easy work, but we have the treasured resources to rely on here at Santa Clara. We have each other, and the good will and empathy we can extend to another. This way of relating, built on depth of listening and learning, is fundamental to a restorative justice approach which is steeped in our Jesuit, Catholic tradition. 

I look forward to working with you, and ask God’s blessing upon us as we begin this new year.

In gratitude and hope,