A message from the President to the Salus community:
Like many of you, I followed the trial of Derek Chauvin and waited for the jury deliberations to yield a just verdict. The verdict is in and justice has been served.
Many of us are now asking the question – Where do we go from here? As human beings, we have a responsibility to continue to call out injustices in our society and advocate for policies that will bring about the systemic change necessary to create a more equitable world for Black people and other communities of color. We cannot allow the unfair treatment and the loss of Black life at the hands of police violence to become normalcy. As a campus community, I can assure you that we will continue to speak out against racism and injustice, advocate for a more equitable society, and create spaces for our students, faculty, and staff to be heard.
While we hope for peaceful assembly, we want to be intentional in our preparation for the contrary. Our Director of Security has been in frequent contact with the police departments surrounding our campus and clinics, to stay abreast of any concerns regarding public assembly. We learned that 35th District of the Philadelphia Police Department is utilizing the CCP parking lot, located adjacent to TEI, as staging center, which will result in significant increased presence in that location. We will do everything within our power to help keep everyone safe.
I am committed to ensuring that Salus continues its ongoing efforts to enact, deepen, and advance the antiracist values of equity, inclusion and belonging. In the days ahead, we seek to provide opportunities for people who want to talk, or who need support, and we will share a list of those resources soon.
Finally, as a reminder, counseling and mental health services are available to all Salus students through the Center for Personal and Professional Development, and we encourage you to make use of these resources, should you need them. To make an appointment, please click here. Similar resources are also available for Salus faculty and staff in the Employee Assistance Program offered through UNUM at 1.800.854.1446.
The backbone of our SALUS STRENGTH is embedded in our unyielding commitment to equality, social justice and health equity for all people. May that forever be our charge.
Michael H. Mittelman, OD, MPH, MBA, FACHE, FAAO
President
