IUPUI Chancellor's Statement on the War in Iraq

Our nation is at war, and as an academic community we are uneasy. This is an anxious and uncertain time for everyone, especially as the degree of American involvement intensifies and the progress of the conflict is prolonged.

It is also an uneasy time because not everyone is in favor of the war, even as most people support the men and women who are engaged in the conflict and even as most people abhor the actions of Saddam Hussein that brought us to this point. There are legitimate questions to be raised about the justification for the war and, now that it has begun, the conditions under which it will be ended. Principles of world order and interactions among nations must still be addressed, along with the terms of America's support for rebuilding a nation and a region.

As citizens and as an academic community, we have many things to discuss, to debate, and to understand. Before we can reach conclusions about either personal choices and conduct or about our collective actions as a nation, we must have an opportunity to express our views and to hear the views of others.

As a community of inquiry, IUPUI will provide both the places and the opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and community members to exchange their views, to gather in support of the war effort, and to protest the continuation of the war. We will do so in keeping not only with our policies of civility and tolerance, but we will do so with the greatest respect for differences of opinion.

Events, meetings, places for contemplation and quiet discussion will be set aside on campus, and we invite all members of the IUPUI community to avail themselves of these opportunities. We understand that there will be moments of passionate intensity and moments of weary indifference. As a place of concourse, as a community of inquiry, as a university, we expect to be able to accommodate these differences and incongruities with mutual respect and calm.

We all recognize that this war is occurring against a backdrop of terrorism that has changed the very nature of our domestic tranquility and generated reason for suspicion and worry. We know of no reason to believe that IUPUI is likely to be the target of any attacks or hostilities. Nonetheless, we are taking prudent precautions as a public place and a public institution. We ask for everyone's cooperation in following guidelines and, when necessary, directives. We will do all we can to inform members of our community of any actions that may be needed on their part, but in general we expect all normal activities to continue without interruption. We invite all members of the IUPUI community to consult the Emergency Preparedness Website (http://www.iupui.edu/~prepared) for current information when they have questions or are in doubt about what may be expected.

As individuals, we will each be affected by the war-perhaps because we have a family member engaged in the conflict or we have a child who is overseas or we know someone who is at risk. We also need to remember that our community includes hundreds of members whose homes are from nations all over the world and who are here alone, separated from family and friends. We need to make certain that these members of the IUPUI family are reassured and supported as they try to make sense of world events. I've had a plaque on my desk for many years - the gift of a friend - that reads "all cultures, all ethnic groups, all people of all times are a part of the oneness that inhabits all minds." This is a time for us to recall our oneness.

We will all have feelings that may be uncertain and changeable-or may be firmly rooted in deeply held principles and beliefs. I urge that we be prepared to comfort and help each other in a time of stress. Should any of our members need the counsel or the help of advisors and others specially trained to deal with stress, please call upon the services of the university.

There is no certain end to the war or to its consequences, and we should be prepared to live with ambiguity for awhile. I have enormous faith in our strength as a community. We can endure this difficult time and help each other even when we disagree. I ask you to join with me in hoping for an early end to the war and a restoration of world peace.

William M. Plater
Acting Chancellor