Message from the Dean on the death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd

This email was originally sent on May 28, 2020.

Dear CFANS students, faculty and staff,

As a CFANS community, we share the shock and wide range of painful emotions President Gabel expressed in her note about the tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis earlier this week. Our hearts are heavy as we experience feelings of confusion, anger, fear and profound sadness at this loss. To many of us this is overwhelming when combined with the daily stress and anxiety of the pandemic and our own separation from community.

In CFANS, we know that all of us are called to be in community with one another to discuss our challenges, to listen and provide compassion to others, and to empower those who do not have the access or privilege to what we share in CFANS. We aspire to be a community where despite our differences in all dimensions, we celebrate those differences and embrace those differences as making us stronger and more compassionate. I hope that, however you can, you will work to build community with others during these difficult times.
 
Please know that we at CFANS are here to support you, and want to be sure you’re aware of the various University resources you can access, as well. I encourage you to use these resources and to hold one another up during this painful time, and always.

• Student mental health, Twin Cities campus 
• Self-Care and Anti-Racism Resources from the CFANS Office for Diversity and Inclusion
• Office for Equity and Diversity 
• U of M Affinity Groups

Additionally, I encourage you to reach out to Jody Gray, Director of the CFANS Office for Diversity and Inclusion, if you have any questions. You can reach Jody at grayjl@umn.edu.

On behalf of our entire CFANS community, I express my deepest sympathy to the family and friends of George Floyd, and to all those who did not know him personally but share their devastation and grief for their loss, and for the desecration of community that affects us all.   

Thank you. Please be well and take care. 

Sincerely,
Brian Buhr 
Dean, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
Director, Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station
Professor, Department of Applied Economics