Following up on MIT staff forum

Dear Colleagues,

I write to express my sincere appreciation to everyone who attended the MIT staff forum and conversation with President Reif yesterday afternoon, and to thank you for your honesty in expressing your views, thoughts, and ideas. We want to thank you for your hard work, invaluable contributions, and your dedication to MIT. I also want to acknowledge the limited capacity of the main auditorium and the inadequacy of the overflow space, and personally apologize to those of you who attended but whose voices were not heard.

The forum was a first step, but it is clear from the concerns and feelings that were expressed yesterday that many more steps are needed. We are committed to creating additional opportunities for discussion where everyone can feel comfortable contributing as we work to move forward together. To start, I have asked Vice President for Human Resources Ramona Allen to convene a group of staff members from across campus to bring forward your ideas and channel the deep commitment, extensive experiences, and unique perspectives that you all bring.

In addition to your hand-written comments on index cards that were collected at the forum, I invite you to send your comments and ideas to community-forums@mit.edu. Together with staff in President Reif’s office and Vice President Allen, we will read and seriously consider all of your comments. We are also evaluating other opportunities, such as office hours, facilitated group discussions, and mechanisms to submit comments anonymously, so that going forward we are able to capture as many voices as possible.

Again, at this difficult time, it is important for all voices to be heard. We are committed to continuing this necessary conversation so that we can all renew the immense pride we have had in working at MIT and in helping to advance the Institute’s mission.

Sincerely,

Israel Ruiz
Executive Vice President and Treasurer

Available resources

• View MIT’s non-retaliation policy
• Share relevant information about the investigation:MIT_Matter@GoodwinLaw.com
• Report a concern about suspected wrongdoing in the community: hotline.mit.edu or 866-594-5221
• Discuss reporting options and resources for sexual harassment, assault, and other forms of discrimination: Titleix.mit.edu
• Access confidential counseling over the phone or in person to address any personal, family, work, or emotional health concerns; and develop techniques for stress reduction: MyLife Services, info@mitmylifeservices.com, 844-405-LIFE (5433)