Dear CSU East Bay community,
Like many of you, we have been horrified at the terrible loss of life, violence, and displacement in Iran, Lebanon and the region in the last few weeks. This historical conflict impacts the entire region in terms of loss of life, safety, and a sense of humanity. This comes on top of many other emerging and continuing conflicts, tragedies, and crises, some of which are fast-moving and some that are slow-moving in Cuba, Ukraine, Venezuela, Gaza, Israel, Myanmar, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and other areas. These tragedies continue at an overwhelming pace.
We write out of concern for those in our campus community who are directly impacted with grief, anger, and worry for the safety and well-being of their loved ones and for their communities. For many of us, even without a direct connection to these tragedies, the sense of grief, anxiety, and loss can still impact our well-being or trigger reactions to past trauma. There can also be a rise of hate incidents, retaliation, and conflict in the wake of many international and national conflicts and these behaviors can impact our collective sense of safety. We urge all the members of our community to do the following:
Seek support when you need it.
For students: In-person and online counseling services are available during business hours and after hours.
For employees: Online counseling services are available at no charge through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
For everyone: Call 988 or text HOME to 741741 to reach The National Suicide Prevention Hotline.
- Student CARE Team Our campus CARE Team can respond to requests directly from students or from CSUEB employees as well as from parents, family, or community members regarding concerns about a student that may be at risk in terms of their physical and/or mental health safety.
- Check in with peers and colleagues. Be mindful that members of our community may have direct connections to world events and crises. Even those without direct connection may experience distress. Be kind, show empathy, offer support, and direct others to resources.
- Connect with others on campus and in the community. CSUEB has many cultural events and gatherings on campus, as well as professional staff and faculty who provide expertise, programming, and support.
- Report any conduct of concern. CSUEB does not accept any form of harassment or discrimination based on a person’s background. Please report incidents or concerns using our online bias incident report form. If there is an incident of hate or one that impacts physical safety in progress please call 911 for emergency law enforcement response.
- Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination for resources for reporting discriminatory incidents and sexual assault, harassment, or stalking, prevention programming, training, and other resources.
As with any tragedy that befalls our communities on campus, we ask that you come together to support each other. Be kind to one another and do not assume you know someone’s perspective based on their nationality. We are an educational community where care, inclusion, valuing of multiple perspectives, and connection are central to our mission. We are deeply appreciative for all that you do for our students, each other, and our communities.
Sincerely,
Cathy A. Sandeen
President
Kathleen Wong(Lau)
University Diversity Officer
March 19, 2026