February 24, 2016

Dear members of the Student Body at Florida State University:

This afternoon, Student Government Association and student leaders were invited to meet with
President Thrasher and Dr. Coburn to discuss acts of racism that were recently reported. We
appreciate and support the administrations swift response to this information.
As students on this campus, we were hurt and angered by the behaviors of the FSU Chapter of
Tau Kappa Epsilon which has been heightened by the repeated racist incidents we have seen
across the country, and, unfortunately, by members of our own Florida State community.
We know that oppressive acts such as these, that degrade the human dignity of our peers and
compromise the integrity of our community, are deeply rooted in our collective history and culture.
While we envision a Florida State University where we are all completely united, we know we all
have work to do in order to reach our potential.
We have planned an Open Dialogue on Monday, February 29, 2016 to begin this collective work,
and we invite the Florida State University community to engage in an open conversation with
students and administrators. We pledge - as leaders and organizations - that this will be only the
first of many opportunities to critically think and reflect about our individual responsibility to
challenge our preconceived notions and work together to create an inclusive and welcoming
community.
We are an institution that strives for excellence, to create students of great character, skill and
knowledge. In order to reach these goals, we must come together to combat oppression, and in
this specific case, racism. We are laying the foundation for the future of Florida State students,
and hope that you will join us in dismantling components of our culture that have marginalized our
peers.
This is a moment for all of us to join together and strengthen our university. We have the faith in
Florida State students, faculty and staff that we can, and will be, better.

Jean Tabares
Student Body President
Derrick Scott II
Homecoming Chief

Sheldon Williams
Black Student Union
President
Gerald Johnson II
National Pan-Hellenic
President

Erin Lusaka
Student Senate President
Tristan Hall
Congress of Graduate
Students Speaker