After costume mishap, Ramsey pledges to hire more Hispanic staff
University of Louisville President James Ramsey is calling for the hiring of more Hispanic and Latino professors, as well as more scholarships and financial aid for Hispanic and Latino students, following the dust up over the Halloween Party he hosted in which people were given sombreros and other stereotypical Mexican garb to wear.
“I, and I alone, take full responsibility for this incident. I have prayed for God’s forgiveness, and I ask for your forgiveness as well,” Ramsey said in an email Thursday that was addressed to “The University of Louisville Family.”
A furor arose last month after The Courier-Journal posted a photo on its website that was taken at a staff Halloween party at Amelia Place, the university president’s official residence, in which Ramsey, his wife, Jane, and 17 others pose, many wearing sombreros and fake mustaches and holding maracas.
Ramsey apologizes over sombrero controversy
The university issued an apology through Kathleen Smith, Ramsey’s chief of staff, shortly after the controversy arose.
A day later, students protested outside Ramsey’s office, prompting him to issue his first personal apology.
In the second apology that came Thursday, Ramsey said he hoped to use his mistake to “bring about meaningful changes that will strengthen us as a campus” and has met with numerous people and groups in an effort to hash out his strategy.
He said the school will immediately begin raising money to hire more Hispanic and Latino professors, staff and administrators; push to build scholarships and financial aid for Hispanics and Latinos; improve facilities to house diversity support programs; and work harder to support minority faculty, staff and students.
“These actions align with our campus's environment of inclusiveness that empowers us all to achieve our highest potential without fear of prejudice or bias,” Ramsey wrote.
He added that he would continue to meet with people on campus on the issue of diversity and would step up efforts to implement a plan presented to him by the school’s Commission on Diversity and Racial Equality last spring.
Ramsey meets Latino students to apologize
The Courier-Journal posted the photo on Oct. 27 along with a story about Ameilia Place, the mansion in the Highlands owned by the University of Louisville Foundation and designated for the University of Louisville’s president.
According to the story, Ramsey’s wife, Jane, “who said she loves Halloween, handed out sombreros, fake mustaches and veils to more than a dozen people as they arrived" at the luncheon for James Ramsey’s staff.
James Ramsey was in the photo wearing a sombrero and multi-colored poncho.
Tierney Bates, director of the Cultural Center at the University of Louisville, didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Following an event in Frankfort, Gov. Steve Beshear didn't fault Ramsey.
“Jim Ramsey in so many ways has done a great job there at U of L and has taken that school up to a new level. And I’m proud of that work that he has done," Beshear said. "We all sometimes make mistakes that we don’t even think at the time about. And he had one. But he apologized and he is moving on. And, no, I don’t think he’s racially insensitive at all. I think he’s very sensitive to that issue on campus.”
Here’s the full text of the email sent Thursday:
The University of Louisville Family,
I deeply regret the Halloween costumes worn by my staff and me. We made a mistake wearing a costume that misrepresents the culture of Mexicans and Mexican Americans and does not foster the inclusion and diversity efforts that we have worked hard to build over the past 13 years on our campus.
I, and I alone, take full responsibility for this incident. I have prayed for God's forgiveness, and I ask for your forgiveness as well. We now have an opportunity to use this incident to bring about meaningful changes that will strengthen us as a campus.
To move forward, I need your help and support. We have met with many individuals and groups on campus and have learned a lot in a short time.
During the time spent with various groups to date, including members of the Hispanic and Latino/a Faculty and Staff Association, we have learned of things to accommodate the needs of our Hispanic and Latino/a students, faculty and staff. We will begin immediately to raise resources to:
* Recruit more Hispanic and Latino/a for faculty, staff and administrative positions
* Advance efforts to build Hispanic and Latino/a scholarship and financial aid
* Improve facilities to house all diversity support programs
* Support more fully and equally UofL's programs for underrepresented faculty, staff and students
* Better address the needs of our community's diverse populations
These actions align with our campus's environment of inclusiveness that empowers us all to achieve our highest potential without fear of prejudice or bias. But these actions alone are not enough. We must move forward more aggressively with the implementation of the strategies for change presented to me last spring by the Commission on Diversity and Racial Equality.
Also, I will continue to meet with and listen to you, the campus and our community, on how we can reinforce our 2020 Plan commitment to diversity and social justice. I will work in collaboration with you so that all voices are heard.
It is for me to take the lead on these efforts -I will not delegate to anyone else. I will call on you and our shared governance structure of campus leaders to assure that these commitments to our diverse populations on campus are swiftly implemented. We will ensure that this is not a "zero-sum" game-these new initiatives will not be achieved at the expense of existing commitments.
As we come together as one university, we will work to make us the best university in Kentucky and beyond, one that fosters a campus climate where diversity is proactively understood, pursued, nurtured and celebrated.
Jim
Joseph Gerth can be reached at 502-582-4702 or jgerth@courier-journal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Joe_Gerth.