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Vincent Price, president of Duke University, issued an apology Thursday for a series of incidents on campus, including one in which a vice president's comments led to the firings of two baristas at a coffee shop. The latter incident took place when Larry Moneta, vice president for student affairs, complained about a rap song featuring the N-word that he heard when he visited a campus coffee shop. Many have said his reaction -- whatever his views about the song -- was inappropriate.
Price's statement agreed with that criticism and also noted other concerns on campus about race and inclusion.
"When we learn a racial slur has been scrawled on a dorm door, a social media posting has used abhorrent language, anti-Semitic posters have been distributed in Durham, or workers on our campus have been treated unfairly, we feel angry, discouraged, and disappointed. Duke should be a place where these things don’t happen," Price wrote.
He said that Duke "will not succumb to a rush to judgment that demands instant retribution absent context and deliberation." But at the same time, he said, he was bothered by recent events and the university needed to change.
"I will simply say that I am deeply sorry that we are not where we want to be as a university. I am, in particular, sorry that the words of one of my senior administrators recently resulted in two individuals working for one of our on-campus vendors losing their jobs; and while I am pleased that the vendor has taken steps to reverse this action, I apologize for the precipitous and unfair treatment these employees experienced. We must do better," Price said. "We have somehow lost the sense of compassion and human tolerance that should define our community. This is reflected in the ways we interact with each other, the ways we hold ourselves and others accountable for our conduct, and in our words and deeds as scholars, students and employees."
