University administration addressed the death of George Floyd and subsequent protests in a June 1 email from the Division of Strategic Communications.

The statement, which was signed by Interim President Tom Galligan, Executive Vice President & Provost Stacia Hayne, and 28 other  University administrators, emphasized the University’s commitment to inclusion and diversity. It also acknowledged the need for unity despite the physical distance resulting from the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. 

“As we navigate the intersection of this health pandemic and racial divide, we do so much like our championship football team did this past season,” the email read. “We do so as ‘One LSU, One Heartbeat!’”

Galligan had also recognized the country’s demand for societal change in a Friday evening Twitter statement.

“As an educator and law professor, I strongly believe any injustice or violation of the equal protection law committed by anyone degrades everyone as well as the very foundations of our democracy,” Galligan wrote. 

The University concluded its official statement with a Martin Luther King Quote: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Earlier today, Galligan released an announcement regarding the pandemic’s effect on plans for the fall semester.