March 31, 2021

To: UConn Community

Huskies,

This week we learned about yet another reported act of antisemitism. Each of these has been a vile attack on the Jewish members of our community. One can only imagine what goes unreported. We must each condemn, reject, and denounce these attacks on our friends, our family, and our Pack.

This cannot continue. We each have a responsibility to each other to do our part to eliminate this behavior. That includes the faculty and staff who impart UConn’s values on us. That includes administrators who set the climate of this university. That includes us, the students, who are responsible for cultivating an inclusive campus culture each and every day. We all must stand against every form of antisemitism and hate.

Further, we all must recognize the struggles that our fellow students have been experiencing in the face of increasing hate and bias on campus. The university, its departments, and its divisions have been reactive. This is simply not enough; without a proactive approach, students will continue to be hurt. USG calls on the UConn administration to release a plan by Friday, April 9th, to deal with these acts of hate and prevent future incidents.

On Monday, April 5th, from 3:30-5:30, UConn Hillel will be hosting a gathering of solidarity for students to demonstrate their hurt, pain, and anger, and call for concrete actions from the UConn administration. On Tuesday the 6th, UConn Hillel will be hosting a Holocaust commemoration ceremony featuring a conversation with a Holocaust survivor. USG will continue to fight antisemitism on campus by working with UConn Hillel to provide educational opportunities and seek support from the UConn administration.

We wish our peers and the campus community safety and health during this time.

Damani R. Douglas

Chief Diversity Officer

Michael Christy

Chief Diversity Officer-Elect