Dear UD Community:

You have often heard us express our pride in the University of Delaware community for consistently demonstrating respect and civility, even when we have differences of opinion and viewpoint. Today, however, it is with great disappointment that we need to speak about an incident on our campus that disregarded not only our UD values, but also the law, and is being charged as a hate crime.

On The Green on Wednesday, a flag display for Holocaust Remembrance Week, sponsored by the Hillel Student Life registered student organization, was damaged by a person who was yelling hateful antisemitic slurs. An undergraduate student has been charged in connection with the incident and has been banned from campus. This conduct also violates the Student Code of Conduct and the University’s Non-Discrimination Policy.

Such abhorrent incidents have no place on our campus. Any acts of discrimination, racism, violence or destructive behavior that are directed at any group and threaten the wellbeing of our community will be addressed immediately. As Blue Hens, we must support one another and draw strength from our shared culture of respect, civil discourse and sense of belonging.

Sincerely,

Dennis Assanis
President

Fatimah Conley
Vice President for Institutional Equity

José-Luis Riera
Vice President for Student Life