Pines Condemns Antisemitism Following Hate Incidents

University President Darryll J. Pines sent the following message to the campus community today:

To be TerrapinSTRONG is to commit to building an inclusive community where every person feels they belong and is empowered to reach their full potential. This vision is a constant work in progress, and will take effort from all of us to fully realize. And sometimes, to reach our collective goal, we must call out hate when we witness it.

Recently, antisemitic flyers were found at several off-campus residences, including Greek houses. This follows an earlier incident of anti-Jewish hate displayed in a residence hall. These events mirror an alarming rise in hate-bias incidents targeting the Jewish community across the country and the globe.

In light of these events, I feel that I must be very clear: We reject and condemn all acts of hate, bias and racism against the Jewish community.

No member of our community can be a bystander. Every one of us must commit to take action against hate and educate ourselves and each other on ways to be more inclusive, accepting and welcoming. Together, we will do better.

To be a strong and diverse community, we must have a shared set of values, actions, identity and agency. We must strive to reach the highest levels of inclusive excellence. There are resources available for anyone at UMD who has been affected by a hate-bias incident or who wants to learn more:

• Take part in a Solidarity Workshop on Nov. 3 to learn about building and enhancing solidarity themes into campus programming.
  
• Report hate or bias to Bias Incident Support Services (BISS), which is focused on the needs and healing of affected parties. To learn more about what happens when you submit a bias report, view the BISS protocol.
  
• Report harassment to the Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct (OCRSM).
  
• Seek support and resources from campus departments, including Diversity Training & Education, the Office of Multicultural Involvement & Community Advocacy (MICA), UMD's chaplains, the Department of Resident Life, the Division of Student Affairs, the Faculty Staff Assistance Program and the Counseling Center.
  

Join me in the fight against hate on our campus. Join me in being TerrapinSTRONG.

Sincerely,