Dear Members of the University Community,
I’m writing as a follow up to today’s message from Public Safety Chief Quchee Collins announcing that the Department of Public Safety has arrested four students on charges of criminal mischief in relation to the “Wanted” posters that targeted individual members of the University community and that were glued to surfaces in several University buildings earlier this month. I am saddened that the underlying conduct required this step.
While we always hope to address student misconduct from an educational perspective, there are some acts that require referral to the criminal justice process. As Chief Collins outlined in his message, the activity that we’ve experienced reaches that level. Our code of student conduct makes clear: “The University is not a sanctuary from public law and does not promote or condone unlawful behavior.”
I want to thank the members of the community who offered support and understanding that such acts don’t represent our University in any shape or form. I am saddened that any member of our community was subject to harassment and intimidation. The posters identifying faculty, staff, and board members have instilled credible fear among those depicted, their families, and other members of our Jewish community. On behalf of my senior leadership team, the Board of Trustees, and myself, I want to underscore that antisemitism will not be tolerated. I want each of those who were targeted to know that they have our wholehearted support.
I am grateful for the excellent investigation that Chief Collins and his team carried out. The team was focused and professional from the start. They ensured, first and foremost, that the members of our community were safe and then set out to identify the perpetrators. I want to thank Chief Collins, the investigative unit of DPS, and the entire team at DPS for their work, as well as the federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies that were consulted during the investigation.
That such activity may have been perpetrated by our students is particularly disappointing. We have worked diligently with students and other members of the University community to provide a respectful setting for protest, dissent, and dialogue. Our policy on Demonstrations, Vigils, and Peaceful Protests balances our commitment to freedom of expression with our commitment to the safety and security of all members of our community.
The process for the students is now in the hands of the Monroe County District Attorney’s office. I am confident that those who were charged will get a fair and public hearing. We are a community that respects the rule of law, one that believes in the honest weighing of evidence and facts in an open forum as the best way to advance truth and to build a sustaining society.
As a community that leads with our values, we take responsibility and accountability seriously. In addition to the criminal justice process, the accused students will undergo the University’s conduct procedures.
I hope our recent experience ultimately reminds us of why we value our membership in a great academic community like the University of Rochester. We have dedicated ourselves to creating a supportive and inclusive University, one where multiple perspectives are welcomed with respect and where all members of our community can thrive.
I am certain that as we move forward, we will all find ways to re-commit ourselves to demonstrating the values that make our University the true community that we aspire it to be.
Sarah C. Mangelsdorf
President and G. Robert Witmer, Jr. University Professor