Dear students,

The university has been made aware of an incident in which an antisemitic statement was reportedly written on a dry-erase board at the Central Library. This follows a similar occurrence last week in which a racist message was written on a dry-erase board at the Divinity School, which is still being investigated.

These acts stand in direct opposition to Vanderbilt’s values of equity, diversity and inclusion and will not be tolerated. They also serve as a reminder of our responsibility to listen thoughtfully to one another and to support and protect every member of our community.

At this time, we have not identified a person of interest in this most recent incident. We encourage any member of our community who witnesses or experiences incidents of harassment or bias to file a report with the Equal Opportunity and Access office, and to draw on the university’s resources, including the University Counseling Center, Student Center for Social Justice and Identity, Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and the Center for Spiritual and Religious Life, for support.

We want to know about, and address, incidents as part of our efforts to create and sustain an inclusive community.

Sincerely,

G.L. Black
Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students

Dr. André L. Churchwell
Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer