VCU acts after President’s letter promotes safety, respect on campus
Professor Geoff Bouvier leads a discussion in his upper-level, research-based creative writing class, held in the English department’s Anderson House. Photo by Kyle Duncan.
Sarah Hagen, Contributing Writer
Jessica Vigil, Contributing Writer
Andrew Kerley, Audience Editor
VCU President Michael Rao sent out a letter to the VCU community on Jan. 9 promoting a “welcoming, safe VCU campus” and a “safe, and supportive environment to explore, create, learn and serve.”
“All members of our community should feel and be safe, welcomed and respected at VCU,” the letter stated. “Including when we disagree, it’s important to treat other people how all human beings should be treated – with civility, professionalism and respect.”
VCU senior leaders regularly send out messages at the start of the semester. This letter was sent because they thought it was “especially important and timely now given world events,” according to Michael Porter, associate vice president for VCU public relations. Porter said these same senior leaders will carry out the actions VCU listed in the letter.
The letter stated any “antisemitic, anti-Muslim, anti-religious or race or ethnic-based threats” will be taken seriously and investigated, and that students, faculty and staff can report violations to the VCU Helpline.
There have not been any recent threats reported to VCU Police, but the department has a victim witness officer that works with all crime victims to provide resources and support them, according to Porter.
“The department also participates in the University Threat Assessment Team, which is a multi-disciplinary team that evaluates and mitigates threats in any matter that creates the threat of violence to the VCU community,” Porter said.
The VCU Threat Assessment Team “evaluates potentially dangerous situations on campus and responds as appropriate,” according to the VCU Police website. The website states the team is made up of representatives from VCU Police, Human Resources, University Counseling Services, Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Services, Office of the General Counsel and “other units as determined.”
The letter advocates for the right to protest without violence or disruptions to university operations, and VCU’s Reservation and Use of Space policy grants students the right to protest on campus grounds.
The letter states that VCU’s nondiscrimination statements and policies, as well as their practices on handling complaints of discrimination and harassment, will be evaluated and reviewed. Porter confirmed this evaluation will be happening internally.
“VCU is reviewing existing nondiscrimination statements and policies to ensure that they are consistent with state and federal guidance,” Porter said.
The letter states that VCU will ensure its policies are “interpreted and enforced” consistently with Virginia’s working definition of antisemitism.
The Commonwealth of Virginia uses the Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s non-legally binding definition of antisemitism as their working definition, codified by HB 1606, according to Virginia’s Legislative Information System.
The Holocaust Remembrance Alliance defines antisemitism as “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.” The definition also includes comparing Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.
American Muslims for Palestine RVA Chapter President Zaid Mahdawi said that VCU abiding by this definition “over time could possibly infringe and endanger the right of freedom of speech for anyone on campus.”
Mahdawi believes VCU will eventually become an unsafe space for students advocating for change, especially students in support of Palestine.
When people hear protesters at VCU and across the U.S. actively and rightfully calling out Israel’s use of openly racist and discriminatory policy, this could be classified as a form of antisemitism, which, in reality, it is not, said Nick Griepentrog, a VCU Health Sciences senior.
“The State of Israel akin to Nazi Germany is a hyper-nationalist entity, with the goal of establishing a reactionary nation-state,” Griepentrog said. “If you are accurately academically criticizing this, it is understandable, if you’re doing it on the basis of no evidence, it’s, of course going to be reactionary and antisemitic.”
Progressive Jewish Student Union is a campus organization that describes itself as “a safe space for discussion and critical thinking regarding Jewish identity, culture and politics.”
PJSU stated one of their members faced antisemitism from another student, and the organization has faced “adversity within Jewish spaces for their views on Zionism and the ongoing genocide in Gaza.”
“Dr. Rao’s statement regarding Islamophobia, antisemitism or any other form of hatred is important and the safety of all students should be vital,” PJSU stated. “This statement does not change the fact that his initial statement made on Oct. 11th used harmful, one-sided dialogue that directly impacts the Palestinian and Muslim students at VCU. VCU should be a safe space for all students, Muslim, Jewish or any other religion.”
