Free Speech Week events, increased security on campus and the intense media focus on UC Berkeley are impacting our students. Constant exposure to negative and threatening situations and environments has been linked to confusion, anxiety, sadness, helplessness, difficulty focusing, and poor sleep. CAPS would like to remind everyone that seeking support is a sign of strength, courage, and resiliency, not a sign of weakness. If you or someone you care about wants or needs support, we encourage you to talk to a CAPS counselor or learn more about our self-help resources
A message on building community from Chancellor Christ and VC Equity & Inclusion Dubón
Fostering and sustaining a supportive, respectful, and welcoming campus underlies the Chancellor’s priority to build community as well as much of the work of the Division of Equity & Inclusion. We are therefore deeply concerned that in recent weeks some members of our campus community and others external to it have been personally targeted through displays of hate, bigotry, and ignorance, resulting in a divisive and hostile climate.
We want to express our unwavering support for our targeted campus communities—Black/African-American, Chicanx/Latinx, Native American, LGBTQ, undocumented, Muslim, Jewish—who have been directly and overtly made to feel unwelcomed, devalued, and dehumanized. The hate chalking, doxxing, targeted speech via social media, taunting, and bullying are unjust, unwarranted and un-welcomed. We reject blatant acts of hatred, hostility, and disrespect. These should not and will not define our campus, nor should they be tolerated.
Standing against hate is essential to building a courageous, healthy, and inclusive community. True to the university’s values, members of our campus have already undertaken or are planning numerous initiatives and actions that affirm our principles of community. We encourage peaceful discourse and the pursuit of mutual understanding, learning from our ill-intended histories and progressing toward a future that embraces tolerance, respect, and the rich diversity of our society.
We thank the students, staff, faculty, and other members of the Cal family who have offered feedback and raised concerns as we do our best to guide our campus through these unquestionably challenging times. Your thoughtful comments, questions, and opinions are immensely valued and are given much consideration as we continue to evolve in our understanding and actions. We remain attentive listeners in our commitment to serve you with humility and integrity.
If you experience or observe a targeting act as described above, please report it to UCPD by calling (510) 642-6760, report it on our website, or contact the Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination.
Carol Christ
Chancellor
Oscar Dubón, Jr.
Vice Chancellor for Equity & Inclusion