Provost and Dean of Students in the University: Message on May 11 Posters

May 15, 2017

To: Members of the University Community
From: Daniel Diermeier, Provost, and Michele Rasmussen, Dean of Students in the University
Date: May 15, 2017
Subject: Message on May 11 Posters

Last Thursday, flyers were posted at multiple campus bulletin board locations targeting Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), in violation of the University’s Posting Policy. This is the second time this academic year that an outside entity, with no recognized sponsorship or affiliation with any University group, has claimed responsibility for posters directed at the UChicago chapter of SJP and its members.  While the University supports the expression of diverse points of view on issues of the day, defamatory statements about individual University community members and groups and targeted harassment of students are antithetical to our values and expectations of critical inquiry and debate. These flyers, and any others like them that may appear on campus in the future, will be removed. Staff in Campus and Student Life are further looking into the issue and are working with the leadership of Students for Justice in Palestine and other impacted students to provide any requested support.

As you know our campus has experienced other incidents from outside groups over the recent months. We will continue to address such incidents as they occur, in accordance with the law and University policies. We strongly support all members of our community and stand together for a campus where people of all backgrounds can participate and contribute in an inclusive environment.

UChicagoSocial: Campus and Student Life