Resolved
Although we believe this situation has been addressed in a way that should prevent future reoccurrence, those who believe they have been the target of bias, intolerance or discrimination may report an incident to the public incident report form (bias and intolerance) or the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (sexual misconduct and discrimination).
Please direct any questions or concerns in regard to this bias incident to the RBIRT Manager at RBIresponse@utah.edu.
What happened
On Wednesday, June 7, 2023, a non-U affiliated individual was driving a vehicle on campus that had several spray-painted hate symbols including a swastika displayed on the hood. The individual was ultimately arrested on drug charges. The vehicle was removed from campus as part of the arrest.
What is being done
The incident was reported to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (OEO/AA) and the Racist and Bias Incident Response Team.
The U is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion
Although the conduct is protected by the first amendment, the University of Utah strongly disagrees and condemns messages that cause harm and diminish the sense of belonging and safety for not only our Jewish community but our communities of color, and the LGBTQ+ community. The University of Utah continues to condemn bias, discrimination, racism, bigotry and hate in the strongest possible terms and is no place for violence. We support fostering an inclusive campus and are committed to diversity. U administrators want to assure students, faculty and staff that they are dedicated to creating a safe, welcoming and equitable campus where we work together to engage, support and advance a living, learning and working environment that fosters values of respect, diversity, inclusivity and academic excellence.
The University of Utah is committed to working continuously to address the harms of racism to create a community of belonging. President Taylor Randall and University Senior Leadership addressed this in a previous statement. Additional information about other types of critical conversations, including a discussion about intent vs. impact, surviving and thriving, claiming space and more, is available online
What to do
Be vigilant and speak up. If you observe suspicious behavior on campus call campus police at 801-585-COPS.
If you experience a racist or bias incident, make a report to the Racist and Bias Incident Response Team, or if you experience discrimination you can report to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action.
If you are interested in learning more about the variety of resources the U offers to support diversity and inclusion, please visit the Office of the Dean of Students in the Union Building, Room 270, deanofstudents@utah.edu, 801-581-7066, or the division for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Park Building, Room 208, or https://diversity.utah.edu/our-team/.