Monitoring
Although this situation may not be ongoing actively, the Racist & Bias Incident Response Team is working with appropriate departments to monitor and 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 October 12, 2023, several unidentified individuals joined a WhatsApp group associated with the Muslim Student Association (MSA), inquiring about the possibility of a protest in response to the rise in violence in Israel and Gaza. In response, the student organization held a Zoom meeting to discuss how to keep the community safe and address the calls for protesting. These unidentified individuals argued with student leadership and insisted on holding a rally to “protest against Israel”, however, student leadership de-escalated the situation.
Shortly after this meeting, the group chat was “spammed” with inappropriate images, videos, and messages of Islamophobia and xenophobia. Various members received harassing calls and threatening voicemails calling them “terrorists” and telling them to “go back to their country.”
What is being done
This has been reported to the University of Utah Police Department, the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, and the Racist and Bias Incident Response Team.
The U is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion
The University of Utah strives to ensure that all our staff, students, trainees, faculty, and other community members are able to find a place of safety and belonging as part of our campus community. In light of the ongoing crisis in Israel, President Taylor Randall and university’s leadership have issued a statement. As the situation continues to develop, the University calls on all to support one another, respect differences of opinion and uniformly denounce violence and acts of hate.
What to do
As the violence intensifies and tensions escalate, we recognize that many of our colleagues have families and friends who are now in harm’s way. As the crisis unfolds, it is imperative that we remember our work at the University of Utah is built on a foundation of our shared humanity and responsibilities to each other as a community. We ask our campus community to consider the enormity of loss and seek to comprehend the nuances at play.
Support and resources
Counseling and support services are available from various entities on campus. Visit Campus Resources | #SAFEU (utah.edu) for more information. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Ana Ascencio, RBIRT Manager, at RBIresponse@utah.edu