Earlier today, President Robert J. Zimmer and Provost Eric D. Isaacs sent this message to members of the faculty, student body and staff.
We have learned that the Facebook page of at least one University of Chicago student was hacked, and a message with hateful and abhorrent attacks on members of our community was posted. This is unacceptable and violates our core values. Anonymous and personal attacks that are hateful, threatening, and target people’s identity do not constitute discourse and deserve our strongest condemnation.
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An investigation is underway with the help of federal law enforcement agencies and third-party website providers to see if we can determine who posted the message. If you have any additional information about this incident, please email report-bias@uchicago.edu. We will pursue criminal prosecution, and if the individual is a member of our community we will pursue disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion or termination of employment. Getting answers to these questions may be difficult, but regardless of the outcome we must engage in active discussion about the impact of these attacks on our campus.
This comes in the midst of other incidents in which members of our community have felt targeted, harassed, or threatened on the basis of their identity. Harassment and threats on the basis of identity are completely antithetical to the values of the University and will not be tolerated. They are harmful and hurtful both to individuals and to the fabric of our community.
We are committed to creating a diverse campus environment free from harassment and discrimination. We will follow up in the coming days with information about additional, specific actions we will take in consultation with students, faculty, and staff members.
—Prof. Chuan He
