A message from University leadership: A call for peaceful dialogues

Dear Carolina Community,

The violence in Israel and Gaza is provoking tension locally and globally, including on our campus. The increase in dangerous rhetoric targeting various members of our community does not help build our community together or help us better understand the complexities of the conflict in the Middle East.

We have a commitment to allow both internal and external groups to express their opinions under the First Amendment, even views some find repugnant. We are also committed to institutional neutrality on political matters, but we cannot remain neutral about behaviors that are corrosive to the campus climate or threaten members of our community. Our students, faculty and staff contribute to a long tradition of vigorous debate and public engagement on our campus, where they enjoy a culture of lively exchange of ideas that contributes to better knowledge.

We all deserve to live and work on our campus safely without fear of being targeted by hateful speech. We are disappointed by some of the messaging we have seen and heard in our classrooms, on our sidewalks and in social media posts aimed at members or groups in our community.

We call on our community to lead by example by engaging in peaceful dialogues. Let us demonstrate how people of different backgrounds and perspectives can come together and truly listen and learn from each other in an environment where everyone can feel safe and respected. Each of us plays an important role in understanding the challenges facing our world and showing compassion, empathy and understanding for one another even when we disagree.

Not only can we do better, we can embrace our duty to bring light rather than heat to the discussion and live up to our motto of Lux Libertas.

Sincerely,

Kevin M. Guskiewicz
Chancellor

J. Christopher Clemens
Provost