Dear UC Santa Cruz Community,
We have received numerous reports about chalking graffiti and fliers posted on campus with white nationalist/white supremacist messages. Such postings have occurred in the last several years. Given the continued tensions in our country, we are troubled—yet not surprised—to see them again.
These messages seek to divide our campus community. UC Santa Cruz is a community that champions our Principles of Community. Our diversity—in every form—makes us stronger. As a campus community, we stand against racism and white supremacy, and denounce and oppose all forms of hate, bias, and discrimination.
Many of our students have shared that the graffiti messages and fliers try to create hate through coded language. Still, the impact to our community is real. We want to emphasize with our campus community how the chalking graffiti and fliers make some members feel: unsafe, unwelcomed, threatened, and misunderstood. To our students: You are welcomed here and you belong here.
As a university, UC Santa Cruz is committed to continued education for faculty, staff, and students about different forms of oppression.
We appreciate everyone who reported the chalking graffiti and the fliers. If you come across hate-evoking graffiti or fliers, please immediately contact the UC Santa Cruz Police Department at 831-459-2231 ext. 1.
We also encourage you to:
- Take a picture of the graffiti and/or the flier and include it in a report to https://reporthate.ucsc.edu/
- Inform a senior director of college student life, associate director of college student life, coordinator of residential education (CRE) supervisor, dean, or provost so they can assess whether the graffiti and/or the fliers were posted under proper posting protocols (all unauthorized postings, regardless of content, are removed).
Campus resources
- A range of support services is available for students through the Cowell Student Health Center, including personal counseling through Counseling and Psychological Services.
- For employees, the Employee Assistance Program can provide personal counseling and support.
Incidents such as this—as unwelcome as they are—provide a moment to reaffirm our principles and values. UC Santa Cruz is a place that strives to welcome and include everyone, and we should all ensure we’re doing our part to co-create and co-sustain a healthy campus climate.
