Tripathi letter to university community on upholding core values

UB President Satish K. Tripathi released the following letter to the UB campus today in response to recent incidents on campus:

Dear University Community:

I ask you to join me in reaffirming, once again, our shared commitment to upholding and living our core UB values of diversity, inclusion, and mutual respect at all times.

I continue to be proud of the efforts we have undertaken, as a university community, to reaffirm our collective commitment to fostering an inclusive and welcoming campus community where all feel safe, respected, and valued. I believe we have made, and continue to make, significant strides in this regard.

However, recent events — nationally as well as on our campus — are a sobering reminder that much work remains to be done. I am chagrined to note that these include a recent and deplorable act of anti-Semitic graffiti in one of our academic buildings. After a very thorough investigation by our UB Police Department, who responded immediately to remove the graffiti and increase campus patrols, we believe this to be an isolated incident. Regardless, this incident has been a source of pain and deep concern across our university community.

You may also be aware of a recent coordinated national cyberattack that has targeted thousands of universities across the nation by sending antisemitic fliers to networked printers. After identifying a small number of printers on campus that may have been vulnerable to this external cyberattack, UB’s Information Security Office has quickly taken steps to prevent future attacks. 

In the wake of these incidents, I want to be abundantly clear that bigotry, racism, intolerance, and discrimination have no place in our UB community, and they will not be tolerated. When acts motivated by hatred or discrimination take place — whether they are initiated on campus or by an external source — the university will respond promptly to protect the safety and well-being of our entire university community.

I encourage us as members of the UB community to reaffirm our shared commitment to diversity, inclusion and mutual respect as essential core values at the foundation of our academic community, and I urge us to sustain the positive dialogue and progress we have initiated together. As a university family, it is imperative that we remain committed to upholding these values at all times so that everyone in the UB community can study, teach, conduct research and work in an environment free of discrimination and intolerance.

Sincerely,

Satish K. Tripathi

President

Editor's note: The spelling of antisemitic was corrected on Feb. 10, 2022.