VICE PRESIDENT ENEWS MESSAGES

Over the past few weeks, we have faced a number of challenges related to crude, hateful and cowardly anonymous comments posted on social media, particularly the mobile app Yik Yak. While we always encourage students to give little credence to such anonymous posts, which may or may not be genuine, words can still hurt. Many of these posts contain offensive, abusive content, antithetical to our values as an inclusive, socially just learning community. It can be hard to read these posts and believe that a safe, secure and equitable campus for all is possible. Yet I believe it is, and I refuse to let the real or joking immaturity and hate of others to crack the foundation of my belief.

 
My strong feeling is that the best response to troubling speech is more speech, including the down vote. When we each take responsibility to speak out against bias and injustice and affirm our shared values as a community of scholars, we all benefit. Of course, we have work to do to ensure all members of our community feel valued and can flourish. Please know we share this cause at UGA together—and we will succeed. Ignorance will never win, and in the end, it never has.
 
Let those few who chirp in anonymity hear the resounding swell of our voices raised in solidarity. This is now and will be forever our best recourse to drown out hate.

Be well,