Slogans and Slurs
I've pasted below a campus-wide email sent by UC Davis Chancellor Katehi the day after Tuesday's strike—involving a rally of well over 1000 people and an overnight occupation of Mrak Hall (the main administration building)—and shortly after the eviction of that occupation by riot police this afternoon.
The letter seems to be addressing a hate crime which occurred on the UCD campus this past Sunday. And indeed, a group of students of color also spoke about the impact this incident had upon them at the rally yesterday. But in her letter, the Chancellor goes on to implicitly link *hate speech* to *student protest* as forms of speech that may be in violation of the UC Davis "Principles of Community."
She writes: "We strongly encourage all members of our community to engage in dialogue rather than confrontation, to exchange ideas rather than shout slogans and slurs, and to be respectful and inclusive of others."
On the day after a strike, mass rally, and occupation Mrak Hall, to imply that "slogans" are a form of confrontation that is as unacceptable as "slurs" is to imply that student protest is a form of hate speech. What I find particularly alarming about this formulation is that it equates the speech of students of color at our rally, for example (who certainly "shouted slogans" along with everyone else), with hate speech that is used against students of color: hate speech that these students took the opportunity of the rally to denounce.
It's hard to isolate the *most* disgusting effort to deligitimize protest over the past two years, but I think this might be it. I'll likely write a response tomorrow, as an open letter, linking Katehi's message to Birgeneau's after Nov. 9.
Here's the letter:
To the UC Davis Community:
Many of you might have already read or heard about a recent incident on our campus that is now being investigated as a possible hate incident.
On Sunday, November 13, during the UC systemwide Student of Color Conference, an unknown individual vandalized one of the Veterans Day yellow ribbons tied around a tree on the quad, writing on it, "USE ME AS A NOOSE." As one of our students rightly noted, the historical background related to the use of nooses and their racist implications are well known.
We do not know if the person who scrawled this offensive graffiti knew about the three-day conference on our campus. But it is particularly disturbing that such an act of intolerance should occur at a time when the campus community is working to create a safe and inviting space for all our students. In fact, this was just the latest in a recent series of distressing incidents of hate and bias on our campus since the start of the fall quarter.
We know these are very stressful times for our students and for the entire UC Davis community. Especially during these difficult times, we believe it is important to remember that while written and spoken words might challenge our beliefs and perspectives, words and actions that seek to promote hatred or to degrade any particular individual or group is an affront to all in our community.
Indeed, our "Principles of Community" constitute one of the most distinctive features of UC Davis. They represent the ideals of expression and interaction that we as university citizens seek to uphold. They can be read at:
http://occr.ucdavis.edu/poc/
Expressions of hate, intolerance and incivility have no place in a university community that prides itself on educating the brightest minds and future leaders of tomorrow. Such behavior is not only inconsistent with the goals of our Principles of Community, but in many instances is criminal, as well. We strongly encourage all members of our community to engage in dialogue rather than confrontation, to exchange ideas rather than shout slogans and slurs, and to be respectful and inclusive of others.
While much has already been accomplished, clearly there is much more work that needs to be done. A civil and respectful community necessitates the support and commitment of each and every one of us. While these are turbulent economic times, as a campus community, we must all be committed to a safe, welcoming environment that advances our efforts to diversity and excellence at UC Davis.
Sincerely,
Linda P.B. Katehi
Chancellor
If anyone has information concerning the Nov. 13 incident, please contact UC Davis Police Sgt. Don Malloy at (530) 752-3278. In addition, any incidents of hate and bias on campus can and should be reported through the UC Systemwide Hate and Bias Reporting System:
https://ucsystems.ethicspointvp.com/custom/ucs_ccc/default.asp
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