In light of recent alleged incidents targeting minority University students, the University administration’s responses to such bias-related occurrences continues to be a topic of discussion among students and officials on Grounds.
Three additional incidents were reported to the University this weekend. Someone drove past Cohn’s on the Corner Thursday around 11 p.m. in a red Nissan Pathfinder and shouted a racial slur at a black student, said Lauren McGlory, a fourth-year College student and president of the Black Student Alliance. McGlory, who is a Lawn resident, also said someone wrote sexual vulgarities on her Lawn whiteboard both this weekend and several weeks ago. A statement from Dean of Students Allen Groves also noted an argument recently overheard on the Corner, during which one participant used a homophobic slur.
McGlory said she believes these incidents constitute a violation of the community of trust. The University community needs to needs to ensure that people feel comfortable in their own rooms or on the Corner, she added.
“Since we do rely on student self-governance, it’s left up to the students to try addressing different concerns,” McGlory said. “It’s great that we had the vigil on Thursday evening,” she added, referring to the response to the April 4 bias-motivated assault involving a male University student and his guest, “but we need the administration to remind students, certain actions that you do take ... do have repercussions or consequences.”
When the Office of the Dean of Students receives reports of bias-motivated incidents, the dean on call is responsible for contacting the student who filed the report within 24 hours and asking to meet with the student to get more information, Groves said. After the meeting, the dean documents the details in an incident reporting system, and information is given to the police.
If identified, perpetrators of these acts can be brought up on charges before the University Judiciary Council if their act violates the Standards of Conduct defined in the Undergraduate Record, Groves said. If the action is potentially criminal, the Office of the Dean of Students refers the matter to the police and offers support to the victim, he said.
The Office of the Dean of Students then follows up with the student who filed the report to keep him or her aware of what actions are being taken and to offer support through Counseling and Psychological Services or assistance in contacting his or her professors, Groves said.
Every year, the University also analyzes all of the past year’s bias reports to look for trends, Groves said. If any areas on Grounds appear to be especially dangerous, the Office of the Dean of Students might recommend increased police patrols around that area. If a particular community seems to be targeted, the Office of the Dean of Students contacts the Office of Diversity and Equity, as well as possibly an office or professor involved with the group, Groves said.
Other actions that the Office of the Dean of Students may take could include issuing a statement from Groves about the incidents for informational and educational purposes, he said.
Unfortunately, the University can only do so much about these incidents.
“We have to be realistic about what we can and cannot control,” Groves said, adding that the administration is limited in its ability to control a stranger driving down the street and shouting something out his window.
The administration also can ask the community to be alert about these incidents and support and inform the student body, Groves said.
“Just because we can’t stop everything that happens, no different than any other place in society, doesn’t mean that we’re not able to show concern, compassion and support, which can be very important in a case involving bias,” he said.
First-year Engineering student Seth Kaye, president of Queer and Allied Activism, said he had difficulty assessing the University’s effectiveness in responding to bias incidents.
“I don’t want to diminish the University’s responsibility for these things,” he said, “[but] you can’t change people’s minds overnight just because they come to the University of Virginia.”
— Prateek Vasireddy contributed to this article.
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