Educators respond to Charlottesville attacks

After the recent chaos in Charlottesville, Virginia, many are left with questions of “why” and “what’s next.”

As the school year begins next week, many students will look to their colleges and universities for answers and security.

Although universities in the area aren’t making any specific policy changes, University of New Haven Police Chief Tracy Mooney said they are constantly paying attention the safety concerns of the community.

Many universities have condemned the incidents in Charlottesville, calling them out as acts of racism. Sentiments of compassion for ones injured and intolerance of the violent acts committed echoed through several campuses.

Southern Connecticut State University President Joe Bertolino said to the community, “In light of the events of the past few days in Charlottesville, Virginia, the Southern community joins with so many across the country in unequivocally condemning statements and acts of racial hatred and bigotry, as well as all acts of violence.”

And University of New Haven President Stephen H. Kaplan said in a statement to the school, “Together, as a University community, we will simply not tolerate acts of racism or intolerance.”

University of Connecticut President Susan Herbst said in a statement she was reminded of displays in Nazi Germany of the Third Reich, but “The University of Connecticut will never yield to the poisonous ideas and attitudes we saw last weekend.”

But Quinnipiac University student Gabriel Weis said he sadly doesn’t feel safe returning to school.

“It can happen at any campus, even at a private university like Quinnipiac,” Weis said. “It’s scary and the anti-Semitism is horrifying and disgusting.”

Weis, who is Jewish, said he is terrified that anti-semetic groups could march on the Jewish center at Quinnipiac because several active hate groups exist in Connecticut.

Weis also said he is disappointed his school didn’t send a statement condemning the attack. He hopes when the semester begins, they will, or that public safety will show plans to support minority students who are fearful.

Quinnipiac will schedule opportunities for their community to discuss the Charlottesville tragedy and other world events impacting people, according to Diane Ariza, associate vice president for academic affairs and chief diversity officer at Quinnipiac.

“Until we start the difficult conversation, we’ll always be reactionary,” said Khalilah Brown-Dean, associate professor of political science at Quinnipiac University and University of Virginia alumna. It’s important that schools proactively educate students from kindergarten to college about free speech and hate speech, Brown-Dean said, because the attacks are not a Southern issue alone.

She said it is the obligation of schools to have conversations about the issue and to keep students and faculty safe when protests take place.

Some schools across the country have taken action through new security measures for bringing keynote speakers to campus. At the University of California Berkley, “student groups hosting large events are required to inform the college at least eight weeks in advance, so it has time to prepare a security plan,” as reported by the New York Times.

At Texas A&M University, all speakers must be invited by a student group, as a way to regulate speakers who come to campus. The school recently cancelled an appearance by white nationalist Richard B. Spencer scheduled for Sept. 11, citing safety concerns.

The University of Florida also cancelled a speaking event by Spencer, giving safety concerns as their reason for cancelling as well.

State-funded schools can establish regulations on who can speak on campus or deny requests if there is a threat to the university community or the speaker plans to incite rebellion against the government, according to Dana Goldstien from the New York Times, but they have limited power preventing offensive speakers because of First Amendment laws.

“While free speech is a sacred right, it does not afford anyone the right to willfully provoke rioting, or engage in physical violence,” Bertolino said in a statement to the SCSU community.

Schools need to make it very clear that unpopular speech is different from incitement, Brown-Dean said.