Message Regarding Vandalism on Campus

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Dear Members of the Campus Community,

At the start of this academic year, our message to our students was that we want this year to be one that focuses on our shared responsibility to cultivate the kind of Lehigh we can all be proud of: one that values civility and respect, that embraces a questioning mind and an open heart and one that encourages the freedom to disagree and to have individual voices heard.

We are a community of scholars from all over the world, from all different socio-economic backgrounds and cultures. On a daily basis, we come in contact with people who think differently, worship differently and act differently than what we may have been accustomed to and comfortable with. These experiences collectively contribute to our intellectual growth and our personal evolution, and that incredibly enriching and rewarding process cannot fully take root in an environment that isn’t grounded in mutual respect and acceptance.

As we continue to live and learn and grow together, we ask that you embrace your capacity to have a positive impact on the lives of one another, to honor our differences and to respect the unique perspectives that make up our community.

Regrettably, we recognize that we are not living up to that standard as a community. We were recently made aware that the First Gen theme home located on The Hill was vandalized at some point over the past few weeks. There were numerous other “eggings” on campus, according to the LUPD, which was initially notified about some of the campus-wide vandalism, but not about the First Gen House. We also sent an earlier message regarding vandalism at the Jewish Student Center.

At this point, we do not know who is responsible for the most recent vandalism, when it occurred and whether or not it was targeted at the residents of the First Gen House, or at any other group. The LUPD will be reviewing surveillance video to see if it is possible to recover any evidence that could lead to the identity of the individuals behind these acts.

Under any circumstance, any action that makes a member of our Lehigh community feel unsafe and unwelcome is thoughtless, destructive, immature and unacceptable. No group has the right to determine which other groups are deserving of acceptance. Everyone has the right to feel welcomed, to feel included, to feel valued and, as a baseline expectation, to feel safe in the place that is their home here at Lehigh.

We clearly have much work to do. We can and we must do better. It is our shared responsibility to continue on this journey toward a better Lehigh. And as we do so, we want to remind anyone who feels unsafe, unwelcome or maligned to report incidents like these through the official Bias Reporting Form, and, if needed, to not hesitate to seek support from a campus resource such as Counseling and Psychological Services, which offers a 24/7 crisis line at 610-758-3880.

For more information on available resources, please visit eocc.lehigh.edu/resources.

Sincerely,

John D. Simon ‘19
President

Ricardo Hall
Vice President for Student Affairs

Donald Outing
Vice President for Equity & Community