To the University community,
We are aware, and are closely monitoring, the posting of unauthorized materials on our campus by Vanguard America, a white supremacist group. Some of these posts have been done specifically to deface materials related to our campus celebration of Black History Month; others have been anti-Semitic.聽Media reports indicate that several universities across the nation, including some in Tennessee, have discovered similar materials on their campuses.
Members of this group, and other similar groups, are targeting college campuses in the hopes that their hateful messages will bring attention and notoriety to their causes.聽As such, my note to you today shall be brief and to the point.
There is no place here for hateful rhetoric, displays or actions that demean any member of the 91大神 family.聽While we will respect the right of free speech when exercised within the policies of the University,聽we will also continue to take all appropriate action to make our campus as safe and inclusive as possible.
We strongly condemn the views of white supremacists and other hate groups. We will maintain our focus on the enrichment that comes to our campus through the wide range of diversity represented by our students, faculty, staff and alumni, and we will refuse to give to hate groups the attention that they seek.
The values of our True Blue Pledge commit us to reason, not violence;聽to both listening and speaking; and to our membership in this diverse community.聽I am proud that our community celebrates and supports the differences among us, as we also seek to build upon our commonalities.
Sincerely,
Sidney A. McPhee
President