Chancellor Jimmy Cheek issued a statement Friday afternoon in an effort to make students, faculty and staff aware of actions being taken toward the recently reported bias-based crimes.
Six police reports posted on the UTPD Web site stated that in the last two months, six bias-based crimes regarding harassment, vandalism and derogatory racial slurs have been issued on campus. Four of the six incidents were derogatory racial and sexual slurs, all of which occurred in North Carrick and Hess Hall over the span of four days from Feb. 24 to Feb. 28.
Cheek sent out a campus-wide e-mail on Friday morning asking staff, faculty and students for their assistance in making UT a more friendly atmosphere.
In the e-mail, Cheek expressed his outrage toward the unprecedented rise in biased-based crimes and challenged the UT campus to help “make sure we are all welcoming to all and hostile to none.”
“When I came here, diversity was one of the critical things I listed in my strategic priorities for this university to have,” Cheek told reporters. “We want an environment that’s welcoming to everyone and not threatening to anyone, and so this does not fit that category.”
Cheek recalled his speech at his investiture back in May 2009, stating the importance of making UT a more diverse university.
“I want to emphasize my commitment to diversity on this campus,” Cheek said. “A rich, diverse culture enhances everything we do. I pledge to make this campus a welcoming place to everyone and hostile to no one.”
The UTPD are currently investigating all six of the incidents and are taking appropriate action depending on what they find. Along with the district attorney, they will determine the punishment depending on the incidents’ circumstances.
UTPD Captain Keith Lambert said the incidents “have been a surprise” and are depressing because “this is something that’s not typical” at UT.
“We’ve dedicated a lot of extra man hours and a lot of extra resources to being able to investigate those cases and to see if we’re able to run down any leads of any suspects in those cases,” Lambert said. “We encourage people to come forward with the information, hopefully to prevent this and provide for a more diverse community here.”
Cheek said UTPD will be making similar incident reports available online on their Web site at http://web.utk.edu/~utpolice/. Cheek, likewise, encouraged students to come forward and give any information, even if the information isn’t completely clear.
“It’s important for us that everyone here is able to live in harmony with other people and to feel safe and comfortable and express their opinions,” Lambert said. “That’s one of the staples of a great institution of higher education like the University of Tennessee.”
