On Thursday, hundreds of students, faculty and Union College staff members joined together in a silent march around campus to protest recent inflammatory e-mails sent to minority candidates running for Student Forum.
Speaking at Hull Plaza in front of Schaffer Library, Interim President Jim Underwood offered the administration's support of student efforts to express their outrage over the e-mails, which contained blatantly biased and offensive language.
In an e-mail to faculty and staff on Wednesday evening, Underwood reaffirmed the College's full support of a criminal investigation now under way to identify those responsible for the communications.
He wrote: “Let me reiterate that the swift, collective campus denouncement of these acts serves as an important reminder and reaffirmation that Union is, despite the senseless words of one or a few, a place that is committed to the goal of a community in which no one is subjected to either verbal or physical harassment or attack, a community characterized by mutual respect and assistance and one in which harmful stereotypes are never allowed to be the basis for isolating or attacking any member of the community.”
The College is working with the Schenectady County District Attorney's office and the State Police to help identify the source of the e-mails.
On Tuesday, the faculty unanimously passed a resolution condemning the emails and rejecting the claim that the writer represents the Union majority.
The Student Forum election is set for Friday.