Dear campus family,

Saturday’s horrific violence targeting Israeli civilians and the turmoil, anguish, and destruction that have followed leave us heartbroken and deeply concerned. Acts of terrorism can never be justified. Many among our community have family, friends, and loved ones directly affected by the violence, and still more have deep and meaningful attachments to the region and the people who live there.

We have been heartened to see the empathy and kindness on display across our campus this week, and we call upon all of us to continue to adhere to the university’s Our Common Ground values in the days and weeks to come, as events unfold and highly charged conversations take place in our community and around the globe.

At UVM, we will ensure our students, staff, and faculty have appropriate support, now and in the future, and we must maintain civility, respect, and care for one another even under the most challenging circumstances.

This week, our academic, student support, and public safety professionals have worked directly with many campus and community partners to connect, listen, and understand how the university can best support our entire community.

Resources are available for students and colleagues who seek connection and support through UVM’s Dean of Students Office, our Interfaith Center, the Center for Health and Wellbeing, and affiliated organizations such as UVM Hillel and Chabad. Any person experiencing bias or harassment at UVM can report an incident at www.uvm.edu/report.

During these challenging times, we encourage you to be especially mindful of how friends, colleagues, and fellow members of our community are affected by these events. Those impacts are complex, varied, and not always obvious. Please extend to one another an extra measure of kindness and grace now and in the coming days as we all hope for a swift end to the current unrest and the safety of everyone in the region.

Suresh Garimella
President

Patricia Prelock
Provost and Senior Vice President