UC Davis faces repeated acts of anti-semitism
UC Davis’s Alder Hall — a residence hall for freshmen students — was defaced with swastika drawings on Oct. 13, according to a statement from the UC Davis Newsroom.
The incident follows occurrences of anti-Semitic hate speech in August, when a group of men hung a banner displaying anti-semitic statements over the Highway 113 bicycle overpass.
“I condemn those cowards who once more have tried to intimidate our students,” Chancellor Gary May said in the Oct. 13 statement to the UC Davis community.“We are seeing a rise in antisemitism not only on our campus but at many other universities in California.”
According to the statement, the graffiti was immediately removed and the incident was reported to the UC Davis Police Department and the university’s Harassment and Discrimination Assistance and Prevention Program.
The city of Davis released its own statement condemning the incidents, and May said the university will be partnering with city officials in their efforts to prevent further incidents of hate-speech.
UC Davis Administration is having conversations with student leaders representing the Jewish community like Hillel at Davis and the UC Davis Advisory Council on Jewish Life to “identify more actions we can take to address antisemitism and provide support,” according to May.
“We know messages of condemnation are not enough. We will continue to meet with Jewish students, faculty and staff to not only show our support but talk through any solutions,” May said in the statement.
UC San Diego administration apologizes for racist remarks made by lecturer in class
UC San Diego released a statement following the release of a video of a UCSD lecturer making racist comments during a chemistry class.
The video of the lecturer, Robert Ternansky, was posted to Instagram and received over 800 comments.
In the video, Ternansky is seen addressing unseen people making noise in the hallway outside the classroom, walking outside and saying “Sí, sí señor. Ándale, ándale. Arriba, arriba.”
Ternansky then turned to his students and asked, “How do you say ‘quiet’ in Mexican?” and then later said, “Someone tell me if they start running in here with their weapons.”
According to UCSD’s statement, Ternansky was “engaged about his comments, and it was made clear to him that they do not reflect our community values of inclusivity and respect.”
A report from the UCSD Guardian found that Ternansky posted a short apology on his Canvas page, promising a longer one in the future.
“I am writing to acknowledge my inappropriate comments in lecture and to sincerely apologize to all of you for my behavior. These comments do not align with our campus values. I will follow up with a more formal apology shortly and will also apologize personally during Tuesday’s lecture time,” Ternansky said in his apology statement.
UC San Diego’s Associated Students President Sky Yang told the UCSD Guardian that the student body is upset over the comments but split on what disciplinary action should be taken. The university has not provided any comment on Ternansky’s employment status and if he will continue at the university or not.
“Everyone agrees that what the professor did was racist,” Yang said. “There is a split among students over whether he should be fired or whether he should stay and be re-educated. It seems that some want to give him a second chance because he apologized quickly.”
A version of this article appeared on p. 2 of the Oct. 20, 2022 print edition of the Daily Nexus.
