Dear Members of the Emory Community,
As most of us know by now, on Sunday morning, Oct. 5, Emory University’s Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house was vandalized. The historically Jewish fraternity house was the target of crude graffiti that included swastikas. This hateful act was perpetrated shortly after the observation of the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.
Emory President James W. Wagner has already spoken forcefully against this attack as an offense against Alpha Epsilon Pi and the entire University. Members of the Emory community are deeply offended and angered by this hateful act. The Office of Spiritual and Religious Life and the Division of Campus Life have received scores of calls expressing both concern about the incident and solidarity with Alpha Epsilon Pi.
Beyond our shared anger, let us recognize that in response to this affront, there is an opportunity for us all – as a community of students and educators – to learn, teach, reach out, advocate and heal.
Crises such as this call us to focus on wounds that continue to afflict our society. They invite dialogue and action to rid our communities of bigotry. Let us embrace this opportunity for learning, understanding and outreach, as each of us has been so moved by this incident in our daily lives.
A starting point for some may be the Campus Life mission statement — in particular, key concepts like polyculturalism, cultural humility and social justice. Similarly, the mission of the Office of Spiritual and Religious Life encourages “inter-religious engagement” and “builds bridges of understanding” among various faith traditions.
Let us remember that Emory is a community of care that offers a host of resources to assist members of our University family in confronting life’s many challenges. Some of those resources are listed below, including our Bias Incident Reporting process, updated as a result of the Campus Life Compact in spring 2013.
Our doors are open. If we can help, please reach out to us.
Sincerely,
Rev. Bridgette Young Ross
Dean of the Chapel and Spiritual Life
Dr. Ajay Nair
Senior Vice President and Dean of Campus Life
Available Resources
Office of Religious and Spiritual Life
Dobbs University Center, Suite E226
404.727.6225
Counseling and Psychological Services
1462 Clifton Road, Suite 235
404.727.7450
Faculty Staff Assistance Program
1762 Clifton Road, Suite 1100
404.727.4328