Moving Forward Together: R Community

October 13, 2023

Dear Students,

The past week has been challenging, traumatic, and anxiety inducing for many. We’ve shared your grief and anger and helped you process and get the support you need. While we’ve seen the best in students this week, we’ve also seen behavior that does not uphold the values of our university community, including acts of Islamophobia, antisemitism, and other types of "isms."

Rutgers is a place where all students should be able to express their opinions on whatever topic is on their mind. At the same time, individual students should not be afraid of someone aggressively confronting them, making assumptions about their opinions and beliefs based on how they look or dress. While we all have differences, we are all part of the Rutgers family and as such should treat each other with respect and kindness, especially if we want others to hear what we have to say.

So, what can you do? Write an opinion piece in the Daily Targum. This is a great way to get your message across in a way that reaches the entire student body and beyond. If someone writes a piece you disagree with, write a piece that expresses how you think and feel about the subject.

Hold a teach-in or discussion on your topic. Bring in speakers that support your perspective and provide literature on the topic. If you disagree with what is being discussed, ask questions or hold a counter teach-in or discussion.

Engage in debate. If you want to argue a point with an opposing point of view, do it in a way that people can hear and process the information. Faculty and staff members are available to help facilitate.

Find your healing, affinity space. Connect with others and process what you are thinking and feeling. Think of things that are within your control that you can do to make change. Come up with constructive ways to make a difference. Martin Luther King once said that darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Think about how you can be the light.

We are here to support you. None of us have the answers to change the world in which we live. However, we can control how we treat one another. We wish you all strength and peace in the days and weeks ahead.

Sincerely,

Salvador B. Mena, Ph.D. (he, him, his)
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Rutgers University–New Brunswick