February 11, 2016

 

The Honorable Mike Young
Office of the President
Texas A&M University
1246 TAMU
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843-1246

Dear President Young:

On behalf of the Southwest Region of the Anti-Defamation League, we write to thank you for your prompt response to reports that some Texas A&M students allegedly made racial slurs against a group of visiting high school students from Dallas.  As a recognized expert and provider on anti-bias resources, ADL is a civil rights and human relations organization dedicated to “stop the defamation of the Jewish people and secure justice and fair treatment for all.”  We welcome your swift condemnation of the incident and your assurances that the actions of some students don’t represent the institution. We agree with you that “it is the responsibility of all of us to stop any incidents that could be considered hateful or biased-based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or any other factor.”

Increasing incidents of bias and harassment on college and university campuses make it clear that the ideals of the higher education environment—inquiry, free expression and the civil exchange of ideas—can be easily exploited by perpetrators of hate. The ADL is equipped with a broad range of programs and resources to address the challenges of hate on campus. Please know that ADL stands poised to assist you and your campus administrators, students and faculty as you consider effective strategies to respond to campus hate and bigotry.  We especially want to point out our Responding to Bigotry and Intergroup Strife on Campus and other campus and higher education resources on our website.

Again, thank you for your commitment to ensuring that students of all backgrounds feel welcome at Texas A&M University.

Sincerely,

Jodi Bernstein
ADL Senior Associate Regional Director

 

Susan Shaw
ADL Associate Regional Director of Education