From the Asian American Cultural Center, African American Cultural Center, Rainbow Center, Puerto Rican/Latin American Cultural Center, Women’s Center, Asian and Asian American Studies Institute, El Instituto, Africana Studies Institute, Human Rights Institute, Dodd Center, Center for Judaic Studies, Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program, American Studies Program, International Student & Scholar Services, and Office for Diversity and Inclusion

As the concerns about the COVID-19 virus rapidly increase on a daily basis, we want to acknowledge how this pandemic is impacting members of our community differently.

There has been a rise of incidents of anti-Asian racism in our local community, our state, our nation and worldwide. Asian and Asian Americans have been subjected to verbal and physical attacks, cyberbullying, discrimination against their businesses, and xenophobic portrayals. We would like to firmly state that such acts of hate will not be tolerated in our community. Such acts only further perpetuate the cycle of violence and fuel white supremacy. We encourage those who have experienced bias of any kind to report the incidents at https://dos.uconn.edu/bias-reporting/
Going home is not safe for everyone. For some family, partners, and/or guardians may be abusive. For support around gender-based violence, please visit the Title IX website at https://titleix.uconn.edu/
Going home is not an option for everyone. Many of our International students are facing travel restrictions that preclude them from leaving and/or returning to the US. We encourage you to participate in the University’s Town Hall on April 14th to share your concerns and suggestions.
We would like to acknowledge that many folx may be isolated from supportive networks during this time of physical distancing. For many LGBTQIA+ students, returning home may have required concealing one’s true identity in order to survive in a space with family members/others who are not affirming/safe. Connecting to positive resources, people, organizations, and leaders at this time can be helpful. Visit the Cultural Centers’ websites to learn about the different opportunities for support available to you.
As the concerns about the COVID-19 virus keeps rapidly changing, more and more anti-immigrant sentiment keeps also growing. Unfortunately, a political narrative of a “foreign threat” has accompanied information about the spread of the virus. This anti-immigrant and anti-Semitic speech is wrong and dangerous. The political environment of the pandemic has given rise to hateful conspiracy theories and disinformation meant to scapegoat Asians and Jews, along with Israel and China internationally. We stand in solidarity with our international students, our Asian American students, our undocumented and DACAmented students. In particular, we acknowledge our undocumented and DACAmented students who continue to face the threat of deportation while negotiating the constraints of the pandemic. As if these conditions were not difficult enough, the Supreme Court is poised to rule on the DACA case in the upcoming months, putting additional strain on our DACAmented friends, peers, and family members.
Additionally reports can be made to the following websites:

OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates – Hate Incident Reporting
Asian Americans Advancing Justice
Asian Pacific Policy & Planning Council – Stop AAPI Hate
Southern Law Poverty Center Reporting
Students have shared with us how vulnerable and targeted they are feeling. We are aware that many of our students are facing unemployment, limited access to health care, and other hardships. We also understand that these experiences, coupled with isolation, may manifest in mental health related concerns as well.

We would like you all to know that you do not need to navigate these difficult times alone and that we will stand and work with you to get through this together. If you find yourself feeling disconnected or not supported in your current living arrangements, please reach out to us.

You all are citizens of UConnNation, and in this nation, we do not discriminate, we do not use a narrative of hate, we are citizens that stand in solidarity with one another. Now is the time for us to be safe, be compassionate and empathetic towards each other, particularly those who have been affected by the COVID-19 virus and be engaged citizens. We would like to remind each and every individual that they are valued and needed in this world.

The Cultural Centers staff are available to discuss any COVID-19 concerns you may have.

Asian American Cultural Center Website
African American Cultural Center Website
Puerto Rican/Latin American Cultural Center Website
Rainbow Center Website
Women’s Center Website
On-campus resources and updated information about the COVID-19 virus, can be found at https://uconn.edu/public-notification/coronavirus/.

Dear Friends,

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a devastating loss of life across the globe and in our state. It has caused unparalleled disruption and alarm to people everywhere. Here in Connecticut, it has sickened people, closed businesses, and forced UConn to move all of our classes online for the duration of the spring 2020 semester.

And while none of us has been left unaffected by the pandemic, it has fallen especially hard on our international students, a number of whom have remained on the Storrs campus and elsewhere in the state, and who, like many others, are unable to return home and are worried about family and friends thousands of miles away.

It is for this reason that I am inviting all of our international students to join me and others for a special “virtual” town hall meeting, convened by the Office of Global Affairs, on Tuesday, April 14 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

I want you to know how deeply we care for you, and we want to hear from our international student population directly about your experiences and how you are holding up. This will also be an opportunity to ask any questions you have about the University’s response to the pandemic and what resources are available to you.

As we get closer to that date, information on how to participate will be sent to you. In the meantime, please send any questions or comments that you would like to see addressed during the town hall to communications@uconn.edu.

There is one topic that may come up that I want to address here. I have been deeply disturbed by reports from around the country of harassment and threats directed against Asian Americans and Asian visitors to the U.S. in the wake of the pandemic, and against people from China in particular. That this is amplified rather than quelled by reckless rhetoric from some prominent public leaders is even more upsetting.

UConn has a long tradition of standing against exactly this sort of ignorance. During World War II, this was the only university in Connecticut that enrolled Japanese American students, at a time when that community was being shamefully forced into internment camps.

We stood by our students then, and we stand by our students now. Bigotry of any kind has no place in a free society, and certainly not in a community rooted in scholarship and learning. We will treat any reports of mistreatment of members of our community with the utmost gravity.

Regardless where our students come from, UConn will always be your home. That’s why I hope you’ll join me, along with my colleagues from Global Affairs, Enrollment and Student Affairs, at the virtual town hall dedicated to your questions and concerns. You are an essential part of our community, and we want you to feel safe and valued here, in your home away from home.

Warm Regards,

Tom

Thomas Katsouleas

President

University of Connecticut