Faced with criticism, UMass officials pledge to take action following outcry over racist incidents

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College administration has come under intense scrutiny by the black student community for not moving faster. Black student organizations recalled in a social media post that it took nearly a month for the university to recognize these anti-black racist incidents on campus. Jonathan Wiggs / Globe Staff

Following Vice Chancellor Nefertiti Walker’s message to the UMass Amherst student community, UMass Amherst Chancellor also emailed students on Monday, condemning recent racist incidents that targeted black students on campus .

Some of these students, however, wonder if the university reacted quickly enough.

“We will not be intimidated by the heinous acts of cowardly individuals who hide in anonymity,” Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy said in his email. “We stand alongside our students who have been victimized and will continually strive to create a more equitable community based on the principles of dignity and respect. “

In his email, Subbaswamy announced that the university was investigating the racist email sent to numerous black student groups and had enlisted the services of Stroz Friedberg Digital Forensics, a cybersecurity firm.

University of Massachusetts President Martin Meehan also issued a press release on Monday, calling the racist attacks “appalling and disgusting.”

“As the campus aggressively pursues the source of these vile messages, we must all actively support our students and redouble our commitment to providing a safe and welcoming community for all students,” Meehan said. “We have to treat any such attack on a group as an attack on everything we stand for as a university.”

The university announced three initiatives following these incidents: a Black Joy, Black Healing and Black Justice forum; the launch of a Black Advisory Council; and increased funding for the Racial Justice Center.

These initiatives aim to support black students and directly reach those who have been targeted by these messages, and to provide educational opportunities and action measures, Subbaswamy said in the email. They also plan to release other initiatives in the coming months.

UMass Amherst reports ‘worrying increase’ in racist incidents on campus

However, the university’s administration has come under scrutiny from the black community for failing to act faster.

According to a Facebook post by the UMass Black Student Union, one of the incidents in which someone allegedly shouted anti-black epithets at a student occurred in August, before the start of the school semester. Student organizations also said they started receiving anti-black racist emails as early as two weeks in September. They said it took nearly a month for the university to recognize these incidents on campus.

“The university’s long response time to racial incidents compared to its rapid response to non-racial incidents does not reflect a university that claims to be” committed to the policy, principles and practice to maintain an environment that prohibits behavior discriminatory and provides equal opportunities for all people, ”the post read.

The UMass Amherst Black Student Union and the Black Mass Communication Project will organize their own safe space on Thursday for those affected by the incidents.

“We are angry. We are hurt. We are tired,” wrote the Black Student Union. “And although we are disappointed, we are certainly not surprised.”

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