Dear AU Community,

One of American University’s core values is inclusivity. When our students’ safety, their sense of belonging, or their connection to our community are disrupted by discrimination or hateful behavior, we are committed to taking swift action to support them and address the problem. Recent events and incidents on campus have made Jewish students feel unsafe and unwelcome. Antisemitism is abhorrent, wrong, and will not be tolerated at American University. The events and their effects on students are unacceptable. They show a need for clear actions to support a sense of belonging across our community at a time of great concern and uncertainty. Supporting a sense of belonging is also an opportunity to foster civil discourse and help the community engage constructively with one another, which can contribute to strengthening our community.

We need to do better, and we have more work to do. So today, we are implementing immediate actions for the spring semester to support the sense of belonging on campus, promote safety, address the immediate challenges at hand, and help build broader community for all:

1. No protests will be allowed inside university buildings.

Effective immediately, protests are not allowed to occur in university buildings, residence halls, dining facilities, or other indoor spaces used for educational activities, events, or university operations. This will ensure that protests do not disrupt university activity, including classes and events. Any university community members who participate in protests that violate this directive or any protest policies are subject to disciplinary action.

2. Student clubs and organizations will be welcoming to all students.

Any membership requirements for student clubs and organizations, including formal criteria and informal standards, must be germane, relevant, and directly connected to the group’s purpose. Clubs and organizations that violate this membership approach will lose university recognition, resulting in the loss of funding and the ability to reserve university facilities. To implement this approach, help student organizations adopt it, and ensure compliance with it, we identified the need for a key leadership position in Student Affairs, and we are immediately starting the hiring process for this position. 

3. Posters and university-sponsored events will promote inclusivity.

Posted material at university-sponsored events and within university-owned and managed spaces should be welcoming and build community. Starting immediately and through the spring semester, posted materials, which include but are not limited to posters, signs, notices, and flyers, at university-sponsored events may only be related to the purpose of the event as established by the university.

Posted materials on university-owned spaces—including, but not limited to bulletin boards and building walls and fixtures—are limited to event promotion with the following details: an event’s purpose, the sponsoring organization’s purpose, or logistical details for an event. Posters that do not follow these rules will be removed as soon as possible and any community members displaying such posters are subject to disciplinary action.

These actions and requirements will be in place throughout the spring semester to help address the immediate concerns, support students’ sense of belonging, and provide environments for learning and community building. We will evaluate the actions at the conclusion of the semester through community input and our policy review process. The evaluation will determine how these policies and actions move forward in future semesters.

These steps build on the updates to the AUx2 curriculum that address antisemitism and the educational and training opportunities with the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) announced last week.

Across the university, we are taking important steps to educate ourselves and each other about antisemitism and hate, address behavior that violates policies or negatively effects students’ sense of belonging and well-being, and help students feel safe on campus. Ensuring that AU is an inclusive, welcoming, and respectful community is part of our fundamental commitment to our students, faculty, and staff. These actions will help achieve this critical goal.

Sincerely,

Sylvia Burwell
President

Bronté Burleigh-Jones
CFO, Vice President, and Treasurer

Nkenge Friday
Vice President of Inclusive Excellence

Raymond Ou
Vice President of Student Affairs

Billy Walker
Director, Athletics and Recreation