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March 7, 2024
To: Undergraduate and Graduate Students
Subject: Last night's USG meeting
Dear Seawolves,
Yesterday evening, hateful images were displayed at the beginning of an Undergraduate
Student Government (USG) in-person and Zoom meeting on an especially divisive subject,
in what appears to have been an instance of “Zoom bombing,” possibly from outside
the university community. These included sexually explicit images, racist comments,
a swastika, an antisemitic caricature of Jews, and alleged electronic vandalism. The
origin of the conduct is currently under review.
USG leaders responded swiftly, removing the images, placing additional controls on
the video connection, and apologizing to participants. There were no further disruptions
and the meeting, despite the sensitivity of the issue being debated, was civil and
conducted admirably by USG leadership.
We are confident that all members of the Stony Brook community join us in condemning
in the strongest terms the hate expressed by those images and in rejecting the effort
to stoke fear in our community. We applaud the determination of USG and everyone who
participated in that discussion to refuse to allow the debate to be poisoned by this
display of anti-Semitism and racism.
We recognize the fear and anxiety these images provoke, especially among the Jewish
members of our community. We want to reassure them, and all Seawolves, that extra
efforts are being made to keep the campus safe and also to provide mental health support
at an especially challenging time. Those resources include:
(631) 632-7320
student_supportteam@stonybrook.edu
Stony Brook Union, Suite 106
student_supportteam@stonybrook.edu
Stony Brook Union, Suite 106
(631) 632-9912
Stony Brook Union, Suite 205
Stony Brook Union, Suite 205
(631) 632-6720
Student Health & Counseling Center, 2nd Floor and Health Sciences Center, 3rd Floor 3-040F
Student Health & Counseling Center, 2nd Floor and Health Sciences Center, 3rd Floor 3-040F
(631) 632-6720, option 2
TimelyCare 24/7 virtual medical and mental health services
Download the TimelyCare app or visit timelycare.com/stonybrook
Download the TimelyCare app or visit timelycare.com/stonybrook
Sincerely,
Rick Gatteau, PhD
Vice President for Student Affairs