We want to take this opportunity to once again welcome everyone to the first quarter of the 2007-08 academic year. If you are a new or returning student, we hope that you had an opportunity to participate in some of the many Fall Welcome activities designed to introduce or re-connect you to the campus and with the many resources available to you.

As we begin to work together as a community in a new year, we want to take this opportunity to expand on the comments made by Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef at the Brownbag Dialogue on Oct. 10 regarding the importance of our Principles of Community. The chancellor noted then that, given the diversity of thought and experience within our community, there will be occasional friction and disagreements and that the start of the new year is, thus, a good time to remind us all of the important role our Principles of Community play in our campus community.

Mutual respect, caring

These principles, he said, confirm how our community is enriched by our diversity and how important it is that we express any differences we may have in an environment of mutual respect and caring.

While the opening of the new academic year has been both positive and exciting, we are aware that not all members of the community have had only positive experiences. In fact, two incidents have already been brought to our attention in which individuals have experienced injury by those who do not adhere to the values we have adopted in our Principles of Community.

On Sunday, Sept. 30, a UC Davis student was a victim of a battery and was called racial epithets while walking on campus near the residence halls. On Thursday, Oct. 4, the Jewish holiday Sukkah booth was defaced. A campus police report was filed for both incidents and they are currently under investigation.

Bounds of civility

We remain steadfast in the belief in our responsibility to provide for the public safety of all members of the campus community. At the same time, we are committed to uphold our moral, educational, and constitutional rights to the freedom of expression as defined in the First Amendment. However, we also want to address behavior that falls distinctly outside the bounds of civility and the law through acts that can be classified as hate crimes.

To be clear, the law provides that a hate crime is any criminal act committed, in whole or in part, because of the victim's actual or perceived disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.

For purposes of hate crime laws, a "victim" includes, but is not limited to, an individual, group, or family, and also includes a community center, educational facility, meeting hall, place of worship, or library.

Report hate crimes

Hate crimes are criminal acts and should be reported to the UC Davis Police Department — http://police.ucdavis.edu. There are additional resources available on the Office of Campus Community Relations Web site — http://occr.ucdavis.edu. We want to make it clear that acts of hate are not acceptable and will not be tolerated on our campus. Perpetuators of hate crimes will be subject to the full range of legal consequences, including criminal prosecution and/or disciplinary action.

The university is a microcosm of the world we live in. As a major university in a free and open society, we will be exposed to many points of view through a variety of forums.

'Community of spirit, purpose'

As we begin another year of provocative speakers, events, dialogues, and exhibits that reflect the diversity of views and opinions on campus, we want to once again remind everyone of the Principles of Community Statement, which affirms that "We promote open expression of our individuality and our diversity within the bounds of courtesy, sensitivity and respect…We recognize that each of us has an obligation to the community of which we have chosen to be a part. We will strive to build a true community of spirit and purpose based on mutual respect and caring."

We ask you to join us in creating a campus environment that is reflective of the core values we uphold in our Principles of Community and where individual rights and public safety are honored and respected.

Barbara Horwitz

interim provost and executive vice chancellor

Fred Wood

vice chancellor for student affairs

Rahim Reed

associate executive vice chancellor for campus

community relations