Message from the President: Incident at the UPEI Chaplaincy Centre
The following message was emailed to UPEI students, faculty, and staff on June 6, 2024.
Dear UPEI Community,
We are all navigating challenging times, globally and locally. UPEI’s strength lies in our shared values of equity, inclusion, Indigenization, academic freedom, rigour, accountability, integrity, and excellence. It is also the responsibility of universities to foster environments where we can constructively discuss difficult topics, express our differences, and celebrate diversity. Our primary concern will always be the safety of our community members and their right to feel secure on our campus. We will not tolerate hate or calls for violence that threaten this safety and security.
There was a recent incident of disturbing and offensive graffiti at the UPEI Chaplaincy Centre that demonstrated misogyny, antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-Black racism, anti-Christian sentiment, sexual deviance, and threats of sexual violence.
This type of behaviour is unacceptable and falls outside UPEI's commitment to build a culture of trust, safety, and inclusion. It is especially disappointing to see this incident occur in a place where a welcoming environment for people of all backgrounds has been cultivated by Sister Sue Kidd. Incidents of this nature are deeply harmful, and we understand it can have an impact on individuals, the communities targeted, and the entire campus community.
I met with Sister Sue yesterday to offer support and to assure her that senior administration and a number of University departments, including Security Services; Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Human Rights; and Student Affairs, are working to identify the perpetrators, enhance security at the Chaplaincy Centre, and support community members who have been impacted.
We are not providing further detail so as not to perpetrate harm to our community, but if anyone has any information about this incident, please reach out to UPEI Security Services at security@upei.ca or 902-566-0384 or to PEI Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
UPEI students, staff, and faculty do not have to face difficult situations by themselves. If news of this incident is impacting you and you wish to access resources beyond your own network for support, please contact
- the Department of Student Affairs at studentserv@upei.ca, or
- visit the Department of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Human Rights web site to access the “Find Supports and Services” web page.
Thank you for your unwavering commitment to UPEI’s mission and values—together we can foster an inclusive, diverse, and welcoming environment for all.
Sincerely,
Wendy
