March 18, 2021

Dear Students and Colleagues,

I am horrified by the murders of eight people in attacks on Asian-owned businesses in Atlanta on Tuesday. Six of the victims were Asian women. While the details and motive in the shootings are still emerging, this heinous crime must be seen in a broader context, since it comes at a time of increasing violence against Asian Americans nationwide.

All of us at Drexel University stand in support of our Asian American students and colleagues in light of the Atlanta tragedy, which follows more than a year of anti-Asian violence, rhetoric and discrimination. We must speak out as a community and actively combat violence and hate directed at Asian Americans, just as many of us did last year at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Over the next week, the Office of Diversity and Equality will host a panel discussion to address hate crimes nationally, with a conversation that we hope will be grounded in the experiences of Asian students, faculty and professional staff in the Drexel community.

Experiencing or witnessing racial injustice can have a direct impact on mental well-being. To talk to someone from the Student Counseling Center, email counseling@drexel.edu. The Counseling Center also has resources for coping with discrimination, hate and violence on its website. In addition, Drexel is committed to providing care for our faculty and professional staff coping with discrimination, hate and violence. To talk to someone from the Employee Assistance Program, call 888.628.4824.

Finally, I want to reiterate that Drexel does not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or other incidents of bias within our community. To report incidents of bias, please email the Office of Equality and Diversity at oed@drexel.edu or call 215.895.1405.

Sincerely,

John Fry
President