The University of Central Florida President and UCF Student Government Association President have condemned the Charlottesville violence through a campus-wide email sent to students and faculty.
The UCF Student Body President Nick Larkins released an email early Wednesday morning, joining 104 student body presidents nationwide in condemning the violence.
“In response to the terrible incidents that occurred over the weekend at the University of Virginia, 104 Student Body Presidents from across the country publicly announced their condemnation of the hatred on display in Charlottesville, as well as their support for the citizens of the great state of Virginia. As the Student Body President, I was honored to pledge the love and support of the University of Central Florida toward all who were affected. The official statement is listed below.
As always, thank you for your continued support.
Go Knights! Charge On!
Sincerely,
Nicholas R. Larkins
Student Body President
Member, UCF Board of Trustees
Student Government Association
University of Central Florida”
The president of the university followed in the same day with a message.
Dubbed “The Wrong Side of History,” UCF President John C. Hitt of 25 years enumerated the university’s opposition to ‘racism, bigotry, and hate,’ and strength in values such as equality, inclusivity, and respect.
The message has been reproduced below:
“The recent violence in Charlottesville was repugnant, and it stands as an anathema to the values Americans hold dear.
It is even more disturbing that so much of the violence occurred on a college campus — the historic and prestigious University of Virginia.
More frequently than ever, hate groups target public universities like ours because we vigorously promote free speech. That’s why I support what UVA President Teresa Sullivan said after Nazis, white supremacists, and anti-Semitic protestors stormed her campus.
What took place at UVA “wasn’t about ideas,” she said. “People weren’t out there arguing with each other. They were clobbering each other. That’s a very different situation. That’s violence. Violence is not free speech.”
I couldn’t agree more.
UCF stands alongside those who oppose the racism, bigotry, and hate seen in Charlottesville. These views are on the wrong side of history and have no place in our future.
We choose to side with equality, inclusivity, and respect.
In my lifetime, Americans have defeated Nazis, won the Cold War, and fought for equal rights for all.
Our progress toward becoming a more diverse and inclusive people is a strength of our great nation. Our embrace of justice and equality has been a beacon to others around the world.
These values represent the best of America. Let us strive to uphold these values in all we do, now more than ever.”
Aforementioned statement:
STATEMENT
As Student Body Presidents across the United States, we are deeply saddened by the events that have occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia. We are united with the students of the University of Virginia, as what affects one of our campuses affects us all. College campuses are spaces that students should be able to call home, not places of violence, hate, and racism. Students should always feel welcome and safe at our incredible higher education institutions, never having to fear for their personal well-being. As the voice of our students, we collectively call on one another to speak up in the face of injustice, as silence reduces us to bystanders in oppression. This is a statement to not only support the Student Body at the University of Virginia but to make clear our advocacy for the victimized and marginalized students on all our campuses. We will continue to support students and universities in their peaceful resistance to violence, racism, white supremacy, bigotry, and acts of terrorism on our own campuses and beyond. If the students of the University of Virginia or the citizens of Charlottesville need any assistance, please know you have a network of universities that supports you.
In Solidarity,
Jared Hunter | University of Alabama | Alabama
Mugdha Mokashi | University of Alabama at Birmingham | Alabama
Carl Thomas | University of South Alabama | Alabama
Hershila Lallu | University of Central Arkansas | Arkansas
Zaynab AbdulQadir – Morris | University of California – Berkeley | California
Ranel Troy Santos | University of California – San Francisco | California
Austin Dunn | University of Southern California | California
Carter Gruba | University of Colorado | Colorado
Troy Fossett | University of Colorado – Boulder | Colorado
Kevion Ellis | University of Northern Colorado | Colorado
Taylor Dumpson | American University | District of Columbia
Kamar Mack | Georgetown University | District of Columbia
Emily Lawless | Florida Atlantic University | Florida
Jalisa White | Florida Gulf Coast University | Florida
Leonardo Cosio | Florida International University-Biscayne Bay Campus | Florida
Krista Schmidt | Florida International University-Modesto Maidique Campus | Florida
Ximena Pedroza | New College of Florida | Florida
Nick Larkins | University of Central Florida | Florida
Smith Meyers | University of Florida | Florida
Samantha Mims | University of North Florida | Florida
David Thompson | University of South Florida – St. Petersburg | Florida
Moneer Kheireddine | University of South Florida – Tampa | Florida
Kishane Patel | University of West Florida | Florida
Tammy Lu | Georgia Gwinnett College | Georgia
Dylan John | Georgia Southern University | Georgia
Victoria Brock | Kennesaw State University | Georgia
Olivia Buckner | Mercer University | Georgia
Cameron Keen | University of Georgia | Georgia
Beau Grzanich | Illinois State University | Illinois
Sofia Tagkaloglou | Knox College | Illinois
Rachel Jacob | Northern Illinois University | Illinois
Nehaarika Mulukutla | Northwestern University | Illinois
Raneem Shamseldin | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Illinois
Ramón DeShazer | Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville | Illinois
Yohana Ghdey | University of Illinois at Chicago | Illinois
Dan Niersbach | Indiana University-Bloomington | Indiana
Sam Eschker | Purdue University- West Lafayette | Indiana
Rebecca Blais | University of Notre Dame | Indiana
Cody West | Iowa State University | Iowa
Jacob Simpson | University of Iowa | Iowa
Jack Ayres | Kansas State University | Kansas
Paige Hungate | Wichita State University | Kansas
Mady Womack | University of Kansas | Kansas
Kirby Fitzpatrick | Centre College | Kentucky
Laura Jackson | Eastern Kentucky University | Kentucky
Onaje Cunningham | Kentucky State University | Kentucky
Tori Wood | Murray State University | Kentucky
Sami Dada | Northern Kentucky University | Kentucky
Vishnu Tirumala | University of Louisville | Kentucky
Ben Childress | University of Kentucky | Kentucky
Josh Morehead | Louisiana State University at Eunice | Louisiana
Anthony Felps | Louisiana State University of Alexandria | Louisiana
Benjamin Rice | Louisiana Tech University | Louisiana
Seth Leto | Southeastern Louisiana University | Louisiana
Owanaemi Davies | University of Maryland Eastern Shore | Maryland
Lorenzo Santavicca | Michigan State University | Michigan
Anushka Sarkar | University of Michigan | Michigan
Walter Paul | Carleton College | Minnesota
Trish Palermo | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | Minnesota
Noah Barberi | Millsaps College | Mississippi
Nathan Willett | University of Missouri-Columbia | Missouri
Kylar Clifton | Montana State University | Montana
Joseph Zach | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | Nebraska
Noah Teixeira | University of Nevada, Reno | Nevada
Myesha Jemison | Princeton University | New Jersey
Evan Covello | Rutgers University | New Jersey
Jung Won Kim | Cornell University | New York
Alex Soltany | Davidson College | North Carolina
Riyanka Ganguly | Duke University | North Carolina
Morgan Bodenarain | Elon University | North Carolina
Elizabeth Adkins | University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill | North Carolina
Kevin Kaufhold | Baldwin Wallace University | Ohio
Daniel Oswald | Kent State University | Ohio
Andrew Jackson | Ohio State University | Ohio
Jeremy Paul | Otterbein University | Ohio
Taylor Bennington | University of Akron | Ohio
Bashir Emlemdi | University of Cincinnati | Ohio
J.D. Baker | University of Oklahoma | Oklahoma
Daysi Bedolla | Eastern Oregon University | Oregon
Simon Brundage | Oregon State University | Oregon
Neal Choudhary | Carnegie Mellon | Pennsylvania
Max Kneis | University of Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania
Tyrell Mann-Barnes | Temple University | Pennsylvania
Kayla Martin | Temple University | Pennsylvania
Paige Hill | Temple University | Pennsylvania
Killian McDonald | Clemson University | South Carolina
Jessica Norum | Furman University | South Carolina
Ross Lordo | University of South Carolina | South Carolina
Thomas Mitchell | Rhodes College | Tennessee
Drew Gilmore | University of Memphis | Tennessee
Kevyanna Rawls | University of Memphis | Tennessee
María Peña | Midwestern State University | Texas
Winni Zhang | University of Houston | Texas
Barrett Cole | University of North Texas | Texas
Aynoa Rincon | Salt Lake Community College | Utah
Benjamin Pok | Westminster College | Utah
Zach Berger | University of Utah | Utah
Osman Salahuddin | University of Washington – Seattle | Washington
Jordan Frost | Washington State University | Washington
Israa Alshaiklhi | Washington State University Tri-Cities | Washington
Blake Humphrey | West Virginia University | West Virginia
Tiffany Yang | University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley | Wisconsin
Lucas Frey | University of Wisconsin-Platteville | Wisconsin
Sean Piette | University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point | Wisconsin
