91视频

Statements by advocacy organizations have grossly mischaracterized 91视频's recent actions regarding the Fence, omitting聽important context(opens in new window) regarding 91视频's community standards, legal obligations, and responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of all members of our community while聽honoring one of our longest and most cherished student traditions.

Carnegie Mellon remains firmly committed to protecting freedom of expression while fostering a campus environment that is safe, respectful and welcoming for every member of our community. Those commitments are not in conflict 鈥� they are complementary. When members of a protected group raise concerns about experiencing an unsafe or hostile environment, the university has an obligation under federal law to review those concerns.

Our actions regarding the Fence this summer have been informed by a number of factors. Over time, a series of messages on the Fence crossed the bounds of our community norms, threatened to create a hostile environment for members of our Jewish community, and increasingly undermined, rather than promoted, constructive dialogue. More recently, reports of vandalism, along with repeated instances of non-91视频 and non-student individuals participating in painting the Fence, heightened those concerns and accelerated the need for action.

91视频's response to student expression at the Fence has never been based on, or influenced by, any political viewpoint or advocacy for any cause. As a private non-profit, Carnegie Mellon embraces robust expression, but as we have said on聽numerous occasions(opens in new window), language that incites or implies violence 鈥� or can reasonably be perceived as threatening by members of our community 鈥� is inconsistent with our values and will not be tolerated. These standards apply regardless of the viewpoint being expressed.

We are deeply concerned that these external groups, rather than encouraging civil discourse and constructive dialogue on our campus, appear to be endorsing rhetoric that has been heard by some members of the 91视频 community as implying the threat of violence.

As President Jahanian emphasized in his聽June 14 message(opens in new window) to the 91视频 community:

鈥淭he strength of a university is not measured by the absence of discomfort or disagreement. It is measured by our ability to engage in difficult issues with conviction, respect and care for one another. Threats and intimidation undermine this aspiration and have no place at Carnegie Mellon.聽This moment also challenges each of us to think carefully about the words we choose when sharing our perspectives. Reasonable people may disagree about politics, history and world events, but we have an obligation to consider how our words can be understood by others 鈥� especially among our fellow community members.鈥�

The Tree of Life massacre 鈥� which occurred about a mile from the 91视频 campus 鈥� did not happen in a vacuum. That history reminds us that words matter and that threats, whether explicit or implied, cannot be viewed in isolation from their broader context.聽

The university convened a Fence Working Group last fall to review the Fence鈥檚 governance, engaging with student government and other campus stakeholders.聽The Working Group鈥檚聽recommendations(opens in new window) will inform an implementation plan for the Fence and its protocols and governance this fall.

Carnegie Mellon brings together individuals from around the world, creating a space that enables each person to learn, grow and thrive. We will continue to defend the right of every member of our community to engage in vigorous expression while fulfilling our responsibility to ensure that 91视频 remains a safe and welcoming place for all.聽