Dear Members of the Kent State University Community,
Our return from winter break has offered many positive opportunities to reconnect with one another across all of our campuses. I hope you are recharged for a strong semester ahead.
I’m writing to share with you that some acts of vandalism were recently discovered on our Kent Campus, and that the damage included defacement of public art installations and a restroom, in part, with the use of racist words.
We have no way of knowing when these incidents occurred. What we do know is that vandalism, particularly when it involves hateful and racist words or symbols, and the people who carry it out have no place in our values-based Kent State community.
Can we ensure that this won’t happen again? Of course not. Our university is a microcosm of our larger society.
I want to thank those who noticed and reported the vandalism and also to assure all of you that our Kent State Police are investigating each instance. Please know that you can and should report anything suspicious or destructive that you notice or witness in any of our facilities on any of our campuses. You may call our Department of Public Safety at 330-672-2212.
Just as Flashes Take Care of Flashes on a personal level, it is imperative that we respect our buildings and creative displays so that we can all enjoy the beauty of our campuses.
Sincerely,
Mark Polatajko, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration