Flyers with hostile messages toward members of the William & Mary community have been posted anonymously to campus bulletin boards, according to a campuswide notification released Tuesday.
William & Mary released an announcement stating the administration became aware of flyers posted on campus Monday night with “messages intended to harass, intimidate or threaten segments of our community.”
The campus alert was sent by Dr. Virginia Ambler, W&M Vice President for Student Affairs, and Dr. Fanchon Glover, Chief Diversity Officer.
At least two of the flyers were designed to appear as if they were official documents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The notification stated there was no evidence that the flyers were actually posted by ICE.
Other flyers were made to appear to be official communications from the college, which they were not, according to Glover and Ambler. The flyers were posted on bulletin boards near college offices and departments.
Anonymous postings and those misrepresenting their source are prohibited by campus policy, and will be removed, the alert stated. The message indicated the college does not know if those who posted the flyers are members of the college community.
“The university stands with those who were targeted in the flyers,” read the message sent to the college community. “Anonymous aspersions have no place in our educational community.”
The college administration has previously expressed support for students protected under Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. William & Mary has 23 current DACA students.
President Taylor Reveley sent a statement to the William & Mary community Sept. 5 in which he said, “DACA students are important members of our community. They belong here, and we strongly believe they should be allowed to finish their educations. William & Mary will keep doing all we can to support them.”
Later that month the college’s Board of Visitors passed a resolution expressing their “steadfast support” of DACA students and called upon elected officials to find legislative solutions to allow DACA students to continue their studies.
The college community and administration also took several steps to assist DACA students, including funding renewals of DACA status for students, developing additional training to protect such students, and provided counseling sessions for DACA students.
There was also a town hall at the Sadler Center Sept. 8 in which senior administration officials and staff answered questions and take suggestions on the school’s DACA policy and community efforts.
The campus message advised students who “observe or experience concerning behavior on campus” to contact William & Mary Police at 757-221-4596. College community members can visit the William & Mary website to learn more about reporting harassment and discrimination.
Harris may be reached at [email protected].
