Student government presidents' letter to community on Charlottesville violence

Dear University of Richmond Community,

We are deeply saddened by the unfolding of events in Charlottesville this past week. We send our sympathy and condolences to all that have been hurt or killed by the violence caused by political and racial tension.

As members of our university community, we ask our fellow students to remember that such ideologies, and the often violent actions that accompany them, are not new. Addressing and changing the hatred and violence seen this past weekend will not be done overnight and will not be improved by similar actions towards each other.

The Westhampton College Government Association and Richmond College Student Government Association continue to work as outlets for student voices across our diverse campus; accordingly, we understand that there are a variety of feelings to be shared and heard. We want to reiterate that we are here for you; we will continue to work to hear all voices and represent them accordingly to our university’s administration. We are at your disposal and encourage you to reach out.

As people continue to act and react throughout our state and our country, we ask that you please be mindful and respectful of how you engage your fellow students. There are a variety of ways to get involved including physical activism, financial efforts, and verbal support and activism. Please continue to read the news and educate yourself about the world around you, community beside you, and system you are a part of.

The diversity, strength, and intelligence of our student body manifest itself across campus activities daily. We hope that this will be used as a force to create the change we wish to see throughout our campus and in the world. One Richmond does not imply an absolute agreement on all issues, but a campus that can come together and enable change through dialog and conversation.

We are proud to call ourselves Spiders and hope that our community will be safe during this time, but remain active with our voices and actions.

Sincerely,

Chiara Solitario 

WCGA President 

chiara.solitario@richmond.edu

Abbas Abid

RCSGA President

abbas.abid@richmond.edu