The following message was shared with all Ohio State students, faculty and staff.
Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:
I am writing to share news of two horrible acts that took place near our campus. In the last 24 hours we have had two incidents that directly targeted our Jewish community. I want to be direct and clear — the university has no tolerance for acts of hatred or violence. Antisemitism is despicable and has no place in our community. The university will pursue all action possible against anyone committing hate crimes on or near our campus.
Last night, two students were assaulted near 15th Avenue and High Street. One of the students was treated at the Wexner Medical Center and released. Our thoughts are with these students and their families and we are offering all assistance we can for them during this time. The university is also issuing a Public Safety Notice.
Additionally, we are aware of an incident of vandalism at Hillel on Thursday. We are working with the Columbus Division of Police and have offered every resource Ohio State has available to assist with their investigations into both of these matters. We have a significant number of cameras and license plate readers in these areas. It is early in both investigations and at this point it is unclear if Ohio State students are responsible for either of these incidents. When the perpetrators are identified, Ohio State will take every measure available under the law and university policy.
We are also continuing to adjust our safety and security resources and are increasing our security presence on campus and working with CPD and other law enforcement partners to increase security presence off campus.
As I said in my community message on Monday, I understand people are hurting during this difficult time. I want to reiterate in the strongest way possible: Ohio State will not tolerate violations of the law or university policy. This includes but is not limited to antisemitism, bigotry, Islamophobia, racism, sexism and violence. We have not and will not tolerate hatred, intimidation or harassment of anyone based on their religious beliefs, nationality or identity.
Sincerely,
Peter J. Mohler, PhD
Acting President and Executive Vice President for Research, Innovation and Knowledge