The University of Windsor is looking into an alleged incident of racism in its Faculty of Science.
According to a letter posted on the Faculty's Twitter account, a report of discrimination had been reported.
"We are deeply saddened angered by this, and other instances of anti-Black, anti-Asian, anti-LGBTQ2S+, xenophobia, and other forms of racism," read the letter. "Racism causes pain to both individuals and communities. Our campus community must come together and stand in solidarity to fight against racism and intolerance."
Specifics were not given on the incident, or what the university is doing to handle it.
The letter also called attention to the rising tide of racism across North America during the COVID-19 pandemic and recent incidents against those in the Asian community.
"Recent anti-Asian violence and hate crimes in both the U.S. and Canada are examples of this disturbing transformation," read the letter. "These acts directly impact the Asian community, and also deeply affect other communities that have experienced similar hate. Faculty, staff, and students at the Faculty of Science must all actively share the work of confronting racism and all forms of hate. It is important for us to protect everyone's right to study and work on our campus."
This instance of racism is the latest in a series of incidents involving the U of W community. A chapter of the Delta Chi-Windsor fraternity was investigated after racially-charged messages were reported to the administration. The fraternity was not recognized by the university or its student association.
The letter from the Faculty of Science also listed the steps taken to address the issue. The Faculty has set up an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Taskforce, which has begun a series of projects designed to determine factors contributing to the persistence of Black, Indigenous, and other people of colour in STEM-related fields, and to better understand the academic climate of LGBTQ2S+ students.
