February 27, 2003
LAW STUDENTS, FACULTY UNITE AGAINST HATE
CPR to raise awareness of racial and legal issues at U.Va.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA: Outraged students and faculty members from the University of Virginia School of Law formed an on-campus coalition today to decry an assault on a minority candidate for president of U.Va.'s Student Council. The group immediately announced plans for concrete actions against racially motivated hate crimes, as well as an awareness-raising campaign about problems surrounding race at U.Va.
In its first hours of existence, the School of Law's Committee for Progress on Race (UVA CPR) collected over 200 signatures supporting a public statement condemning hate crimes and expressing outrage at the assault yesterday on Daisy Lundy, a second-year undergraduate student running for president of U.Va.'s student council. The committee also collected over $750 from law students and faculty to add to the reward leading to the apprehension of Lundy's assailant or assailants.
"This gut-wrenching event is as shocking as it is eye-opening," said Michael Signer, the committee's coordinator and a second-year Law student. "We're forming UVA CPR not just to channel the reflexive horror we've all felt, but to provide a strong, sustained response to this breach of our common values and shared community."
Composed of over 100 law students as well as several law school administrators and faculty members, UVA CPR announced today multiple initiatives it will take to combat the threat of racial violence, including:
• A march from the School of Law to the Rotunda that will end in a candlelight vigil,
• A letter to the Commonwealth's Attorney urging him, if and when a suspect is located and charged with the assault, to prosecute it as a hate crime pursuant to Virginia's hate crimes statute, Va. Code § 18.2-57(B) (2002),
• A ribbon-wearing campaign that will allow law students to publicly denounce hate crimes,
• A published statement signed by law students and faculty condemning acts of hate, and
• A brochure to be distributed to prospective Law students describing the law school community's response to this event.
"Hate crimes are an especially ugly violation of the individual victim's rights, but they also inflict a unique injury on the community," said Anne M. Coughlin, a Law professor. "Our community must stand together and denounce this hate crime and all hate crimes. And that is exactly what we are going to do."
In addition to funding an increase in a reward, the committee is also raising money to support hate-crime awareness initiatives among Law students and to support University-wide education efforts. The Student Bar Association, the primary student government group in the School of Law, announced today that it would contribute to the committee's fund.
"As the Law School counterpart to Student Council, SBA wants to do everything in its power to express our student body's outrage and sadness at this terrible attack," SBA President Rees Morgan said. "We hope this is just seed money to help jumpstart CPR and the Law School community's response."
The committee's operations are being funded partially by the School of Law's office of student affairs.
CONTACT: CPR Coordinator Michael Signer, (703) 587-1870. Professor Anne M. Coughlin, (434) 924-3520. SBA President Rees Morgan, (434) 924-4533. CPR members are available to be interviewed in the School of Law at Hunton & Williams Hall.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Please contact CPR public relations coordinator Sam Le at (434) 409-6185 or samle@virginia.edu.