Ethan Bachand ‘22
Chief News Editor
On Thursday, Sept. 17, an Africana Studies class at the College of the Holy Cross experienced a racially charged “Zoombombing.” This incident, which was first alerted to the campus community the night it occurred, is currently under investigation by the Department of Public Safety.
The notification came in the form of an email from Provost and Dean of the College Margaret N. Freije, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Michele Murray, as well as Associate Provost for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The content of the message consisted primarily of taking a stance against the racist message put forth by the perpetrator. Additionally, the officials from the College provided resources for those affected by the event.
As previously stated, the Department of Public Safety is currently investigating the incident. Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety Shawn de Jong provided the following statement on behalf of the department to The Spire regarding the events of last Thursday:“According to Chief de Jong, Public Safety is actively investigating this report. Interviews are being conducted of the students in the class and all technology leads are being reviewed and followed. Per investigative protocols, Chief de Jong has reported this matter to the Zoom Trust and Safety Team. She has also been in contact with the FBI to determine if they can provide any assistance and for review of the biased nature of this incident. Chief de Jong said that unwanted or intrusive interruptions of a video conference call such as a Zoom class could result in criminal charges.”
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