kentuckykernel
Monday, November 30, 2020 est. 1892 | Independent since 1971 www.kykernel.com @kykernel @kentuckykernel
LOOK BACK SEMESTER IN PHOTOS UK students on Biden presidency
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Union claims credit, UK denies
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Chabad center sign vandalized - again
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UK students voice reactions to Biden presidency By Lauren Campbell news@kykernel.com
Joe Biden was elected the 46th president of the United States on Saturday, Nov. 7, surpassing 270 electoral college votes as he flipped Pennsylvania. UK students have voiced their reaction to his win and predicted the outlook of a Biden presidency. Junior psychology major and Independent voter, Lizzie Butts, was relieved when she found out the election results. “My reaction to Biden winning was honestly relief. These last few years with Trump have been so stressful, especially this past year, and I was really hoping Biden would win this time around,” Butts said. But not all students experienced that relief. Rebecca Hendryx, a freshman kinesiology major and Trump supporter, was surprised by the result of the election. “I think that a lot of people voted out of emotion and disliking Donald Trump versus voting educated and thinking about the future, especially college students and young adults,” Hendryx said. Thiis election showed high voter turnout, especially among younger voters like college students who are more likely to vote Democrat. Nathan Cox, a junior political science major, supported Trump, but is willing to give Biden a chance. “I saw people celebrating in the street, regardless of how I felt about President Trump, the election of a new president pleased the masses. As processes are finalized I will reaffirm my support for the president regardless of who it is,” Cox said. Donald Trump won Kentucky handily; according to the AP, Trump received 62.13% of votes in Kentucky, which was the first state to be called in favor of the outgoing president.
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Students on both sides agree that Trump will not accept the results of the election without a fight. Hendryx believes voting fraud was the reason Biden won the election, and that the election results should be taken to the SCOTUS before the inauguration. “I don’t think Trump will accept the results and I respect it. He’s going to continue to fight for our country and what’s best for the people. I don’t think he should accept it just yet. I know him and his legal team want a recount and want to take this election to the Supreme Court which is smart, and I’ll be the first person to admit I was wrong if the voting fraud is proven innocent. If Biden was fairly and truly elected to be the new leader of this country then I’ll accept it and move on with life for now,” Hendryx said. Butts does not believe there was voting fraud and that Trump needs to accept the result. “I don’t think he will accept the results, but I think he should. I think it’s just the fact that last time when he won, he got berated by the media and everyone else for winning, and now it’s like, ‘Welp, Biden won. Accept the facts, Trump.’ I mean, I’d be upset too, but I think he’ll definitely take things to an extreme,” Butts said. Students are likewise divided on what they think a Biden administration will look like. Brandon Sarrett, a junior architecture major, worries about Biden’s economic policies and a big government. “I am worried about Biden’s economic policies, returning to norm post-COVID and don’t want to see more fields, such as healthcare, become government-controlled,” Sarrett said. Hendryx worries it will be harder for small businesses to operate. “It will be harder for young people to find jobs if the minimum wage increases
ARDEN BARNES | STAFF Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks to Amy McGrath supporters during the rally on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, at Bath County High School in Owingsville, Kentucky.
and companies cannot afford to pay a ridiculously high pay roll for a minimum wage job. If Biden goes through with what he has stood by his whole election, I fear for our economy,” Hendryx said. Ball and Butts view the future of the Biden administration to be more positive. “My hope is that this new presidency will lead to less division and less bad mouthing of anyone. Other than that it’s too early to say what other things can be effective,” Ball said. Butts believes a Biden presidency will be better for the American people.
“I think this presidency will be like a breath of fresh air for a lot of people. Under Trump, everything has felt tense. I think under Biden, we’ll still have hard times, but I think people will be able to breathe easier with him in office,” Butts said. She is also excited about having a woman vice president. “I’m very excited with Kamala Harris being the first female vice president. I may not agree with her on everything, but it’s exciting that history is being made by having our first female VP in office,” Butts said.
Monday, November 30, 2020
LOOKING BACK, MOVING FORWARD
kentuckykernel
CONTACT Editor-in-chief: Natalie Parks editor@kykernel.com
UK FRATERNITY UNDER CEASE-AND-DESIST AND INVESTIGATION According to a spokesperson from the national body of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, the SAE chapter at the University of Kentucky has been placed under a cease-and-desist letter from the national body “to provide time to review alleged university policy violations.” Johnny Sao, director of communications for the national body of SAE, said at the national level they are engaged with members and the university administration to address the violations. “Since the start of the pandemic, SAE staff and volunteers have worked with all of our groups to reinforce and promote health and safety guidelines as advised by their respective campuses and local communities. Sigma Alpha Epsilon is committed to thehealth and well-being of our members and those with whom they interact,” Sao said in an email to the Kernel.
According to Cornell’s Legal Information Institute, a cease-and-desist letter is a warning for the alleged wrongdoer “describing the alleged misconduct and demanding that the alleged misconduct be stopped.” UK spokesperson Jay Blanton said SAE is under ongoing review by the university. “A student conduct process was initiated and a hearing was held with respect to violations of the student code concerning COVID-19 and public health,” Blanton said. “Sanctions were administered.” The Kernel has reached out to SAE for comment. The link from UK’s website to SAE’s page on BBNvolved does not currently work. The contact information for SAE is no longer listed on the Interfraternity Council’s website, the governing body for many of UK’s fraternities and sororities.
IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION ENDS AS STUDENTS STAY AT
MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF UK junior computer engineer major Tony Ramirez moves out of his dorm on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020, at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky.
HOME AFTER THANKSGIVING A semester that began as an experiment has nearly come to an end, with UK students departing campus prior to the holidays. The final day of classes was Tuesday, Nov. 24, though finals will be held online the following week of Dec. 1 – 4. Students will continue to receive their daily screening questions over the break. UK stopped reporting COVID-19 cases among students on Nov. 27, three days after the semester ended. Nicole Martin, a sophomore nursing major, was on campus finishing assignments before departing for her home in Michigan. Martin said she was struggling to adapt to the online finals week, which has students going home for good before taking their final exams. “I’m used to having dead week as a time to prepare for my exams with nothing else going on to distract me, but this year I have to use my time at home during the holidays to study,” Martin said. Calendar adjustments are one of many initiatives UK took to limit the spread of COVID-19 on campus, some of which took more adapting to than others. “I think the biggest change for me to get used to was having to get every meal from the dining hall to-go. I wasn’t expecting that to affect me as much as it did,” said Bridget Edwards, a freshman on the marketing track. She moved out of Jewell Hall for the break with the help of her older brother. Kate Anderson, a freshman and special education major, moved out of her dorm with her father’s help before heading home to Indiana. “Freshmen in the dorms are required to get a COVID-19 test before heading home unless you’ve already moved out or have been positive in the past. So I got mine last week and luckily I’m negative, because I didn’t want to go home and put my family in danger,” Anderson said. Students will face mandatory testing upon their return to campus in January — STAFF REPORT
Managing editor: Michael Clubb editor@kykernel.com News/features editor: Lauren Campbell news@kykernel.com Asst. news editors: Haley Blackburn Sports editor: Braden Ramsey sports@kykernel.com Opinions editor: Sarah Michels opinions@kykernel.com Asst. Opinions editor: Gillian Stawiszynski Asst. photo editor: Jack Weaver Designers: Mya LaCLair Ryder Noah From Social media manager: Sarah Simon-Patches KENTUCKY KERNEL OFFICES 340 McVey Hall University of Kentucky Lexington, KY 40506
On the cover: MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF Fans entering the stadium have their temperature checked before the Kentucky vs. Morehead State men’s basketball game on Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. Kentucky won 81-45.
Correction: In last week’s special edition Back In Blue, the article “Get to know: Women’s basketball roster” was falsely attributed to Eric Decker. The byline should have been to Grant Grubbs. The Kernel regrets the error.
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How student cases of COVID-19 distribute across a semester By Natalie Parks editor@kykernel.com
Early in this reopened fall semester, the UK administration repeatedly refused to commit to a case threshold that would shut down the university. Now, at the tail end of November, that threshold was apparently never reached - UK maintained an in-person, on-campus presence until the designated end date, Nov. 24, despite a recorded 2,746 cases of COVID-19 among UK students. 2,746 cases arise from the combined data of UK’s COVID-19 dashboard and the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department’s daily updates of COVID-19 cases. Until early November, LFCHD was reporting college cases on a schoolby-school basis, meaning that UK student cases were reported as a reliable, distinct figure. But, because of surging COVID-19 cases and a switch to the state’s reporting system, LFCHD was no longer able to track distinctly UK cases. On the last daily update with school-by-school reporting, LFCHD showed a total of 2,627 cases among UK students - according to LFCHD spokesperson Kevin Hall, 231 of those cases occurred prior to Aug. 17, the beginning of the fall semester. Since then, UK has reported 350 cases of COVID-19 on its dash-
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board. Combined with the 2,396 semester cases from LFCHD, this amounts to 2,746 cases of COVID-19 among UK students during the semester. UK’s dashboard, which goes back to July 20, reports a total of 3,107 cases among UK students, 287 of which were active as of Nov. 24. UK’s total number of cases among students is higher than the health department’s, not because there are more cases, but because UK was able to track cases belonging to the student demographic through the end of the semester, unlike LFCHD. According to the dashboard, UK conducted nearly 49,098 tests and received 2,378 positives, leading to a semester positivity rate of 4.8 percent - just below the 5 percent threshold that the World Health organization recommends an area can loosen or tighten restrictions, depending on the direction of the trend. Most of the cases happened in the first half of the semester; weekly cases peaked at 371 for the week of Sept. 13 - Sept. 19, two weeks after Labor Day and Derby Day caused a rash of student gatherings. The spike in the second half of the semester occurred, as predicted, two weeks after Halloween with 200 cases in the week of Nov. 16 - Nov. 21. Weekly cases were at their semester low during midterms in October.
JACK WEAVER | STAFF A group of UK students watch the 146th Kentucky Derby at the SGA Derby Watch Party in the Grand Ballroom on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020, at the Gatton Student Center in Lexington, Kentucky.
Daily cases peaked at a single-day high of 106 on Sept. 14 and rarely topped 40 in the second half of the semester. Comparatively, UK students are responsible for disproportionately more college cases than respective college size would suggest. On last day reporting cases by college, LFCHD reported a total of 2,938 cases among college students - 2,627 of which came from UK students. UK students thus accounted for 89 percent of the
2,938 cases of COVID-19 among Lexington college students recorded by the health department as of Nov. 9. UK is the largest university in Lexington by far with a total student population of about 30,000, though according to the dashboard only 23,982 were physically coming to campus this semester. The actual number of UK students in Lexington might be larger - some students, especially those from Lexington or those already
committed to jobs or leases, may have chosen to live in town despite having all online courses. It is unknown how many students from other colleges in Lexington were physically coming to campus, but using low-end numbers for the student populations of the other three colleges tracked by LFCHD, the total college student population is just under 40,000. Thus, UK students only account for 75 percent of the college student popu-
lation in Lexington, but account for 89 percent of college cases - a gap of about 14 percent. UK students also account for a disproportionate number of cases in Lexington compared to their share of the population. This was true throughout the semester; on any given day, the number of new student cases accounted for an average of 20 percent of the city’s new cases (daily share of cases ranged from 5 percent to, on Sept. 8, 71 See COVID on page 5
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percent). On Nov. 9, LFCHD had reported a total of 12,468 cases among Lexington-Fayette County residents since March. That same day, LFCHD reported a total of 2,627 cases among UK students - or 21 percent of the city’s total cases. The best, most accurate number of total cases among UK students is 2,977, which combines the 231 cases reported by LFCHD prior to the beginning of the semester with the 2,746 that have been recorded since then. As of Nov. 27, LFCHD has reported 16,683 total cases of COVID-19 in Lexington. Cases among UK students thus account for 17.8 percent of cases in Lexington. Depending on the metric, UK students account for 8 or 9 percent of Lexington’s population. According to the U.S. census, Lexington has a population of 323,152. Whether or not college students are included in that number is unclear the census recommends that students list their usual address as their city of primary residence, which for most college students would be the city of their university. However, the degree to which that recommendation is followed and the number of college students who actually fill out the census are both unknown. If college students are included in the census data for Lexington, then UK students (undergraduate and graduate) equal 9 percent of the population, a disproportion of 8.8 percent in terms of COVID-19
cases. If college students are not included in the census data for Lexington, then the population is bumped up about 40,000 to 363,152. UK students, at 30,000, would then equal 8 percent of the city’s population, a disproportion of 9.8 percent in terms of COVID-19 cases. Using the number of students UK says is coming to campus - 23,982 - results in UK students amounting to 6 or 7 percent of Lexington’s population, depending on census method. In summary, the number of cases among UK students is at least double its share of the population. The share of UK students who have had COVID-19 is far less, comparatively. UK’s dashboard number of 3,107 is better to use for this figure, even though it goes back to July, because the total number of students who had it is more important than when they had it. With a student population of 30,000, this means that as of the end of the fall semester in 2020 at least 10 percent of UK students have had coronavirus. 10 percent is a far cry from the percentage needed to reach hypothetical herd immunity. However, the actual percentage of UK students who have had COVID-19 and thus may have some immunity may be greater than 3,107. UK recorded cases among students in Lexington, and only going back to July 20. The health department recorded cases since March, but at first only students who are permanent Lexington residents. Combined, those approaches mean that any student who is not a Lexington resident and con-
tracted COVID-19 between March and the end of July is not included in available statistics; neither are students who have contracted it this semester while living outside of Lexington. Those student cases would instead be reflected in their local health department’s numbers, whether they are from out-of-state of somewhere else in Kentucky. With over 3 and a half million cases of COVID-19 in that missing time frame, the odds that more UK students have had COVID are high. Students may also test positive for COVID-19 over winter break, which would not be included in UK’s numbers. UK ceased reporting COVID-19 cases on Nov. 27, ending their semester tracking with the Nov. 24 update. According to the dashboard, 18 students were in campus isolation facilities as of Nov. 24 - UK kept the quarantine dorm open past the end of the semester for students.
Data from the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department and the University of Kentucky’s COVID-19 dashboard.
Data from the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department and the University of Kentucky’s COVID-19 dashboard.
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SEMESTER MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF Dr. Deborah Birx takes questions from reporters on Monday, Sept. 14, 2020, outside of Mandrell Hall in Lexington, Kentucky.
MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF University of Kentucky students get tested for COVID-19 at a drive through testing site on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020, at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky.
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MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF Protesters hold up signs at the Lexington Courthouse during a protest in response to the g ton, Kentucky.
Monday, November 30, 2020
IN PHOTOS
grand jury decision on the Breonna Taylor case on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, in Lexing-
MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF Kentucky Wildcats guard Devin Askew (2) guards his man during the Kentucky vs. Morehead State men’s basketball game on Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. Kentucky won 81-45.
JACK WEAVER | STAFF UCW demonstrators pose for a photo before marching on campus on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020, at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky.
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PHOTOS CONTINUED On the top: MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell gives his remarks to the media after defeating Democratic opponent Amy McGrath on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Louisville, Kentucky. On the bottom left: MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF UK students gather during a student led protest in response to the grand jury decision on the Breonna Taylor case on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020. On the bottom right: MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF UK athletes, parents, coaches, and supporters participate in the UK women’s basketball team’s social justice march on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020.
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PHOTOS CONTINUED On the top: JACK WEAVER | STAFF A student wearing a mask listens to a lecture in Scott Berry’s Fluid Mechanics class in the Grand Ballroom on Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, at the Gatton Student Center in Lexington, Kentucky. On the bottom left: JACK WEAVER | STAFF Amy McGrath, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks to an elementary student on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. On the bottom right: MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF UK senior midfielder Kalil Elmedkhar fights for possession during the University of Kentucky vs. University of Alabama at Birmingham men’s soccer game on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020.
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UK denies campus union’s claim that their efforts connected to pay increase By Sarah Michels news@kykernel.com
This article was first published online on Nov. 21, 2020. A little over a week after United Campus Workers staged a march calling for hazard pay on UK’s campus, several grounds workers have been told they are receiving a “base salary equity adjustment.” The pay increase, $1 per hour, will go into effect Nov. 27, according to a UCW press release. Affected grounds workers were notified of this change Nov. 20 through a standard equity adjustment letter, said UK spokesperson Jay Blanton in an email. Several of the union’s members said they think the base salary equity adjustment was related to their Nov. 12 march. During their demonstration, they asked for a $2 hazard pay, in addition to free, continuous COVID testing, the option to work remotely, as well as several other demands included in a Kernel article. Their press release stated that “workers expressed excitement that their collective action resulted in another victory for their union, United Campus Workers of Kentucky.” “It’s very clear that they heard our demands and
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are trying to meet them in some way,” said Matt Heil, UK law library circulation manager. “I mean it’s not exactly what we asked for, but it is something. And that, you know, they need to, they need to do something to keep us from causing a ruckus and drawing more attention to the inequalities that are on this campus.” However, Blanton said that UCW’s claim that the equity adjustment is related to their group’s demonstrations is “categorically false.” He said that the pay increase has nothing to do with UCW at all, but rather its purpose is to be consistent with “longstanding hiring and compensation practices.” The 15 grounds workers who are affected by the equity adjustment only received a pay increase because UK recently hired a temporary employee full time, at $15.35 an hour, said Blanton. These staff members were awarded a $1 base pay increase to ensure equity among all the UK employees who share the same job classification as the new temporary worker. One UCW representative, sociology graduate worker Julia Miller, questioned Blanton’s reasoning on behalf of the union. “I am not surprised that that is the message they’re
JACK WEAVER | STAFF A UK student signs a United Campus Workers petition on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020, outside of the Gatton Student Center in Lexington, Kentucky.
putting out. But it is a little bit confusing,” Miller said. “We have had multiple times where workers have taken action, and then something changes. Never attributed to us, of course, by the administration, but when we do things, things happen.” Miller cited the following as examples: UCW members pub-
lished an open letter in May calling for administrators to take a pay cut. Despite announcing publicly that no high-level administrators would do so a few weeks earlier, two days after the union’s call-in day, UK President Eli Capilouto announced a 10% pay reduction for the 2020-21 school year. Originally, free COVID
testing was exclusively available to UK students. Miller said UCW was informed in a meeting that there would be no asymptomatic testing offered to faculty and staff; they would have to use their insurance or pay out of pocket. However, the same day that UCW did a call-in day concerning this issue, Capilouto announced that UK
would offer asymptomatic testing to campus workers. Grounds workers have been quoted in Inside Higher Ed articles that have received attention twice in the past two months, and have spoken at UCW’s marches, and now some members of that department are getting a salary increase. See PAY on page 11
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Miller said that the day after the Nov. 12 march, some members were notified that they would be receiving a raise. UCW met with administrators to raise the issue of unaffordable graduate student healthcare, and afterwards, UK changed its policy so that students would not have to pay a lump sum to add a dependent to their health care plan. Another UCW worker and grounds worker, Pierre Smith, quoted in the press release, shared the same sentiment. “I’ve been working here for 16 years and making under $15 an hour that whole time,” Smith said. “Then we marched as a union and the day after I got a letter saying that I’d be making over $15 an hour. The march worked.” Why would UK refuse to acknowledge the alleged connection between policy changes and UCW’s efforts? Miller said it would be admitting that they were in the wrong. “I think they want to take credit for making the right decisions, even though it took pushing and time to get there,” Miller said. “They don’t want to seem like they are not in control and the ones coming up with the good ideas.” UK grounds worker Scott Zurkuhlen was one of several UCW members who said that while this is a good first step, all grounds workers and UK front line
workers deserve a similar pay increase. Zurkuhlen said he thinks the equity adjustment is a “great gesture” and that workers are happy about it, but that in-person staff should still receive hazard pay if they don’t have the option to work from home. “While I’m obviously pleased that anyone would be getting a raise, especially in these times,” Zurkuhlen said. “...there’s a lot more that needs to be done and it’s not really a formal acknowledgement that our level of exposure at the university is being acknowledged and compensated.” Zurkuhlen said he knows custodians who are paid under $15 an hour, despite having worked for UK for upwards of 19 years. While UK has stated that the pay raise is unrelated to UCW, Zurkuhlen thinks that “would be a hell of a coincidence.” Blanton emphasized that it was, in fact, a coincidence, saying that equity adjustments across UK are “very common.” Heil said he is used to responses from UK’s public relations department that he feels “aren’t entirely honest” and would like the university to be more transparent, especially concerning COVID-19 campus safety. UCW’s press release stated that union workers are concerned about “being mandated against their wishes” to continue in-person work, both throughout the entire fall semester and especially after Gov. Beshear’s order for schools to go virtual by
Monday, Nov. 23. “There’s definitely discontent,” Heil said. “It just feels like every safety thing that we could have done has been bypassed in order to serve PR. (UK President) Capilouto is going to make it to Thanksgiving, like you
said at the beginning of the semester, no matter what, no matter what the issue would cost.” One of UCW’s consistent demands has been compliance with the Kentucky Labor Department’s Healthy-at-Work Minimum
Requirements for All Businesses, which they feel UK has failed to fully achieve. Heil said that the PR department has been citing an employee satisfaction survey which concluded that UK is one of the best universities to work in re-
sponse to UCW’s demands. “We’re seeing things the way they are now, and workers are dissatisfied with it. I’m here now and I’m dissatisfied,” Heil said. “The survey does not do anything to keep me any safer.”
On the bottom: JACK WEAVER | STAFF A UK employee shares his story with UCW demonstrators on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020, outside White Hall Classroom
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After vandalization, UK Jewish Student Center won’t be intimidated By Lauren Campbell news@kykernel.com
On Sunday, Nov. 8, Chabad of the Bluegrass Rabbi Shlomo Litvin went to the UK Jewish Student Center on campus to supervise construction to the sidewalk outside of the center. After arriving, Litvin discovered the center’s sign and base of the large, outdoor menorah destroyed in what he believes to be a hate crime. “I came outside the UK Jewish Student Center to supervise some construction on the sidewalk. I immediately noticed that both our welcome sign, which explains that we’re the Jewish Center, and our menorah, one of our most recognizable signs about Judaism and religious freedom, had been vandalized,” Litvin said. Litvin was able to repair the menorah; however, the $600 sign will need to be replaced. “The sign had been bashed in, and the menorah had been loosened from its base. The menorah was quickly reparable, although at some cost. However, it currently looks like the sign is going to need to be replaced,” Litvin said. The vandalism to the UK Jewish Student Center comes after other attacks at universities, including an arson case in Delaware and anti-Semitic pamphlets were left at a Chabad center in Florida. “This attack on the center is particularly painful as it joins a string of recent attacks on Jewish centers on campus all across the country, including the arson of the Chabad Center at University of Delaware,” Litvin said. UK’s Chabad Center is no
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stranger to anti-Semitic attacks. This is the fourth time in five years their sign has been destroyed. “Sadly this is the fourth time our sign has been vandalized, and it joins quite a few other anti-Semitic incidences that have happened on campus,” Litvin said. A previous Kernel article details the January 2018 vandalization of the UK Jewish Student Center’s sign. In November of 2019, only a few days short of a year to this most recent vandalization, the Chabad Center hosted an exhibit on local and contemporary Anti-Semitism to educate the public. While no one witnessed the vandalization this time, in 2018, Litvin heard young adults yelling “Heil Hitler,” “Get the Jews, kill the Jews” and other similar lines outside the Jewish Student Center, and watched as one of them damaged the sign. The next day, Litvin and his young daughter used the sign as a sled to sentiment the Martin Luther King Jr. quote, “Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” “Because a broken sign can be used in two ways,” he said. “It can be used as an object of fear, of intimidation; but even a broken sign can be used as an object of joy and love, and I chose to do that,” Litvin said in 2018. Today, Litvin feels the same way. The UK Jewish Center will not be intimidated or live in fear. “Hateful acts like these intend to intimidate and frighten other people, and although this attack causes great pain, we are not intimidated, we are not frightened,
ARDEN BARNES | STAFF Rabbi Shlomo Litvin of the Chabad of the Bluegrass addresses members of the UK and Lexington communities gathered in solidarity with UK’s Jewish community on Thursday, January 25, 2018 on UK’s campus. The Jewish Student center’s sign was forcibly removed in an act of vandalism early in the morning on Monday, Jan. 15, 2018.
and we will continue to proudly celebrate our Judaism at the University of Kentucky,” Litvin said. There were no witnesses to Sunday’s vandalization, however crime scene footage is currently being reviewed by the police. “While there were no witnesses of the crime, we do have cameras and security are currently going through them,” Litvin said. The UK Jewish Center follows the words of the late Lubavitcher Rebbe in continuing on after this incident. “The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson,
the foremost leader of world Judaism in the modern era, always taught we must counter Darkness with light. We will not only continue in our current activities but this will only motivate us to add to our current offerings,” Litvin said. Litvin hopes UK will condemn this act of violence and other hateful acts. “The university can create a more inclusive environment by being more vocal against hate. Racist bigoted or anti-Semitic incidences are rarely met with comment, and the University can take more of a stand,” Litvin said.