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The University of Michigan's president on Wednesday afternoon tries to reassure a campus jolted by racist and anti-Semitic emails to engineering students. He tweets:
.@UMichDPSS, FBI investigating hateful emails. We've increased patrols & are committed to protecting students. https://t.co/XFYKOn0s66
— Dr. Mark Schlissel (@DrMarkSchlissel) February 8, 2017
His link is to an eight-paragraph statement about Tuesday night's nastiness, the focus of a criminal investigation by campus police and the FBI.
"The U-M Division of Public Safety and Security has increased patrols in the North Campus area where the College of Engineering is located," the announcement says.
Original article, Wednesday morning:
Nothing fake about this news in the first month of the Trump era.
At least three hateful emails were sent to University of Michigan computer science/engineering undergraduates Tuesday night, The Michigan Daily reports. That sparks an investigation with FBI help and a small demonstration outside the campus president's home.
"Stand together and call out this bullshit,” President Mark Schlissel tells students.
The campus paper has details:
The subjects of the first two emails was “African American Student Diversity” and the third read “Jewish Student Diversity.”
The first two emails read: “Hi n*****s, I just wanted to say that I plan to kill all of you. White power! The KKK has returned!!! Heil Trump!!!!”
The third reads: “Hi you fucking filthy jews, I just wanted to say the SS will rise again and kill all of your filthy souls. Die in a pit of eternal fire! Sincerely, Dr. Alex Halderman.”
They came from three administrator-access names via UM’s online contact server, says an article by managing news editor Alexa St John and reporter Alexis Rankin.
Halderman is a professor of computer science and engineering. Another email came from the hacked account of one of his research assistants, doctoral candidate Matt Bernard, which prompts this conclusion by the professor:
“These messages were spoofed. Matt and I did not send them, and we don't know who did. As I teach in my computer security classes, it takes very little technical sophistication to forge the sender's address in an email.”
Halderman also addressed this incident as in response to his position as an election security expert.
“This appears to be a cowardly action by someone who is unhappy about the research that Matt and I do in support of electoral integrity,” Halderman wrote. “We study cybersecurity and elections, and in recent months we were involved in efforts to recount the presidential election. . . .”
Administration responses include these from the Department of Public Safety and Security:
@michigandaily- We've taken several reports from students who received these emails. We are taking it very seriously & investigating.
— U-M DPSS (@umichdpss) February 8, 2017
UPDATE - DPSS is continuing the investigation into the spoofed emails & is working with the FBI.
— U-M DPSS (@umichdpss) February 8, 2017
After midnight, The Michigan Daily says in a follow-up, "around 40 students gathered in front of University President Mark Schlissel’s house."
Schlissel went outside to greet the demonstrators around 12:45 a.m. Schlissel stood outside his home, speaking to the students and asking for the crowd’s ideas for how to respond to these situations.
“The most important thing you can do right now is stand together and call out this bullshit,” Schlissel said. . . .
"We’ll keep working together on this, because I really do need your help,” Schlissel said. “And I can’t promise you the world’s going to be better tomorrow or next week; I wish I could.”
A few faculty members were among those talking to Schlissel after midnight, a Michigan Daily assistant news editor tweets:
A protestor tearfully addresses @DrMarkSchlissel: "30 years ago, our parents were fighting for the same thing here..."
— Riyah Basha (@riyah_basha) February 8, 2017
In Detroit, WDIV airs this report:
