The University of Florida Police Department is investigating who may have uprooted a building sign at Walker Hall, which houses the departments of African American Studies and the Center for Jewish Studies.

This incident is concerning because of an increase in hateful speech directed at certain races and religions on campus. Even more concerning is that some of our students, faculty and staff feel unsafe when we strive to create a welcoming, inclusive campus for everyone.

We are taking this very seriously. Police have increased patrols and are conducting a security assessment at Walker Hall. We also encourage anyone who knows about this incident or sees anything suspicious to report it to police.