Wittenberg Community,
I am writing to update you on progress made today during the investigation into the abhorrent act of hate that occurred last evening during the “Keeping it Professional” program sponsored by the McClain Center for Diversity and CBS.
Chief Hutchins has requested a preservation of records from Zoom, and we hope to receive data from the company that may allow us to trace IP addresses to determine a possible location for the perpetrators of these acts. Unfortunately, this process may take several weeks before we receive any information. In the meantime, the Wittenberg Police are working with the Prosecuting Attorney’s office so we can be ready to seek search warrants if necessary.
We were able to confirm that the Zoom link for the event had been shared publicly on the 4Chan discussion board. Several commenters suggested to other participants in the discussion to use certain screen names when attempting to access Zoom meetings. These names appeared as participants in our Zoom meeting last evening. We have also learned that at least one other university experienced a similar interruption of a Black History Month Zoom event last night.
Measures have already been taken to secure future Zoom meetings at Wittenberg. Early next week, employees will receive additional notes relative to options available within Zoom to enhance security, as well as the general meeting experiences.
I want to reiterate again that we condemn these hateful and racist acts and want to do everything we can to support the individuals within our community that experienced trauma or other challenges following last night’s event.
As we obtain further information, we will continue to update our community.
Please have a safe and healthy weekend. Mask Up and Bundle Up!
Sincerely,
Mike Frandsen