UConn Investigating Muslim Women's Claims Of Campus Harassment

STORRS, CT — University of Connecticut officials Thursday said they are investigating complaints made by two Muslim women that they were harassed on campus Monday night.

On its web site, the Connecticut chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations claimed that the women — both wearing traditional Islamic headscarves — were screamed while walking across the UConn campus. The CAIR statement said a man a was screaming racial slurs at them, including "the n-word."

UConn spokeswoman Stephanie Reitz said the university "is aware of the incident and investigating it both as a police matter and under its bias incident response protocol."

UConn's bias incident response protocol includes "identifying and providing support to impacted parties," she said.

"This disturbing incident of alleged racist harassment must be taken seriously by authorities," the CAIR statement read. "Students of all faiths deserve to feel safe and welcome on campus. We urge police to launch a hate crime investigation and urge university officials to take action to ensure such incidents do not continue to occur on campus."

Reitz said, "The University strives to create a community of inclusivity and respect, and condemns all acts of bias," while adding, "The University is reaching out to members of all faith-based student organizations to provide them with information and details about support resources. In addition to any potential criminal charges levied by UConn Police, perpetrators could face University sanctions if they are affiliated with UConn."

Students who are determined to have violated the UConn Student Code of Conduct can face various disciplinary measures, up to and including suspension and expulsion.