On Monday, Feb. 19, around 20 blue and yellow ribbons hung across the University of Connecticut’s Storrs campus by the Ukrainian Student Association were vandalized with anti-Ukrainian graffiti, according to the organization. The graffiti primarily featured the Z symbol, a marking associated with the Russian military and support for Russian aggression against Ukraine. The incident is currently under review by the Dean of Students Office, as a bias incident report was filed the same day as the incident.
Stephania Korenovsky, a sixth semester healthcare management, global health major and current vice president of the Ukrainian Student Association, provided further details regarding the incident.
“On Monday, a few members of the Ukrainian Student Association had noticed two to four of the blue and yellow ribbons we had put around campus a few months ago with ‘ZOV’ written on them,” said Korenovsky. “Zs along with O and V are russian military symbols that have been used since the beginning of the full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. We had submitted a bias report about this incident as these symbols are very hateful towards any Ukrainian.”
When asked about the university response to the graffiti, Korenovsky expressed her initial shock, as well as her lingering concerns with the university’s ability to address the situation in an adequate manner.
“We are all just in shock. At the beginning of the war, I felt very supported by UConn. However to see this happening now, two years into the war, has taken a lot of us by an unpleasant surprise. I feel as though the UConn administration has generally struggled with hearing out concerned students about very serious issues occurring in the world and on campus,” said Korenovsky. “It is extremely disheartening and frustrating. I have a hope that something genuine will be done but how other cases have been handled, I am a little apprehensive but try to maintain,” continuing, “I will be honest and say that I weeped in the middle of UConn when I read those words.”
When asked to comment on the incident, university spokesperson Stephanie Reitz recommitted the university as a place of inclusivity and respect.
“The university strives to create a community of inclusivity and respect, and condemns all acts of bias,” said Reitz.
Reitz additionally gave updates on the state of the university investigation into the manner. The incident is currently being investigated through the university bias reporting protocol, which specifically states that the incident will be reviewed by the Dean of Students Office, UConn Police Department or the State Police, Community Standards Office of Institutional Equity, Office for Diversity and Inclusion and the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs (AVPSA), via other relevant staff members, according to the UConn bias reporting guidelines.
“UConn was made aware of the incident on Monday, and recorded it as part of its bias incident response protocol. That process identifying and providing support to impacted parties, and can be found in its entirety here: https://dos.uconn.edu/bias-reporting-2/,” said Reitz. “The Dean of Students Office has invited the Ukrainian Student Organization and its members to meet for further discussions, and extends that support to any other community members who wish to talk with us about this or other concerns.”
Korenovsky said that while she appreciates the dean of students for offering an outlet to talk, she is more interested in what will be done about it.
“I can have a discussion with anyone about this horrible situation but what matters to me is if something will be done,” said Korenovsky. “I really hope that the dean will take what has happened as seriously as a lot of the Ukrainian community members at UConn do. I know myself and I know Kate, we will not let this occurrence be nothing. We are set on finding a remedy for the pain this situation has caused.”
Korenovsky has said that despite the graffiti, the Ukrainian Student Association has seen an outpouring of support from the UConn community, with students, alumni and even other Ukrainian Student Associations from colleges across the country offering words of support.
“We made a post on our Instagram about the incident and have gotten an overwhelming amount of support from the UConn community, including alumni reaching out to us as well as other university Ukrainian clubs all across the country,” said Korenovsky. “We provided historical context on our post to why these symbols are harmful and the meaning behind why Ukraine is still fighting. It is nice to see we are not alone.”
When asked if the Ukrainian Student Association had any message for the UConn community following this incident, Korenovsky reiterated the need to support Ukraine and Ukrainian people while the war is still ongoing.
“I understand that the news have stopped reporting on the war, people in general have stopped talking about Ukraine, and now there are so many other dire issues that are rightfully on people’s immediate minds, but the war in Ukraine is still happening,” said Korenovsky. “People are still dying and fighting for Ukraine everyday. This occurrence is a clear example to me that the war is ongoing, and Ukrainians and those who support Ukraine should not and will not let this go unnoticed.”