March 2, 2021
Dear Oxy Community,
Last Wednesday the College was notified that several Oxy students were “doxxed” online by an off-campus entity because of the students' publically available opinions and perspectives regarding Palestine and Israel. For those who don't know, "doxxing" is known as a practice of publicly revealing personal information about someone online, usually with malicious intent. Staff in the Dean of Students office immediately responded to the students to offer support.
To be clear, Occidental College condemns all forms of harassment, online or otherwise, of any member of our community—students, staff, and faculty. The practice of anonymously posting information online for the purpose of inviting others to harass specific individuals represents an attempt to silence people and is antithetical to Oxy's values. Students and other community members are entitled and encouraged to express their personal and political beliefs without fear of harassment, intimidation, or threats to their privacy, future employment, educational opportunities, and safety.
Though the College's ability to address anonymous sources of harassment from off-campus entities is limited, we encourage community members to report harassment of any kind when it occurs. Students are encouraged to contact the Dean of Students office in these situations, and employees should contact Campus Safety or Human Resources. Of course we will continue to offer support for the currently impacted students. Learn more about support information and resources from ITS about doxxing and online harassment.
Take care,
Rob Flot
Dean of Students