After more than 40 hours since the graffiti was spotted on campus, DVC president Susan Lamb sent out an email on March 8 notifying students on the situation at hand.

According to Lamb, administration will be putting together a team of individuals to plan a series of events that will “bring together as a community and hold space for listening and courageous conversations about what happened.” as stated in the email sent to the student body.  The memo also includes that more information will be released on Monday with a list of safety forums and events to give students a platform to speak.

“Race is an ongoing conversation, it’s constantly changing and we need to keep up with it,” said Lamb. 

Vice president of instruction Mary Gutierrez and Lamb stated that students received a later response about the graffiti because they were held up in meetings, interviewing individuals for faculty positions, and attending a funeral service.

“We try to be as immediate as possible by collecting the information we already have and provide resources for students like talking to counselors about any concerns they have,” said Lamb.

In response to students feeling fearful on campus due to the vandalism, Lamb advises that students have a conversation with her to discuss safety. Lamb also explained that DVC will be setting up safety forums for students to express their concerns about issues relating to graffiti or other topics like race, homophobia, and safety overall.

“We can’t stop it from reoccurring but we can ask our community and let them know that we stand united against the hate. It makes us stronger.” said Lamb. 

Gutierrez expressed how DVC will have to work in regards to improving the campus environment. 

This incident is still an ongoing investigation and students are advised to reach to Police Service if they know any information.

Editor’s Note: This story was updated to it’s the most current version at 4:35 p.m. on March 8 with quotes from Lamb and Gutierrez obtained through an interview conducted by Samantha Laurey. A misquote was also omitted from the story attributing to Gutierrez.