The Queen’s University Faculty Association (QUFA) the main faculty union on campus has voted to formally oppose the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism at their general meeting.
Queen s Principal Issues Statement following Racist Zoom Hack of Lecture
February 3 2020. Queen s University Principal and Vice Chancellor Patrick Deane issued a statement following a racist zoom attach that took place on February 2nd during a guest lecture from Yale Professor Dr. Kathryn Lofton at the School of Religious Studies.
Dr. Lofton s lecture entitled “The Present Life of Blasphemy: Kanye West in American Popular Culture,” occured over Zoom on February 2nd and discussed the career of the American rapper, songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur, and fashion designer as an instance in the longer history of blasphemy. The event was not part of course curriculum though students from RELS163 attended, and the lecture was a free event posted on the Queen s University Events Calendar.
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The School of Religion released a statement acknowledging the “disturbing incident” that happened during an event it hosted Tuesday afternoon.
The event was a guest lecture by Dr. Kathryn Lofton of Yale University, called “The Present Life of Blasphemy: Kanye West in American Popular Culture.”
The event which was attended by more than 160 students, staff, faculty, and community members was hacked by an anonymous user who portrayed swastikas, as well as other hateful and violent imagery including pornography, and used anti-Black, anti-woman, and Queerphobic language.
“[T]he School of Religion wishes now to recognize that the hackers’ vulgar language, obscene and violent images, and racist insignia displayed to our community was shocking, offensive, and terribly injurious,” Dr. Adnan Husain, director of the School of Religion, wrote in a statement.
The event was a guest lecture by Dr. Kathryn Lofton of Yale University, called “The Present Life of Blasphemy: Kanye West in American Popular Culture,” that happened yesterday afternoon over Zoom.
While the event was advertised to the Queen’s community, particularly students in the course Religion & Popular Culture, it wasn’t an official Queen’s course lecture.
“We are supporting several Jewish students who were in attendance, and will be communicating with our partners in the university administration to ensure a thorough investigation is undertaken,” Queen’s Hillel wrote.
The University didn’t respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.