During a virtual meeting organized by the Graduate Student Association on Thursday, a malicious hacker carried out a virtual attack on the zoom meeting. The hacker was able to get complete control of the room and wrote anti-black hate speech on the presentation slide, espoused religious hate, and controlled the accounts of several attendees to make it appear as though they were saying racist and homophobic things. 

The hacker also targeted one graduate student in particular with anti-black hate speech using direct messages. 

The Graduate Student Association stands behind the victims of this hack, especially the student that appears to have been targeted by their vile actions. We also stand behind the Black Graduate Student Organization and support their advocacy of black graduate students that have to deal with these repeated traumas.

Students who may have been negatively affected by the hackers homophobic statements can also reach out for support to the i3b's Pride Center through Lucy Delgado (ldelgado@umbc.edu). 

As organizers of the event we feel tremendous sadness and responsibility for what has occurred. The GSA is working with university offices to seek justice, prevent this from occurring again and support all those affected. 

The GSA condemns the continuing rise of hate and is here to remind students of the resources available to support us. We look forward to coming together soon to offer a space for community support. In the meantime, please feel free to reach out to us to let us know how we can best support you. 

The Graduate Student Association Executive Board

Joel Tyson, President

Amy Cruz, Treasurer

Akash Vartak, Historian