Chaze Vinci ’23, who authored a series of “threatening and racist social media posts,” is in custody in another state for a violation of bail conditions after a previous incident with law enforcement and is not enrolled at Stanford, according to a Friday email from Vice Provost for Student Affairs Susie Brubaker-Cole and Vice Provost for Institutional Equity, Access and Community Patrick Dunkley.
This email comes after Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne denounced Vinci’s posts in an email to students on Aug. 29. The University has since banned Vinci from entering Stanford’s campus or facilities.
“As we settle into campus for the start of fall quarter, we want you to know that our community’s safety, security and wellbeing are paramount concerns for the university,” Brubaker-Cole and Dunkley wrote.
The two acknowledged the concerns and anxiety that many community members feel about their safety on campus as a result of Vinci’s posts, writing that they “hope to provide some reassurance” by sharing an update about his case.
Vince remains in custody in the state in which he was recently arrested after violating bail conditions, according to Brubaker-Cole and Dunkley. The University is in touch with the authorities about his case. They added that Vinci is not currently enrolled at Stanford.
While privacy laws limit the University’s ability to provide ongoing updates and information about Vinci, Brubaker-Cole and Dunkley emphasized that the University is paying close attention to his case and that “care and concern for each of you, as Stanford students, remains deep and fervent.” They added that their “administrative procedures resulting from the incident are proceeding.”
They also thanked the estimated 600 students who reported Vinci’s social media posts through the University’s newly updated Protected Identity Harm Reporting process — formerly known as the Acts of Intolerance protocol. The new process was developed to “provide a mechanism for hearing and addressing bias incidents that adversely and unfairly target an individual or group based on protected characteristics,” they wrote. Student Affairs reached out to everyone who requested to be contacted as part of the process and to the individual students threatened, according to Brubaker-Cole and Dunkley.
“Our Office of General Counsel, Threat Assessment Team, Department of Public Safety, Division of Student Affairs and other university offices continue to be engaged in this matter to provide for the protection of our community,” they wrote.