Condemning Threatening Language on the Fence and Reaffirming Our Community Norms

June 14, 2026

Dear Members of the Carnegie Mellon Community:

Early last week, a message was painted on the Fence referencing the history of the crisis in the Middle East and including the phrase "Free Palestine." Late Friday afternoon, we learned that a smaller section — the top of one post of the Fence — included the phrase "by any means necessary."

As part of our immediate response, CMU Police launched an investigation, which ruled out any imminent danger to our community but remains ongoing. At the same time, we heard from members of our campus and the broader Pittsburgh community who shared that the connotation of "by any means necessary" was antisemitic and threatened their sense of safety and belonging. Others described the phrase as inciting or supporting violence.

While the Fence has since been repainted to celebrate the Knicks NBA title win, I want to be clear: It is categorically unacceptable for an anonymous message painted on CMU property to incite or imply support for violence, and it is equally unacceptable for members of our campus community to feel physically threatened or unsafe.

On Friday afternoon, as part of our immediate response, university leadership also engaged the leaders of Student Government, which has a longstanding role in the stewardship of the Fence on our campus. We relayed concerns, discussed potential next steps and underscored our collective responsibility to uphold the standards that define our community. We remain grateful for this thoughtful discourse and the continued engagement of our student leaders.

These events, while challenging, create an opportunity to reflect on the norms we expect of one another as members of the CMU community. The strength of a university is not measured by the absence of discomfort or disagreement. It is measured by our ability to engage in difficult issues with conviction, respect and care for one another. Threats and intimidation undermine this aspiration and have no place at Carnegie Mellon.

This moment also challenges each of us to think carefully about the words we choose when sharing our perspectives. Reasonable people may disagree about politics, history and world events, but we have an obligation to consider how our words can be understood by others — especially among our fellow community members.

Words have power. Freedom of expression carries with it a responsibility to consider the weight of our words and their impact on those around us. We may choose to give the benefit of the doubt to the individuals involved in painting the Fence because we have faith in our shared humanity. However, if your intent is not to threaten or intimidate others, choose words that do not communicate a threat. If your intent is not to endorse violence, choose words that do not support that interpretation. The issue before us is not merely what the anonymous messengers intend to convey but whether the reasonable effect of their words would be to cause others to feel physically threatened.

I recently shared the final report of the Fence Working Group and noted that we will respond to the group’s recommendations when our university fully convenes in the fall — a decision that allows for thoughtful discussion and evaluation in the interim. The report offers an important reminder: "Our community’s belief in the right to free expression parallels our expectation that we respect one another and consider the weight of our words." The Fence tradition depends on both.

No tradition exists apart from the community it serves. Whatever decisions emerge from our review of the report’s recommendations, one principle is unchanged: Carnegie Mellon must remain a place where difficult ideas can be debated vigorously without sacrificing the safety, dignity and belonging of members of our community.

To quote the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: "Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from responsibility." This responsibility is one of the most basic obligations we owe one another as members of the Carnegie Mellon community.

Sincerely,

Farnam Jahanian
President
Henry L. Hillman President's Chair