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President Sullivan’s candid reply

In a Facebook Live video posted to the UVA Students United Facebook page Sunday evening, a student who was present at the Rotunda on Friday, August 11, approaches President Sullivan to ask a few questions about administrative inaction the night of the white supremacists’ torchlight march.

“Where were you Friday night? And why were you not standing with your students?” the student asks.

Sullivan says that she was “across the street, trying to get police help here” (her residence, Carr’s Hill, is across the street from the Rotunda).

When the student asks where the administration was during the torchlight rally, Sullivan points out that Dean of Students Allen Groves was present and that most administration isn’t around on a Friday night when classes aren’t in session. “We didn’t know they were coming,” says Sullivan.

“I guess I’m just curious how a group of anonymous students knew they were coming,” the student says.

“Did you tell us? Did you tell us they were coming?” Sullivan replies. “No, you didn’t. Nobody elevated it to us. Don’t expect us to be reading the alt-right websites. We don’t do that. You know, you’ve got some responsibility here too. Tell us what you know.”

“So we should have brought this information to you?” the student asks.

“Anybody who knew could have told us,” Sullivan replies, ending the conversation.

https://www.facebook.com/UVAstudentsUNITED/videos/841442509364121/

[See related story about faculty that was there.]