Todd Clausen

@ToddJClausen

College presidents say campuses are safe havens for individuals of all backgrounds.

Leaders at both the University of Rochester and the Rochester Institute of Technology wrote recently to students, faculty and staff trying to calm fears over the presidential election.

UR President Joel Seligman and RIT President Bill Destler wrote that their colleges embrace individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation or any other characteristic.

"Politics can be ugly, deprecating, cruel," Seligman wrote in a letter dated Nov. 9. "We welcome and support you as human beings. Regardless of what happens in an election, you will always be welcome here."

Students at the University of Rochester had planned a noon rally Friday on campus to protest the language used by Donald Trump in the election. The group singled out the president-elect in a Facebook post.

Meanwhie, Destler wrote his letter after hearing that several individuals at RIT felt threatened and concerned for their safety. Both presidents said their schools do not discriminate and work to be inclusive.

"Each year, I tell prospective students that if they are afraid to immerse themselves in a community of students, staff, and faculty from widely different backgrounds, ethnicities, races, nationalities, sexual orientations, and religions, then RIT is not the place for them," Destler wrote. "Anyone who feels unsafe here should make their feelings known to me and to others in a position to address their concerns."

TCLAUSEN@Gannett.com