Dear Friends and Colleagues: Animal activist protests are nothing new to the UC Davis campus, but last week's threatening letters rigged with razor blades signal a disturbing escalation of activist tactics. Sent to more than 80 researchers across the nation and to several here on campus, the letters are undeniable acts of terrorism-actions that fall far outside the bounds of law, reason and civilized behavior. Indeed, they are an absolute contradiction of the activists' professed reverence for life. The faculty, staff and students who conduct research with animals do so with care and compassion and for the betterment of humankind and animals, and it is an abomination to threaten their lives and safety in the name of animal rights. The campus is taking immediate action to ensure the safety of our faculty, staff and students in the face of these threats. Our police department is assisting the FBI domestic terrorism task force in its investigation of these threats and has been in contact with each of our targeted researchers, offering safety-precaution counsel and increased security. Our mail division has similarly stepped up its scrutiny of incoming mail and packages, employing an X-ray machine to examine any suspicious pieces of mail and intercepting several of the razor-bladed letters. None of the booby-trapped envelopes were opened and no one has been injured. (The letters have been turned over to the FBI.) Our police also issued a general campus safety bulletin last week, reviewing procedures for identifying and safely handling suspicious packages and letters. We advise anyone receiving, sorting or distributing mail to be extra alert and to exercise caution. As you know, the campus has also been the recent target of activists opposed to the study of genetically modified crops. Since August, field crops have been destroyed four times, most of which had not been genetically altered and all of which represented a significant intellectual investment of faculty members and graduate students alike. These violent actions, intended to intimidate and coerce, cannot be tolerated or condoned. Disagreement and debate are hallmarks of vibrant university communities, furthering understanding and opening new paths of thought. But dissent can never be allowed to devolve into threats of physical harm or into the destruction of another's work. We are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for all the members of our campus community. Toward that end, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and the police department are initiating an orientation program for researchers and their support staffs to discuss safety issues, review security procedures and advise (with the campus's News Service) on the best handling of press inquiries in the event of an incident. We have directed campus police, government relations and research officials to aggressively pursue the strengthening of federal and state laws to ensure just punishment for those committing such terrorist acts, the passage of a federal bill that would require the FBI to create a national clearinghouse in order to aid the apprehension and conviction of offenders, and the limiting of personal information provided on federal grant forms in order to better protect faculty members listed as grant recipients. And we ask your help, as well, in reaffirming the rights of us all to live free from threat, in supporting those among us who have suffered such harm, and in thwarting terrorist activity. If you have any information about the razor-blade letters or their origin, or about the destruction of field crops, please contact the police department at (530) 752-1230 or the UC Davis Crime Tip Line at (530) 752-9944. Callers to the Crime Tip Line may choose to remain anonymous. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Vice Chancellor for Administration Janet Hamilton, whose office has lead responsibility for campus security and animal use issues, at (530) 752-2081, jchamilton@ucdavis.edu. Larry N. Vanderhoef Chancellor Robert D. Grey Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Kevin M. Smith Vice Chancellor for Research