University of Louisville officials took decisive action in handling an incident that occurred on campus at about 5 a.m. Friday. It sent a campus-wide letter from James Ramsey and Shirley Willihnghanz reassuring students that their safety is a top priority.

It was the second early-morning hours incident this year. In the other one, in January, the school used its campus-wide text-message system to alert students after it was learned that a shot had been fired.  According to media reports, Friday’s incident resulted in a stabbing after four white men (two were students) got involved in an altercation with an African-American student.

An 18-year-old African-American student, Montequa Jackson, has now been charged with first-degree assault. The Lexington freshman reportedly had been dropped off by a friend, then returned with a pocketknife and stabbed one of the non-students, Sean Osborne.

As a result, activist Christopher 2X organized a Saturday news conference in which Jermaine Stafford, who had been with Jackson, apologized but declined to provide details of the incident. While Jackson was charged with a crime, the school says it is launching its own investigation.

Officials at U of L seem determined to keep the incident quiet and from giving the impression that the campus is anything but safe. Or that there’s a problem with racial tension on campus. However, in the press conference, Stafford admitted that “there were some ugly things said” and that race was a factor in the altercation.

Here’s the text of the letter sent by Ramsey and Willihnghanz, after the jump…

Friends,

We’re writing to tell you about an incident on campus this morning, and to let you know how the university is responding. At about 5 a.m., an African-American student was walking on the west side of campus after dropping off a female friend at one of the residence halls. The student became involved in a verbal altercation with four white males, including two students. The incident escalated into a fist fight between the African-American student and one of the non-students. Soon, the female student returned to the scene with a friend and allegedly stabbed the white male several times.

The white male was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The university is addressing this incident in several ways. First, our police department is conducting an investigation to determine what crimes may have occurred. The police already have interviewed several individuals who may have been involved. The investigation is ongoing. If you have any information about this incident, please contact university police at 852-6111.

Second, leaders from Student Affairs and from the Cultural Center are meeting with students and student groups that may have an interest in the incident.

We want to reassure you that student safety is a priority at the University of Louisville. We are taking this matter very seriously, and we will address this through our police department and through the student disciplinary process.

We also want to reiterate our commitment to maintaining an inclusive campus environment. As a university, we must continue to work together to build an atmosphere of respect and trust. We must not participate in or allow hatred and violence within our community.