At least two students at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania were suspended from the swim team after a report that a racial slur was scratched onto a student’s body, officials said.
School administrators received “a deeply concerning report of a racial slur being scratched onto a student using a plastic or ceramic tool,” officials at the 2,200-student private liberal arts school in Gettysburg said in a statement last week.
“This is a serious report, which is being actively assessed through the student conduct process,” the college said. “At this point, the students involved are not participating in swim team activities.”
The school declined to release further details, citing that process, as well as privacy laws.
The family of the student who was targeted told Gettysburg College’s student newspaper, The Gettysburgian, that their son was the victim of a hate crime. They said the perpetrator, someone he “trusted,” used a box cutter to cut the N-word onto their son’s chest, according to the newspaper.
The alleged victim is among the students barred from participating in swim team activities as the college investigates the incident, said the family, who said in a statement to the newspaper that, within two days of the incident, their son “was interviewed by the members of the coaching staff and summarily dismissed (not suspended) from the swim team.”
Statement from the students family:
“Two weeks ago on the evening of Friday, Sept. 6, our son became the victim of a hate crime. The incident took place at a gathering of swim team members. It is important to note that he was the only person of color at this gathering. The reprehensible act was committed by a fellow student-athlete, someone he considered his friend, someone whom he trusted. This student used a box cutter to etch the N-word across his chest.
“In less than 48 hours after the incident, our son was interviewed by the members of the coaching staff and summarily dismissed (not suspended) from the swim team. The punitive action was taken prior to the commencement of the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities own investigation. This does not appear to have followed the policies and procedures stated in the Gettysburg College Student-Athlete Manual.
“As we wait to discuss the decisions made by college staff, the harm continues without much relief. Media outlets (social, online, and broadcast) continue to perpetuate misinformation stemming from an act of racial animus. In the same vein, the isolation that pairs with being isolated from many in the Gettysburg College community that he had come to trust deepens the harm.
“We want to be clear that we understand that an investigation should not be rushed. We support a fair and thorough investigation. To this end, we appreciate the standardized procedures and protocols that are in place. We know that they are meant to ensure that the rights and responsibilities of all parties involved are maintained and protected.
“At the same time, we have been proactive in seeking redress through other parties. Complaints citing racial discrimination, harassment and lack of due process have been filed with the NAACP Harrisburg chapter and the NAACP Pennsylvania conference. We have also filed a similar complaint with the Pennsylvania Commission on Human Relations. We are well aware that we retain the right to pursue local, state and federal criminal charges in this matter.
“We have come forward now with this statement in the expectation that it will add clarity, not stir controversy as we struggle to comprehend the nightmare that haunts our son and our family. We remain hopeful that Gettysburg College officials will maintain transparency and execute a just application of its rules.
“Our son had other choices where he could mature intellectually, socially and spiritually, and achieve his athletic goals. He chose Gettysburg College and its swim program because he felt at home on this campus. Indeed, we appreciated how we were welcomed by other swim team parents, swimmers and coaching staff. It appeared to be the right choice on several levels. For the sake of our son’s well-being, we are attempting to address the recent challenges by mirroring our son’s spirit of humility and courage.
“Our son did not choose to have a hateful racial slur scrawled across his chest, but he has chosen not to return the hate. He did not choose the color of his skin tone, but has chosen to embrace the strength and diversity it represents. Our son did not choose to be shunned and isolated at the behest of some who pay lip service to inclusion and diversity.
“We would be remiss not to point out that there are — thankfully — students who have reached out and expressed their concern for our son’s well-being. These individuals have chosen to resist pressure from others and not associate with him. In our family’s eyes, they stopped to help our son in his time of need. They have displayed courage and grace at such a young age, and their actions should be celebrated, not discouraged.
“Our family apologizes in advance if this statement offends anyone. We seek forgiveness if what we believe to be true is perceived as bearing false witness. This is not our intent. Rather, our intent is that — in some small way — a heinous act can serve as a transformative moment for Gettysburg College to live up to its ideals of diversity, inclusion and justice; to celebrate the College’s maxim to: ‘Do Great Work.’ We pray that together we can arouse a collective conscience promoting healing and help bring about justice for our son and the rest of the Gettysburg College community.”
There’s a whole lot of WTF in their statement!
So far no one is explaining how a young black male was carved up by a trusted friend.
The school later announced that the person who did it is no longer enrolled at the school.
the person who did it should be in jail. this is assault and a hate crime.
fuck schools that think they can stand in for law enforcement.
No, law enforcement told schools that what happened on their property was their problem and that local law enforcement didn’t have time to deal with their problems. It should be very clear that cops retreated from our campuses, schools didn’t shut them out. Colleges and Universities would love for local law enforcement to come patrol the campus and handle assaults and all the rest but literally the cops told us it was too much trouble.
It’s September so school likely just started and I’m going to assume this was some sort of hazing activity.
Yeah. Presumably similar stuff happened to other people, but wasn’t such a big deal because they weren’t slurs.
Did not know what to expect when I read the headline, and it used the term scratched. Then, the statement goes on to say a box cutter was used. What the fuck.
This kind of horrific torture occurs in large part because the republican party and their various neo-nazi allies have already normalized violent racist rhetoric and violent racist action always comes next.
Well THAT’s horrifying
