A student at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania who wrote a racist slur on the body of the only black member of the school’s men’s swim team has no longer been enrolled there.
Two students at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania were initially suspended from the swim team following a report describing how the offensive slur was etched into a student’s skin.
The victim’s family said a box cutter was used, while officials at the 2,200-student private liberal arts school in Gettysburg had previously described the instrument as “a plastic or ceramic tool.”
It is unclear whether the victim was restrained during the attack or whether he fought back.
Both the perpetrator and victim were suspended from the swim team pending investigation, and the perpetrator has now left the school entirely.
A student at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania who scrawled a racist slur on the body of the only black member of the school’s men’s swim team is no longer enrolled there (file photo)
The incident occurred on Sept. 6 at a swim team meeting during an “informal social gathering at a campus residence.”
It is unclear whether the author was expelled or left school voluntarily.
“The reprehensible act was committed by a fellow athlete, someone he considered his friend, someone he trusted. This student used a box cutter to carve the word ‘N’ into his chest,” the family said in a statement.
The family said it was considering filing criminal charges and had involved the NAACP civil rights organization and filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.
“Our son did not choose to have a hateful racial slur scrawled on his chest, but he chose not to return the hate,” the family said.
The incident occurred on September 6 at a swim team meeting. during an “informal social gathering at a campus residence” and was first reported by other students on the swim team, Gettysburg College President Robert Iuliano said.
Iuliano described feeling “deep anguish over what happened” and the impact on those who have long been underrepresented on campus, as well as the implications “for a community that continues its evolving efforts to create a truly inclusive environment.”
“I was actually shocked. There’s no place for incidents like that at this school. And when I found out, I couldn’t believe it,” one student told WGAL.
“Even though we talk all the time about inclusion and not doing that kind of thing anymore, it’s 2024. We can’t keep doing that kind of thing,” added another student.
“Regardless of relationship or motivation, there is no place on this campus for words or actions that demean or marginalize based on one’s identity and history,” she said in a statement that also warned against speculation “based on bits of information that may or may not be accurate.”
“The investigation is nearing its conclusion and we can now report that the individual who scrawled a slur about another person is no longer enrolled at the college,” vice president for campus life Anne Ehrlich wrote in a campus-wide email. The Gettysburgian reported.
“This is a serious report, which is being actively evaluated through the student conduct process,” the university added.
‘At this time, the students involved are not participating in swim team activities.’
City Police Chief Robert Glenny Jr. said he also contacted the university after hearing news reports and was told the victim had decided to handle the matter through the university’s internal process, despite university officials encouraging the person to take the matter to police.
At least 2,200 students are enrolled at the private liberal arts school in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
The school has so far declined to release further details, citing that process and privacy laws.
“I was really shocked. There is no place for incidents like that in this school. And when I found out, I couldn’t believe it,” one student told AFP. Working Group on Foreign Affairs.
“I’m pretty upset. It’s sad that things still happen today. Even though we talk all the time about inclusion and not doing those kinds of things, it’s 2024. You can’t do those things. It’s sad to see people still think and act that way. We can’t allow that,” added another student.
Gettysburg, best known as the site of an 1863 Civil War battle that killed thousands and where President Abraham Lincoln delivered a moving speech four months later, is about 140 miles west of Philadelphia.
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