At least two students at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania have been suspended from the swim team after reports of racist slurs being inscribed on students’ bodies, officials said.
Officials at the 2,200-student private liberal arts college in Gettysburg said in a statement last week that school administrators had received “deeply disturbing reports of racist slurs being inscribed on students’ bodies using plastic and ceramic utensils.”
“This is a serious report and is being actively evaluated through our student code of conduct,” the university said. “At this time, the student involved is not participating in swim team activities.”
The school declined to release further details, citing its procedures and privacy laws.
The family of the targeted student told Gettysburg College, the school’s student newspaper, that their son was the victim of a hate crime, saying that someone they “trusted” used a box cutter to slash the N-word into their son’s chest.
The family said the alleged victim was one of several students who have been barred from participating in swim team activities while the university investigates the incident, and in a statement to the paper within two days of the incident, their son “was interviewed by the coaching staff and has been immediately dismissed (not suspended) from the swim team.”
The Gettysburg School did not reveal anyone’s names.
Gettysburg College President Robert Iuliano said the incident was first reported by senior swim team members during an “informal social gathering in a campus residence hall” and that the family said the incident occurred on September 6.
“Two weeks ago, on the evening of Friday, September 6th, our son was the victim of a hate crime. The incident occurred at a swim team gathering,” the alleged victim’s family said in a statement to the Gettysburgian. “It is notable that he was the only person of color at the gathering. This reprehensible act was committed by a fellow student-athlete whom he considered a friend and trusted. The student used a box cutter to carve the N-word into his chest.”
It was not immediately clear how the derogatory remark ended up in the student’s mind, and neither the school nor the family provided details in their statements.
Iuliano spoke of his “deep sadness over what happened” and the impact it has on people who have long been underrepresented on campus and “on a community that continues its evolving efforts to create a truly inclusive environment.”
“Language or actions that insult, degrade or marginalize someone based on their identity or background, regardless of relationship or motivation, have no place on this campus,” he said in a statement, also cautioning against speculation “based on piecemeal information that may or may not be accurate.”
WGAL-TV reported that the city’s Police Chief, Robert Glennie Jr., contacted the university after hearing the news report and was told that despite the university encouraging the victim to go to police, she chose to address the issue through the university’s internal procedures.
