At least two students at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania have been suspended from the swim team after one student had a racial slur scratched on his body, officials said.
“Officials received an in-depth report of a student using a plastic or ceramic utensil to scratch a racial slur,” officials at the liberal arts school said in a statement last week.
“This is a serious statement that is seriously evaluated 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 the investigation and privacy laws.
However, a victim is a family Contacted Gettysburg Last week to give more details. They said the N-word was cut into the student’s chest by someone they “trusted”. The victim’s family says they are treating the incident as a hate crime. They also said that the victim was the only person of color at the scene.
“The reprehensible act was committed by a fellow student-athlete, someone he considered his friend, someone he trusted. This student used a box cutter to carve the N-word into his chest,” the family told Gettysburg.
They added: “While we wait to discuss the decisions made by college staff, the harm continues without further relief. The media (social, online and broadcast) continue to perpetuate the misinformation generated by anti-racism. In the same way, the isolation coupled with isolation from many in the Gettysburg College community he had come to rely on deepens the evil.
“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 standardized procedures and protocols. We recognize that they are designed to ensure that the rights and responsibilities of all parties involved are maintained and protected.
Robert Iuliano, president of Gettysburg College, said he was “deeply saddened by what happened” and concerned about the implications for “a community that continues its evolving efforts to create a truly inclusive environment.”
“There is no place on this campus for words or actions that denigrate, denigrate or marginalize someone based on their identity and history, regardless of affiliation or motivation,” he said in a statement. on pieces of information that are accurate or inaccurate.”
The city’s Police Chief Robert Glennie Jr. said he contacted the college after hearing news reports and was told the victim chose to handle the matter through the college’s internal process, despite college officials encouraging the man to take the matter to the police, WGAL-TV reported.
