A swastika was found on an overhang above stairs leading to the basement of a student dormitory on the Brown University campus on the evening of Feb. 4.
The student-run Brown Daily Herald reported that the swastika, which was drawn with a pen, was subsequently removed from Hegeman Hall. Students covered the swastika with a yellow star until the university removed it.
Vice President for Campus Life Eric Estes and Associate Vice President for Campus Life Koren Bakkegard wrote in an email to the Herald, “Any acts that target members of our community on the basis of their identity, or have the effect of threatening their full inclusion, violate our values as a University and residential community. They are absolutely unacceptable.”
Matt LeClerc, a student who resides in the dorm, told the Daily Herald, “I don’t know how they plan to find the person, because it’s somebody literally just using a pen on a wall for a minute, and then they’re gone. I want to find out who’s doing it, and I want them to suffer the consequences of it, because this is gross.”
Anti-Defamation League New England Senior Associate Regional Director Peggy Shukur said in a statement to the Journal, “We are saddened to learn of a swastika incident at Brown University, yet are encouraged that university administrators are taking these incidents seriously and putting measures in place to stop the proliferation of hate on campus. We also want to commend the students who reported the incident. Standing up and speaking out against hate takes courage. Reporting incidents of hate makes our communities more secure and empowers us in these challenging moments.”
She encouraged people to report any anti-Semitic incidents to adl.org/reportincident.
According to the Herald, there have been more than 15 homophobic graffiti incidents in the Hegeman dorm since November.
