fbpx

Swastika Found at Southern Oregon University

[additional-authors]
May 22, 2020
Photo from Wikimedia Commons.

A swastika was found inside a residence-hall elevator at Southern Oregon University (SOU) on May 15.

KDRV-TV reported the swastika was carved inside Shasta residence hall’s elevator; the university reported the incident to local police.

SOU President Linda Schott wrote in a May 16 letter to community members that she condemned the swastika and that the university will be installing cameras in residence halls in an effort to hold perpetrators of such vandalism accountable. Schott added the university will be holding events to discourage acts of hate.

“I assure you as president of this university and with all that I hold dear, that I denounce acts of bias and hatred and will not stop working to eliminate them from our campus,” Schott wrote. “I will remain vigilant, with your help, and look forward to keeping you informed of SOU’s progress.”

In February, a swastika was drawn inside an SOU residence hall as well as the “N” word written on a black student’s whiteboard. Students told News 10 that the swastika and racial slur were in Shasta residence hall, although the university did not confirm it.

Schott wrote on her personal Facebook page at the time that the university had been investigating the matter but has yet to determine who was behind the acts of hate.

“I assure you that these actions are being taken seriously and will not be tolerated,” she wrote.

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

Who Knows?

When future generations tell your story and mine, which parts will look obvious in hindsight? What opportunities will we have leveraged — and decisions made — that define our legacy?

You Heard It Here First, Folks!

For over half a decade, I had seen how the slow drip of antisemitism, carefully enveloped in the language of social justice and human rights, had steadily poisoned people whom I had previously considered perfectly reasonable.

Trump’s Critics Have a Lot Riding on the Iran Conflict

Their assumptions about the attack on Iran are based on a belief in the resilience of an evil terrorist regime, coupled with a conviction that Trump’s belief in the importance of the U.S.-Israel alliance is inherently wrong.

Me Llamo Miguel

With Purim having just passed, I’ve been thinking about how Jews have been disguising ourselves over the years.

The Hope of Return

This moment calls for moral imagination. For solidarity with the Iranian people demanding dignity. For sustained support of those who seek a freer future.

Stranded by War

We are struggling on two fronts: we worry about friends and family, and we are preoccupied with our own “survival” on a trip extended beyond our control.

Love Letters to Israel

Looking around at the tears, laughter, and joy after two years of hell, the show was able to not just touch but nourish our souls.

Neil Sedaka, Brooklyn-Born Hit-Maker, Dies at 86

Neil Sedaka was born March 13, 1939 in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Mac and Eleanor Sedaka. His father was Sephardic and his mother Ashkenazi; Sedaka was a transliteration of the Hebrew “tzedakah.”

Letter to the UC Board of Regents on Fighting Antisemitism

We write as current and former UC faculty, many of us in STEM fields and professional schools, in response to the release of When Faculty Take Sides: How Academic Infrastructure Drives Antisemitism at the University of California.

Shabbat in a Bunker

It turned out that this first round of sirens was a wake-up call, a warning that Israel and America were attacking – so we could expect a different day of rest than all of us had planned.

Community Reacts to U.S.-Israel Attack Against Iran

Though there was uncertainty about what would ensue in the days following, those interviewed by The Journal acknowledged the strikes against the Islamic Republic in Iran constituted a pivotal turning point in the history of the Middle East.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.