Student leaves college after slur was etched into a student’s chest
Sep 24, 2024, 3:50 PM
Gettysburg College said it was investigating after it was reported that a student had a racial slur scratched onto his chest during a gathering with other swim team members. Matt Rourke/AP via CNN Newsource)
Several students were attending an informal gathering of the swim team at an on-campus residence on September 6 when one of them used a box cutter to scratch the n-word on another student’s chest, according to statements made by the college and the family who says their son was the victim.
“The reprehensible act was committed by a fellow student-athlete, someone he considered his friend, someone whom he trusted,” the family said in an anonymous statement published last week by the college’s student newspaper, The Gettysburgian.
It’s unclear whether the swimmer was expelled or faced other disciplinary action from the college. Jamie Yates, a spokeswoman for the college, told CNN she could only describe the student’s status as “no longer enrolled” due to student privacy laws. None of the students involved have been identified.
The liberal arts college in southern Pennsylvania and the family said in a joint statement Monday the investigation into the incident is still ongoing, adding they “recognize the gravity and seriousness of this situation and hope it can serve as a transformative moment for our community and beyond.”
Bob Iuliano, the president of Gettysburg College, condemned the student’s actions in the message sent to the campus community last week and thanked the swim team’s upperclass students for first reporting what happened.
“No matter the relationship, and no matter the motivation, there is no place on this campus for words or actions that demean, degrade, or marginalize based on one’s identity and history,” he said.
In a letter to the school community Monday, Iuliano said the college found the incident was “not a byproduct of an unhealthy athletic team culture or a reflection on the team itself.”
“We are upset. We need to acknowledge the harm the incident has imposed on members of our community who by their identity, race, culture, and history have long been marginalized in our society through language and actions precisely like those that took place,” he wrote in the letter.
Iuliano said the college’s chief diversity officer will be leading an effort to reflect on the incident and take “concrete actions.”
The family has not filed a complaint with local police as of Monday, Gettysburg Police Chief Robert W. Glenny Jr. told CNN.
“Campus Safety advised that the victim was ‘encouraged’ (by the college) to contact law enforcement, the victim had chosen not to and to let the college disciplinary process handle this matter,” Glenny Jr. said.
The family said in their Monday statement they are aware “they retain the right to pursue local, state and federal criminal charges in this matter.” Last week, the family said they had filed complaints with the local and state NAACP and the Pennsylvania Commission on Human Relations.
CNN has reached out to the NAACP groups. The state commission told CNN it was aware of the incident but noted it does not publicly confirm or comment on any complaints.
The college had said last week that the students involved in the incident would not participate in the swim team’s activities pending a conduct review, according to a statement shared with the student newspaper.
The family who says their son was the victim said he was “interviewed by the members of the coaching staff and summarily dismissed (not suspended) from the swim team.”
In their Monday joint statement, the college and family did not indicate whether any involved students, including the victim, have been allowed to resume swim team activities. CNN has reached out to the college for comment about the student’s status.
There are 2,207 full-time undergraduates enrolled at Gettysburg College this fall. Among the students from the United States, 62% identify as White and 21% identify as people of color, according to the school.
