September 23, 2024
Black Swimmer At Gettysburg College Allegedly Had N-Word Carved Into His Body
The news has spread far beyond the campus.
On Sept. 18, the student newspaper for Gettysburg College broke the news that a racial slur had been carved into the body of a swim team member at a social gathering using either a plastic or ceramic tool. Their reporting indicated that although the name of the perpetrator was not going to be released while the school conducted its investigation, two students on the swim team had already been suspended.
According to The Gettysburgian, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Jamie Yates announced the suspension in a statement.
“The College has received a deeply concerning report of a racial slur being scratched onto a student using a plastic or ceramic tool. This is a serious report which is being actively assessed through the student conduct process. At this point, the students involved are not participating in swim team activities pending the outcome of the student conduct process. Given privacy laws and the ongoing nature of the student conduct process, we are unable to share further details.”
According to an editor’s note, the school suspended both the alleged perpetrator of the incident and the victim, and two days after the student newspaper broke the news, the victim’s family released a statement that included additional details, including that their son had the “n-word” cut on his chest using a box cutter.
“Two weeks ago, on the evening of Sept. 6, our son became the victim of a hate crime. The incident took place at a gathering of swim team members. It is important to note that he was the only person of color at this gathering. The reprehensible act was committed by a fellow student-athlete, someone he considered his friend, someone whom he trusted. This student used a box cutter to etch the N-word across his chest.”
They also took issue with the fact that their son was dismissed from the team and not suspended.
“In less than 48 hours after the incident, our son was interviewed by the members of the coaching staff and summarily dismissed (not suspended) from the swim team. The punitive action was taken prior to the commencement of the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities’ own investigation. This does not appear to have followed the policies and procedures stated in the Gettysburg College Student-Athlete Manual,” the family wrote.
The family continued, “As we wait to discuss the decisions made by college staff, the harm continues without much relief. Media outlets (social, online, and broadcast) continue to perpetuate misinformation stemming from an act of racial animus. In the same vein, the isolation that pairs with being isolated from many in the Gettysburg College community that he had come to trust deepens the harm.”
The family also noted that they had filed complaints with the NAACP Harrisburg chapter and the NAACP Pennsylvania Conference as well as a similar complaint with the Pennsylvania Commission on Human Relations.
On Sept. 22, Gettysburg College Vice President for College Life Anne Ehrlich sent out a campus-wide email acknowledging the college’s commitment to the family of the victim.
The university and the family also released a joint statement indicating their hope that the incident proves transformative.
“The College and the family both recognize the gravity and seriousness of this situation and hope it can serve as a transformative moment for our community and beyond. To point back to the statement in the Gettysburgian from the family:
“‘Rather, our intent is that—in some small way—a heinous act can serve as a transformative moment for Gettysburg College to live up to its ideals of diversity, inclusion, and justice; to celebrate the College’s maxim to: ‘Do Great Work.’ We pray that together we can arouse a collective conscience promoting healing and help bring about justice for our son and the rest of the Gettysburg College community.’”
The incident generated significant outrage on social media. Johanna Mellis, a former D1 swim athlete and a historian focusing on the inequity of collegiate athletics and sports in general, posted a screenshot of the family’s statement, captioned, “Have a lot of words and a lot of rage. Seriously, parents of color might think about looking at Howard’s swim team.”
“This is a horrific, disgusting, racist hate crime,” said Andrew Goretsky, regional director of ADL Philadelphia, in a statement on Twitter. “We stand with the person attacked and all those individuals affected. We demand a thorough investigation and for any individual found involved and responsible to be held accountable. We hope wounds, both physical and emotional, are able to heal with time.”
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