There is a messed up incident at Gettysburg College. This swimmer thought it was a good idea to carve a racial slur into his black teammate’s chest using a box cutter. Like seriously? How messed up do you have to be to even think about doing something like that? It’s disgusting and beyond comprehension.
I mean, college is supposed to be a time when we come together, learn from each other, and grow as individuals. And yet, here we have a supposed teammate, someone who should be supporting their fellow athletes, committing such a horrific act of hatred. It’s appalling.
I can’t even begin to imagine the pain and trauma that a poor black teammate must be going through. To be physically scarred and emotionally wounded by someone who is supposed to be on your side, someone you should be able to trust and rely on – it’s just heartbreaking.
School administrators received “a deeply concerning report of a racial slur being scratched onto a student using a plastic or ceramic tool,” officials at the 2,200-student private liberal arts school in Gettysburg said in a statement last week.
“This is a serious report, which is being actively assessed 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 that process, as well as privacy laws.
The family of the student who was targeted told Gettysburg College’s student newspaper, The Gettysburgian, that their son was the victim of a hate crime. They said the perpetrator, someone he “trusted,” used a box cutter to cut the N-word onto their son’s chest, according to the newspaper.
The alleged victim is among the students barred from participating in swim team activities as the college investigates the incident, said the family, who said in a statement to the newspaper that, within two days of the incident, their son “was interviewed by the members of the coaching staff and summarily dismissed (not suspended) from the swim team.”
The Gettysburgian did not identify anyone by name.
The incident is believed to have happened during an “informal social gathering at an on-campus residence” and was first reported by upper-class students from the swim team, Gettysburg College President Robert Iuliano said. The family said it happened on Sept. 6.
“Two weeks ago on the evening of Friday, Sept. 6, our son became the victim of a hate crime. The incident took place at a gathering of swim team members,” the alleged victim’s family said in their statement to The Gettysburgian. “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.”
It was not immediately clear how the slur was allegedly scratched on the student’s chest. Neither the school administrators nor the family elaborated in their statements.
Iuliano described feeling “profound distress about what happened” and the impact on those long underrepresented on the campus, as well as the implications “for a community continuing its evolving efforts to create a truly inclusive environment.”
“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 statement that cautioned against speculation “based on fragments of information that may or may not be accurate.”
My heart goes out to the black teammate who had to endure this horrific incident. I hope they find the strength and support they need to heal and move forward. May this serve as a reminder to all of us that we have a responsibility to fight against racism in all its forms.
