of the Gettysburg College men’s swim team had an informal get together on Sept. 6. At some point, the only person of color on the team was the victim of what his family is calling a hate crime, when another student carved the N-word on his chest using a box cutter. The incident, which has garnered international attention, has had some fast consequences for the team and the alleged perpetrator.
The concrete circumstances of the ordeal, like what exactly the students were doing or whether the box-cutting incident was consensual or not, have yet to be revealed. We do know that the victim “trusted” the perpetrator, however, and considered him a friend.
The family of the victim shared a statement with the school’s paper, The Gettysburgian, and revealed that just 48 hours after the disturbing act, “our son was interviewed by the of the coaching staff and summarily dismissed (not suspended) from the swim team.” The family shared that this happened before an investigation by the the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities, and that this seems to violate school policy.
In a twin statement, the private institution said that the perpetrator is “no longer enrolled at the college.” College President Bob Iuliano released his own statement saying that, “There is no place on this campus for words or actions that demean, degrade, or marginalize based on one’s identity and history.”
The family said it was going to seek “redress through other parties. Complaints citing racial discrimination, harassment and lack of due process have been filed with the NAA Harrisburg chapter and the NAA Pennsylvania conference. We have also filed a similar complaint with the Pennsylvania Commission on Human Relations.”
They also said they were contemplating whether to pursue criminal charges, as is their right. The victim’s family also said their son attended the college, which is located in Pennsylvania and named after a town that became infamous for a civil war battle, because he could “mature intellectually, socially and spiritually, and achieve his athletic goals.”
He chose the school, they said, because it “felt at home” on the storied campus.
“Our son did not choose to have a hateful racial slur scrawled across his chest, but he has chosen not to return the hate. He did not choose the color of his skin tone, but has chosen to embrace the strength and diversity it represents. Our son did not choose to be shunned and isolated at the behest of some who pay lip service to inclusion and diversity.”
The college shared that its investigation was nearing a conclusion, and that it would work with the family on how to move forward from the incident in a constructive way. Juliano said it was important that lessons are learned from the incident, that take into “our collective history.”
Published: Sep 24, 2024 11:28 am