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An investigation is underway at a Pennsylvania college after a student athlete carved a racial slur into his teammate’s chest using a box cutter.
The incident occurred on September 6 during a gathering of members of the Gettysburg college swim team. The family of the victim described the incident as a “hate crime.”
According to a family statement, published by the college newspaper The Gettysburgian, the family noted that their son had been the only person of color at the gathering and that the “reprehensible act” was done by someone the young man had “trusted.”
“This student used a box cutter to etch the N-word across his chest,” the statement read.
The family added that they had chosen to speak out to “add clarity” following what they said was misinformation about the incident in media outlets.
“We have come forward now with this statement in the expectation that it will add clarity, not stir controversy as we struggle to comprehend the nightmare that haunts our son and our family,” they said.
“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.”
In an email sent to students on Sunday, vice president for college life Anne Ehrlich said that the investigation into the incident was “nearing its conclusion” and that the student who committed the act was “no longer enrolled at the college.”
Ehrlich also acknowledged the family statement saying that the college had made a “commitment” to working with them on how to move forward “constructively.” “Those conversations have already begun,” she wrote.
The family’s statement also shared that they have filed complaints with the NAACP Pennsylvania Conference, NAACP Harrisburg chapter and Pennsylvania Commission on Human Relations.
The family has not filed charges with police and also emphasized that they are aware they are able to press charges.
Ehrlich said her email would be the “final communication concerning the student conduct process related to this matter.”
In a statement released last week, Gettysburg college president Bob Iuliano said there was “no place” for discrimination at the institution and urged students to be wary of misinformation.
He thanked the upper class students from the swim team who had first reported the incident.
“Let me underscore my profound distress about what happened, its impact on those who have long been underrepresented on this campus, and its implications for a community continuing its evolving efforts to create a truly inclusive environment,” Iuliano said.
“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.”
The Independent has reached out to Gettysburg College for further comment about the incident and ongoing investigation.
The college, founded in 1832, is close to the Gettysburg Battlefield, where a decisive victory by Union forces in 1863 helped lead to the abolition of slavery across the US.
