Swimmer Involved in Racial Incident at Gettysburg College ‘No Longer Enrolled’
The swimmer who is accused of perpetrating a racial incident at Gettysburg College is “no longer enrolled” in the school, a college statement released Monday said.
The college released a pair of statements in response to the incident, in which a male swimmer used a box cutter to scratch a racial slur into the chest of another swimmer at a party. Names of the victim and the alleged perpetrator have not been released. News of the incident first broke last week.
The family of the victim spoke out on Friday, calling the incident a “hate crime.” (The statement can be read in full here, courtesy of The Gettysburgian, the college’s student newspaper.) They said it occurred at a gathering of swimming in which their son was the only person of color present. The victim’s family called the perpetrator, “a fellow student-athlete, someone he considered his friend, someone whom he trusted.”
The victim was dismissed from swim team activities as well as the perpetrator after an interview with staff, a “punitive action” against which they are fighting. While advocating for the investigative process to play out, they’ve also sought help from other parties, including the NAACP Harrisburg chapter, its Pennsylvania conference and the Pennsylvania Commission on Human Relations.
From the statement by the victim’s family:
“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. We remain hopeful that Gettysburg College officials will maintain transparency and execute a just application of its rules.
“Our son had other choices where he could mature intellectually, socially and spiritually, and achieve his athletic goals. He chose Gettysburg College and its swim program because he felt at home on this campus. Indeed, we appreciated how we were welcomed by other swim team parents, swimmers and coaching staff. It appeared to be the right choice on several levels. For the sake of our son’s well-being, we are attempting to address the recent challenges by mirroring our son’s spirit of humility and courage.
“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.”
On Sunday, Anne Ehrlich, Gettysburg’s vice president for college life, sent a campus-wide email with updates, which included the enrollment status of the alleged perpetrator and that the, “investigation is nearing its conclusion.” Ehrlich acknowledged the family’s statement and committed the college to involving them in the reparation process.
She wrote:
“We previously made a commitment to the family that once the investigation was nearing its completion, we would work with them about how most constructively to move forward. Those conversations have already begun. I’d like to join President Iuliano in thanking the swim team members for so quickly bringing this to our attention.”
President Bob Iuliano on Monday released a second statement since the incident occurred. It chose to depict the swim team’s role as important in bringing the incident to light, the racial incident, “not a byproduct of an unhealthy athletic team culture or a reflection on the team itself; rather, we see in the captains the measure of what it means to be a Gettysburgian by their notification to their coaches.”
The college’s Black Student Union and African Student Association also released a joint statement on Tuesday that expressed many of the same sentiments as the family, calling on the college to take greater steps to “fully addressing the severity of this crime.” The statement “commend(ed) the upperclassmen on the swim team who reported the incident and understand their position that this act does not reflect the values of the entire team.”
The organizations have scheduled meetings to engage the campus community in dialogue and help promote, “the safety and inclusion of all students on campus.”
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From the statement:
“We are disgusted by this act of violence, and we are disappointed in the way the school has handled the situation thus far. While some steps have been taken, they fall short of fully addressing the severity of this crime. We call for greater transparency and accountability from the administration to ensure that justice is served. …
“We will not take this situation lightly. If the appropriate steps are not taken to ensure transparency, the Black Student Union and Gettysburg African Student Association are prepared to act and organize to demand change. We are committed to doing what is necessary to make sure this issue is not swept under the rug and that the safety and well-being of Black students are prioritized.”