Former Gettysburg College Student Expelled for Carving Racial Slur on Teammate’s Chest

An unidentified student at Gettysburg College allegedly carved a racial epithet on the chest of a teammate at a gathering of men’s swim team members on September 6. The perpetrator has since left the college, and both the school and the victim’s family released a joint statement condemning the incident. The victim’s family described the act as a hate crime and expressed concerns about discrimination and lack of due process. Authorities including the NAACP and the Pennsylvania Commission on Human Relations have been notified, but details of possible legal action remain unclear. The victim was suspended from the swim team, and the family has the option of pursuing criminal prosecution. The college is limited in what it can say until the investigation is complete but has committed to ongoing conversations on how to move forward constructively. The president of the college praised the team’s leadership for reporting the incident. He hopes the college can learn from the events and has tasked the chief diversity officer with leading an inquiry and implementing measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. The incident has drawn national attention and caused the college to remove the team roster out of concern for the safety of the student athletes. President Iuliano emphasized the need to consider the college’s history and learn from the event.

Photo credit
www.nbcnews.com