Swastika sketches found on picnic table near law school, officials say

Another act of discrimination struck the University of Richmond on Wednesday after a student from the T.C. Williams School of Law discovered swastikas sketched into a picnic table, university officials said.

It was not immediately clear how long the pencil drawings had been on the table, or whether a member of the university community had sketched it, according to an e-mail to faculty, staff and students from law school dean John Douglass.

The graffiti on the table was described as a drawing too small to be visible from a distance. The table was removed sometime between Tuesday and Wednesday.

Douglass wrote that when the student found the sketch Tuesday, it was reported to law school officials, who then reported it to university police.

"The swastika is a symbol of hate and a tool of intimidation," Douglass wrote, "and we are all offended that this has appeared on our campus."

Jews worldwide celebrated Yom Kippur from sundown Oct. 8 to sunrise on Oct. 9. And the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht -- a night in 1938 when Nazi Germans murdered 92 Jews and arrested more than 25,000 others to ship them to concentration camps -- is being commemorated in early November with "Overcoming Hatred Week," an initiative sponsored by the Office of the Chaplaincy.

K.B. Levin, director of the on-campus Jewish student group Hillel, said hearing about the incident Wednesday morning worried her.

"There are a lot of scary things for people of religion going on in the world right now," she said. "The one thing I'm thankful for is that I live in a place where I don't have to worry about it -- where I can be who I am, and it is encouraged. I'm worried that this sort of thing will cause people to withdraw and be afraid to be open [about their religion]."

But she said considering the incident an act of ignorance would be equally inappropriate.

"You can't just say, 'Billy grew up this way,'" Levin said. "It's not acceptable in a university setting to just stay in a like-minded pool of friends."

University police are investigating the sketch. Beth Simonds, the department's spokeswoman, was unavailable for comment Wednesday because she had left for the day. Other officers on duty declined to comment and deferred questions to Simonds.

Douglass wrote in the e-mail that "university police will make every effort to find the perpetrator." Douglass encouraged anyone who had information about the incdient to contact university police at 289-8911 or submit an anonymous tip through Silent Witness Web page

Kris Henderson, the associate dean of student affairs, was the administrator who contacted university police, the e-mail said. Henderson did not immediately return a cell phone message or e-mail message left after hours Wednesday.

Glyn Hughes, director of Common Ground, is the chairman of the university's newly formed Bias Response Team, a committee of 17 university leaders formed this summer. When discrimination incidents are reported, the team meets to determine how to respond, and in many cases, the first response is to report the incident to police. For those who want to report an incident anonymously, Hughes also serves as a contact.

"Depending on the nature of the given incident," Hughes said, "if it clearly is or has the potential to become a community event -- meaning it's more than just effecting the people who are involved -- then we would convene the [bias team]."

The group met early Wednesday in response to the sketch to coordinate support for students, faculty and staff, according to the e-mail.

"It doesn't replace any existing policies of discipline," Hughes said. "It gets all university leaders together to think institutionally what we do here."

The response from law school officials stands in sharp contrast to the way a similar incident was handled last year involving the simulated lynching of a black doll in Cousin's Studio Theater. When the doll was founded suspended near the theater's stage, staff members did not report it to police for two weeks, a decision that some criticized as irresponsible because the act constituted a hate crime.

Douglass, said his intention in sending out the e-mail late Wednesday afternoon was not to speculate or cast blame, but to use the incident as a learning opportunity for the campus.

"Whatever the intent of the vandal who defaced our campus with that offensive symbol, let us use this occasion to reaffirm our commitment to maintain an open, inclusive and welcoming environment," Douglass wrote.

Last week, a similar e-mail response was sent by Steve Bisese to the university community upon recommendation of the Bias Response Team after an e-mail that contained sexually graphic and misogynistic language was sent by the rush chairman from the Kappa Sigma fraternity. The e-mail was subsequently condemned by university and Greek leaders, who are organizing forums about sexual discrimination and gender stereotyping to address the incident.

Symbols like the swastika conjure intense meaning for some people, said Matthew White, the university's interreligious community and justice coordinator. He talked about the difference between intention and impact, saying that when people say or do hurtful things to others, it's necessary to realize that although the hurtful action may have been unintentional, the words still have a hurtful impact.

Acting Chaplain Kate O'Dwyer Randall, who is also a member of the bias team, agreed and said there was a need for a larger conversation about diversity on campus.

"It's like if I accidentally hit K.B. [Levin] with a rock -- K.B. is still bleeding and hurt," O'Dwyer Randall said to further illustrate the point. "I didn't mean to hit her, but she was still hit. Therefore, I have to apologize and take responsibility for the action."

Chaplaincy officials said there was a need for the community to become engaged in work about diversity for "the long haul" because addressing diversity takes time.

"Working to change this is a long process," O'Dwyer Randall said. "... an urgent process, but a long process."

Collegian staff writers Megan Wilson and David Larter contributed reporting for this story.

Contact staff writer Dan Petty at dan.petty@richmond.edu