Gettysburg College: Swim team investigated after student had racial slur carved into chest

CNN
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A student-athlete is no longer enrolled at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania after allegedly carving a racial slur on a teammate's chest, school officials say.

Several students were attending an informal swim team meeting in a campus dorm on Sept. 6 when one of them used a box cutter to carve the N-word into another student's chest, according to statements from the college and the family, who say their son was the victim.

“The reprehensible act was committed by a fellow athlete whom he considered a friend and trusted,” the family said in an anonymous statement published last week in the college's student newspaper, The Gettysburgian.

It is unclear if the swimmer has been expelled or faces other disciplinary action from the college. Jamie Yates, a spokeswoman for the college, told CNN she could only describe the student's status as “no longer enrolled” due to student privacy laws. None of the students involved have been identified.

The liberal arts college in southern Pennsylvania and the family said in a joint statement Monday that the investigation into the incident is ongoing, adding that they “recognize the severity and seriousness of this situation and hope it can become a transformative moment for our community and beyond.”

Gettysburg College President Bob Iuliano condemned the student's behavior in a message to the campus community last week and thanked seniors on the swim team for being the first to report the incident.

“No matter the relationship or motivation, there is no place on this campus for words or actions that demean, degrade or exclude anyone because of their identity and history,” he said.

In a letter to the school community Monday, Iuliano said the college believes the incident was “not a byproduct of an unhealthy culture within the athletic team or a reflection of the team itself.”

“We are appalled. We must acknowledge the harm this incident has caused to members of our community who have long been marginalized in our society because of their identity, race, culture and history through language and actions such as those that have taken place,” he wrote in the letter.

Iuliano said the college's chief diversity officer will lead an initiative to reflect on the incident and take “concrete action.”

The family had not filed a report with local police as of Monday, Gettysburg Police Chief Robert W. Glenny Jr. told CNN.

“Campus Security advised that the victim was 'encouraged' (by the college) to contact law enforcement, but the victim chose not to do so and left the matter to the college's disciplinary process,” Glenny Jr. said.

The family said in its statement Monday that it is aware that it “retains the right to file criminal charges at the local, state and federal levels in this matter.” Last week, the family said it had filed complaints with the local and state NAACP and the Pennsylvania Commission on Human Relations.

CNN has reached out to the NAACP chapters. The state commission told CNN it was aware of the incident but noted that it does not publicly confirm or comment on complaints.

The college said last week that the students involved in the incident would not participate in swim team activities until their conduct was reviewed, according to a statement obtained by the student newspaper.

The family, who say their son was the victim, said he was “questioned by members of the coaching staff and was dismissed (not suspended) from the swim team.”

In their joint statement Monday, the college and family did not say whether students involved, including the victim, had been allowed to resume swimming activities. CNN has reached out to the college for comment on the students' status.

This fall, Gettysburg College enrolls 2,207 full-time students. Of the students from the United States, 62% identify as white and 21% as people of color, the school said.