Police are investigating hateful images that were found in one of the dorm rooms at SUNY Purchase College on Nov. 20.
According to Betsy Aldredge, a spokeswoman for the college, the New York state University Police, UPD, began investigating the vandalism after the college discovered three swastikas drawn on a bulletin board in one of the dormitories late last weekend.
After the incident, Thomas Schwarz, the president of the college, sent a message to the campus community. “We continue to explore our options for protecting our most vulnerable on campus,” he said in the statement. “I urge you all to remain active, engaged and committed to ensuring that our campus is a model for what our nation should be.”
Schwarz also warned the community of the repercussions for violating the college’s policy on hate crimes. “I would like to add that hate crimes are considered felonies and are punishable by arrest and dismissal from the college,” he said.
Aldredge said that as part of the college’s protocol, any incidents involving a hate crime are first reported to the university’s police, and are then referred to the “appropriate authorities,” including the Westchester County Intelligence Center, and the Evidence Collection and Bias Crime teams from the New York state police.
On Nov. 13, Westchester County police discovered anti-Semitic and anti-African-American imagery along the Bronx River bike path in the city of White Plains. County police said the footpath and bridge were defaced with spray-painted swastikas, KKK initials, and various racial slurs. That investigation is currently ongoing.
This also isn’t the first time that SUNY Purchase has been faced with hate crimes.
In March 2015, campus authorities investigated a similar incident involving swastikas that were found spray-painted in a dorm room. According to Aldredge, a student was ultimately arrested and expelled from the college. Aldredge would not provide additional details on that incident. Around the same time, nooses were found spray-painted in another dorm, but that incident remains unsolved.
The college’s police said the investigation into the recent discovery of swastikas is ongoing as well, but would not provide additional information, as of press time.
