New racial bias incident reported on campus
A three-word statement, scrawled in red ink on a bathroom stall of a DePauw University residence hall, is the latest racial bias incident reported on campus and the first this semester.
Ken Owen, DePauw spokesman and special adviser to the university president, confirmed that a student discovered the graffiti at about 7:30 p.m. Friday in a third-floor bathroom at Hogate Hall on South Locus Street.
The offending message read: "(N-word) gone home."
Owen said the message contains no language indicating anyone was being threatened, and consequently the university did not notify the campus about a racial slur.
"We're looking at camera footage," Owen told the Banner Graphic, noting that obviously no cameras can be installed in bathrooms, making identification of the perpetrator difficult.
University officials have met with the student directly affected by the incident and others, Owen said, particularly those residing in Hogate, and others indirectly affected by the incident.
While a DePauw Nature Park incident last spring in which rocks were used to spell out a racial slur was attributed to Greencastle juveniles, the Hogate incident is more likely to have involved DePauw students or staff than random individuals since access to the building is limited.
"It narrows the investigation," Owen agreed, noting that the perpetrator would need access or someone to give him access to the dormitory building
"It's very frustrating," Owen added. "Whoever is doing this clearly loves the attention."
In a campus email circulated Tuesday, Alan Hill, vice president of Academic Life at DePauw, assured that DePauw Police have taken the matter "very seriously."
However, some students and faculty have expressed dismay over a delay in letting them know about the incident. Previously, the campus community was informed about any bias incidents via email soon after they were discovered or took place.
The Hogate incident is the first report of racial graffiti this semester. Last spring there were multiple reports, including two other messages written in bathrooms -- one at the Inn at DePauw and another at a university building.