Gettysburg College student allegedly carved racist slur into another student’s body – NBC10 Philadelphia

A college student is accused of carving a racial slur into the body of another student at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, officials said Thursday.

The attack reportedly occurred recently at an “informal social gathering in a campus dormitory,” the college said in a statement posted online.

According to the Gettysburgian, the college's student newspaper, at least two members of the swim team were suspended after the attack. The insult was scratched into the student's face with a “plastic or ceramic tool,” the school said in a statement to NBC News partner WGAL.

Gettysburg College said Thursday that the students involved in the incident had been suspended from participating in swim team activities “pending the outcome of the student conduct determination process.”

The college added that senior students on the swim team were the first to report the incident to the school.

One student told WGAL that news of the attack left him “sickened.”

“It's just sad that something like this still happens today. Even though we talk about inclusion all the time and don't do things like this anymore, it's 2024. You can't do something like this anymore,” said the student.

Gettysburg College President Bob Iuliano said in a statement Thursday that he wanted to express his “deep dismay” over 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,” Iuliano said.

Gettysburg police told WGAL Friday morning that the incident had not yet been reported to the station.

“The student victim chose not to report the matter to police but rather to the college's internal investigation process,” Police Chief Robert Glenny Jr. said in the statement.

The police chief added that while Gettysburg College told him it encouraged the student to bring the case to police, it was ultimately the victim's decision to contact authorities.

The college told NBC News that due to privacy laws and student conduct compliance procedures, it could not release further details about the attack, perpetrators or victim at this time.

“I realize the lack of details about this incident may be frustrating and we ask for your understanding,” Iuliano said.

“At times like these, we may be tempted to speculate about what happened based on fragments of information that may or may not be accurate. Instead, I would urge us to apply our tried and tested process for assessing student behavior,” he added.

Iuliano said he had “full confidence” in the college's ability to conduct a “thorough investigation.”

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