Racist, derogatory graffiti found at Pa. college
LEBANON, Pa. — Graffiti with racially derogatory language was found on a building at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Monday afternoon.
“Earlier today, the Division of Student Affairs received a report of racially derogatory language on the exterior of the Women’s Services and Gender Resource Center, which also serves as student housing,” a post on LVC’s Facebook page said. “Such language is unacceptable on our campus and violates Lebanon Valley College’s policies on conduct and expression.”
Students at the Women’s Services and Gender Resource Center reported the graffiti, which was sprayed near the doorway of the building’s main entrance, in the early afternoon.
The graffiti was removed, and the Annville Township police are conducting an investigation into the incident, according to Molly O’Brien-Foelsch, head of marketing and communication at LVC.
“There are no leads at this time that I’m aware of,” O’Brien-Foelsch said. “But Public Safety will have an increased presence on campus because of this.”
The Annville Township Police Department confirmed that they received a report on the incident, that they are investigating and that they will increase patrols around the campus, but could not comment further on the case.
The leadership from both academic and student affairs will be available to support students to foster a civil campus community in the wake of the incident, according to O’Brien-Foelsch.
“Even before this incident occurred, faculty and staff were holding small group meetings with students to help them sort out their thoughts and feelings regarding the results of the recent election,” O’Brien-Foelsch said.
O’Brien-Foelsch added that she felt the graffiti was influenced by the result of the presidential election.
“As a college, Lebanon Valley is dedicated to inclusion, open dialogue, civility, and respect,” the Facebook post said. “We will continue our work to foster a strong campus community.”
In December 2015, a group of LVC students demanded reform in the name of equality by providing a list of demands that included issues of faculty diversity, handicapped accessibility and LGBTQ+ concerns along with requesting that the name of Lynch Memorial Hall be changed because of its suggested racial overtones, according to a story in the Dec. 11 edition of the Lebanon Daily News.
The demand to alter the building’s name garnered national media attention and ridicule on social media, according to the article, but “that concern was just one small part of a much larger group of demands, including a lack of diverse faculty and a curriculum focused on ‘normative’ Western history.”
Follow Merriell Moyer on Twitter: @merriell_moyer
