April 30 UPDATE
In an email to the Lehigh community, President Joseph Helble said the Lehigh University Police Department worked with SouthSide Commons management to cover the symbol, begin repairs to the glass surface and launch an investigation to identify those responsible.
“It is unfathomable to me that someone within the Lehigh community would do this intentionally,” he said in the email.
Helble said the incident serves as a reminder of the work that remains in combating hate within the Lehigh community and across the country.
He also reminded students and community members that hate won’t be tolerated at Lehigh and said the university is doing everything possible to foster a community built on belonging and mutual respect.
Original Reporting
Lehigh issued a timely Clery Act alert after vandalism involving swastikas was discovered in a SouthSide Commons elevator, according to a HawkWatch alert.
According to the Lehigh University Police Department, a Clery Act notification was issued after additional swastikas were discovered scratched into the same elevator glass panel later that evening on April 27. While the timeline of the initial marking was unclear, a follow-up investigation indicated repeated and ongoing activity.
Officials said the recurrence suggests the individual or individuals responsible may still be active in the area.
“Lehigh University takes all acts of hate and bias-motivated vandalism seriously, as they impact the safety and well-being of our entire community,” the email said.
1 Comment
I don’t understand why this has to happen. I came across this article after I used Google AI to ask an unrelated question and it directed me to a The Brown and White article, then I saw a link to this article. I am an alumnus of rival Lafayette College and when I was a Lafayette student, they too had to deal with vandals drawing swastikas in buildings. I remember seeing in The Lafayette newspaper’s Public Safety Crime Log mentioning multiple incidents of such vandalism. Regardless of Northampton County rivalry, both the Lafayette and Lehigh communities clearly agree that the swastika vandalism in college buildings needs to stop.
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