DPS investigation into anti-LGBTQ+ language, racial slurs in Newhouse continues
SU’s Department of Public Safety is continuing its investigation into anti-LGBTQ+ language and a racial slur found at the Newhouse School of Public Communications office whiteboard last week. DPS urges anyone with information to come forward. Lindsay Baloun | Contributing Photographer
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Syracuse University Department of Public Safety officers are “pursuing all available leads” in an investigation of offensive language written on a whiteboard at the Newhouse School of Public Communications last week, according to a bias incident report issued last Tuesday.
On Monday, Newhouse Dean Mark Lodato first announced that DPS is investigating the incident, where a student found anti-LGBTQ+ language and a racial slur written on an office door whiteboard in Newhouse 2.
Officers haven’t identified surveillance footage or witnesses, the report states. DPS took photos of the whiteboard before removing the content.
“We are conducting a thorough investigation and urge anyone with information to come forward,” DPS Chief Michael Bunker said in the report. “To those affected by this incident, please know that we firmly condemn the use of such language and are committed to maintaining a campus where every member of our community feels safe, valued and respected.”
The student who discovered the writing alerted professors and filed a STOP bias report, Lodato wrote on Monday. Lodato contacted the individual “directly impacted” by the incident, he said.
“Let me be clear: this kind of reprehensible behavior has no place at Syracuse University and the Newhouse School. It runs counter to our unequivocal commitment to building a welcoming environment for all students, faculty and staff,” Lodato wrote in the email sent to Newhouse students. “The student who reported the incident is a shining example of this commitment.”
Anonymous tips can be submitted to DPS through the Silent Witness tool or the Orange Safe app.
