Swastikas Found Outside Yale University Freshman Dorm

Three swastikas were found chalked outside a Yale University freshman residence hall late Sunday night, The Yale Daily News reports.

The offensive graffiti was found on a walkway outside Durfee Hall, which houses first year students in Morse College and is part of Yale's Old Campus. According to a campus-wide email from Jonathan Holloway, the Dean of Yale College, "Attempts were made to remove these troubling images, but some faint impressions remain."

The Yale Daily News reports that several swastikas were also found on a whiteboard in Vanderbilt Hall, another Old Campus freshman dorm, just over a month ago.

Last week, swastikas and other offensive graffiti were found on the outside of Emory University's Alpha Epsilon Pi house - a nationally Jewish fraternity - hours after the end of the holy Jewish holiday Yom Kippur. A second set of swastikas was later found across the street from AEPi.

Via Truth Revolt, here is the full email from Yale College Dean Jonathan Holloway:

I am saddened to report that three swastikas were chalked on the sidewalk outside of Durfee Hall on the Old Campus Sunday night, October 12th. Attempts were made to remove these troubling images, but some faint impressions remain. I condemn this shameful defacement, perpetrated anonymously under cover of night. The swastika, appropriated by the Nazis in the last century as an emblem of anti-Semitism, is particularly offensive and disrespectful toward the Jewish members of our community, but, in truth, it insults us all. The use of the swastika violates our values of respect, thoughtfulness, generosity, and goodwill. I will not stand idly by when this or other symbols of hate are used on this campus. It is my hope that you will join me in taking a similar stand.

Let me take this moment, then, to reaffirm our commitment to welcoming views from all walks of life, embracing diversity, and promoting openness. These efforts go to the core of our mission as an academic community, which thrives only insofar as it is inclusive toward everyone. Even more, these efforts go to the core of what it means to a community that values decency and civility. Let's work together to make sure that we respect these bedrock principles.

There is no room for hate in this house.

According to The Yale Daily News, the final line "There is no room for hate in this house" has become a rallying call for many students on campus, who have created a mural with the phrase outside of Durfee Hall.