The Gettysburg College swim team is speaking out after an incident earlier this month in which one of its members carved a racial slur into another's chest, saying the incident "does not reflect our values or who we are."
In a statement published on the college's sports website, the team said it felt compelled to directly address the situation due to some believing that the organization or the culture within it is "complicit in the racist incident" that took place.
"This couldn't be further from the truth," the statement read. "We know the character of this team. We believe in our team. To sit in silence while our reputation has been unjustly smeared has been agonizing. It has hurt deeply to see something we love so much be wrongfully associated with something so vile."
PREVIOUS REPORTING | Student carved racial slur into teammate's chest with box cutter, school says
The incident was first made public last week when Gettysburg College President Bob Iuliano sent a campus-wide email saying two students had been suspended from the swim team after its captains reported the incident to the school, kickstarting an investigation into the unofficial swim team social gathering that took place Sept. 6 at an on-campus residence.
Campus newspaper The Gettysburgian spoke to the victim's family, who said their son was the only person of color at the gathering when another teammate whom he "trusted" used a box cutter to carve the "N-word" into his chest. They told the newspaper their son was a victim of a "hate crime" and that he'd since been "isolated" from many in his college community.
"He did not choose the color of his skin tone but has chosen to embrace the strength and diversity it represents," their statement read. "Our son did not choose to be shunned and isolated at the behest of some who pay lip service to inclusion and diversity."
On Sunday, Vice President for College Life Anne Ehrlich sent out a campus-wide email stating the perpetrator was no longer enrolled at Gettysburg College and said the school's investigation was "nearing its conclusion." She also said conversations with the victim's family about "how most constructively to move forward" had begun, delivering on a promise she said the school had made to the family upon the end of its investigation.
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Iuliano then sent another email on Monday, saying the community needs to "acknowledge the harm" the incident caused to those who "have long been marginalized in our society through language and actions precisely like those that took place." He also affirmed the incident was not "a byproduct of an unhealthy athletic team culture or a reflection on the team itself," pointing to the captains' willingness to report the incident.
The swim team highlighted to this quote in their statement and underscored that the gathering "was not a team-sanctioned event," "was not hazing" and "was not endorsed by our team." It again commended the captains who spoke up and the school officials who took action, saying they all "stand united in condemning the actions that took place."
"In a few weeks, we will return to the pool, as determined as ever," the statement concluded. "We will represent this college with pride, both in and out of the water. We will emerge from this a stronger, more united team, and, as many others have said, our campus has the potential to become a stronger institution because of it."
Though the victim's family has acknowledged they have the right to pursue criminal charges in the matter, they have so far only sought reparation through complaints with the NAACP Harrisburg chapter, the NAACP Pennsylvania conference and the Pennsylvania Commission on Human Relations, each citing racial discrimination, harassment and lack of due process.
