GETTYSBURG, Pa. — Gettysburg College has fallen under the national spotlight, after a recent incident involving members of its men’s swim team.
A student is accused of using a boxcutter to carve “the n-word” into another student’s chest. It happened on September 6 at an informal social gathering which took place at an on-campus residence, according to the school’s president.
That student is "no longer enrolled" at Gettysburg, according to the school, though it’s unclear if the swimmer was expelled.
“I can’t say I was surprised, it’s very unfortunate that this is what gave the school gave attention because I feel there are really good things that happen at this school," said Obaapa Danquah-Smith, a junior at Gettysburg College and president of the Gettysburg African Student Association, in reference to hearing about the incident.
Danquah-Smith and other students with the College’s Black Student Union and African Student Association tell FOX43 they’re disappointed in what they say has been a “lack of transparency” from the school in handling the situation.
Danquah-Smith says she found out about the incident through social media.
“My friend sent me a TikTok and was like ‘This is your school right?’ and I’m like ‘That is my school,'" she explained. "If you knew a situation like this happened, why didn't you tell us?"
“Especially me, being the Black Student Union president, not once was I reached out to from anybody from the school to let us know what is going on," added Justin Whittick, a sophomore who serves as president of Gettysburg College's Black Student Union. "We understand they can’t give us all the details, but at least let us know they are conducting this investigation, they are taking this situation seriously.”
Both students say they don’t feel less safe because of the incident.
“We feel this situation is not reflective of the culture here at Gettysburg but it does show the things that do happen at this school," said Whittick. "I don't feel any less safe on campus and to anybody who might have been thinking, who is a Black student, who wanted to come to Gettysburg before, don't let this situation necessarily steer you away. There are still many Black people here who are doing great things and we have so many different clubs and organizations that you can come be a part of. We hope this situation can bring together the Black people on campus and show us that in this time, we need to be here to support one another."
“I don’t want the narrative to be, ‘Black people in Gettysburg feel unsafe,'" added Danquah-Smith.
The College's president released two campus-wide messages regarding the incident on September 19 and September 23.
The school also released a joint statement with the victim's family which was published in the College's student newspaper "The Gettysburgian" on September 22.
On Thursday, Jamie Yates, the College's Chief Communications & Marketing Officer, told FOX43 that the school's investigation into the incident is now closed.
"The results of the investigation (that the student who committed that act is no longer enrolled and that we are working with the other student and his family on a productive path forward) is all we have to share," said Yates.
No charges have been filed with local police. Gettysburg Borough's police chief told FOX43 on Thursday that no report had been made to the department.
Chief Robert Glenny Jr. said he became aware of the incident through media reports and reached out to Gettysburg College who told him the victim decided to handle everything through the school's disciplinary process, though the school said it did encourage him to contact law enforcement.
The Gettysburg men’s swim team released its own statement regarding the incident late Wednesday night saying, "Given the intense focus surrounding the recent events on campus, the Gettysburg College Swim Team feels compelled to address the incident directly."
The statement says in part, “We acknowledge the past few weeks have been extraordinarily difficult for many people within our campus community and beyond.”
The statement continues “The national spotlight has unfortunately led some to believe that our team, or the culture within our team, is complicit in the racist incident that took place. This couldn’t be further from the truth.”
It goes on to say “This incident was not tied to the swim team. It was not a team-sanctioned event. It was not hazing. It was not endorsed by our team. This incident does not reflect our values or who we are.”
“We want to steer away from the actual incident because we don’t have all the information on it and more so focus on how we can improve as a community, and be more accepting of everybody and how we can empower the Black students here on campus," said Whittick.
You can read the entire statement from the swim team here.