Swastikas found at UIndy, Purdue campuses

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Swastikas were found over the last couple days at both the University of Indianapolis and Purdue Indianapolis.

The University of Indianapolis president is denouncing offensive vandalism found on a campus statue.

President Robert Manuel sent an email to students Tuesday morning explaining that someone scratched a swastika on the bust of Au Ho-nien in the Schwitzer Student Center. Ho-nien’s paintings as well as the bust are on display as part of an exhibit in the building’s lower level.

“Such an act is against every core value on which our University stands; yet it reminds us we are not immune to intolerance and hate,” Manuel said in the email. “UIndy has not and will never tolerate such behavior.”

UIndy representatives said the bust has been taken off campus to be restored. They’re not sure if it was a student who committed the vandalism since the public has access to the building. They also don’t know exactly when the swastika was carved into the bust.

The messages at Purdue were located outside an office for the American Studies Program. They were written on a whiteboard in Heavilon Hall. The incident was reported Monday morning.

Purdue officials believe it happened sometime over the weekend.

“We are a very welcoming campus and we take this very seriously what happened,” Rachael Junard, University of Indianapolis student government president, said.

“It just made me upset and angry, and scared,” UIndy sophomore Shannon Gaskin said.

When asked what she hopes comes of this incident, Gaskin replied, “I hope that that person or whoever did it understands the consequences of their actions and I hope that maybe it’ll stop somebody else from thinking of doing something like this in the future.”

“This is a culture that we should be proud of,” said Junard as she stood in Ho-nien’s art exhibit. “And for someone to deface it like that, it’s definitely not OK.”