ATHENS, Ga. — A UGA student says she and her roommate made a disturbing find when they returned to their dorm room after a football game earlier in November.
Now, police and school officials are looking into who allegedly drew swastikas down a dorm hallway in Athens.
According to the University of Georgia Police Department, officers were called to Russell Hall on Monday in regards to an incident that had happened about nine days earlier.
The student said she left her dorm around 3:30 p.m. to attend a football game and returned just after 10 p.m. At first, it was her roommate that asked if she had seen "what was on the doors." She then learned of the swastikas that were drawn on laminated name tags on her door and others in the same hallway.
She told police that the drawings were "small to medium in size and had been drawn using a black dry erase marker," according to the report. Most of the drawings were already smeared by the time the two students saw them, however, the victim said some were still intact. She took pictures of them and then they erased the drawing from their door placard.
She told the responding officer that the drawings were "on the door just before hers, her door and then every door passed her room ending at the last door by the stairwell."
The officer counted 18 doors that could have been vandalized, though there was no immediate proof since the marker prints could be easily erased and were by the time the report was being filed.
The student said she didn't notice them when she did laundry earlier the same day. Her roommate confirmed many of the same details over the phone with police and she didn't have any ideas as to who may have drawn the symbols.
Due to the swastikas being easily removed and the fact that no damage was reported, the officer said in the report that this incident couldn't be considered a criminal trespass.
The report was still filed for informational purposes to assist in any Equal Opportunity Office investigation. A complaint had already been filed with that office as of Nov. 11, 2019.
The university said it was aware of the reports of offensive symbols drawn on the message boards of two residence halls on the campus.
Those complaints are referred to the EOO "in accordance with applicable laws and policies."
Members of the department of university housing have also met with affected students, the university's statement said.
"The University of Georgia is committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all members of our community," it said.
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