The Brown & White

A hateful and racist symbol was discovered by a Lehigh employee in an academic building last week, as publicized in a campus-wide e-mail from President Alice Gast.

The symbol, revealed to be a swastika approximately the size of a fist, was found carved into the metal surface of an elevator. It has since been eradicated.

The Lehigh University Police Department was contacted in response to the incident and has launched an investigation into the matter. No leads have been reported.

According to Jennifer Tucker, assistant vice president of communications, the name of the academic building will not be released so as not to bring unwanted attention to people who frequent that building.

"Nobody wants to live in a community where this happens," Tucker said.

So far, no parallels have been drawn between the mark and other specific events on campus.

"It was the only episode that was reported," Tucker said. "[We] don't know exactly what it is in relationship to."

Lehigh has recently implemented a bystander intervention program to combat hostile acts on campus.

"It's an expectation of students to speak up," said Jame'l Hodges, director of multicultural affairs. "Each person must speak. By being silent, it's a sign of support [for] any kind of hateful act."

Any student who witnesses a hateful incident or finds an offensive symbol is strongly encouraged to contact LUPD.

"We can't tolerate these kinds of acts," Hodges said. "This is supposed to be an elite institution. There are intelligent ways to express your feelings without leaving cowardly messages."