Ups Students Suspected Of Racist Graffiti

The University of Puget Sound says two students are being investigated in connection with racist graffiti scrawled in dormitories.

UPS student dean Judith Kay declined to identify the students. She said the college also has notified police.

The graffiti, scrawled in purple marker, included a drawing of a Swastika and offensive language attacking Jews, Asians, blacks, Mormons, gays and two UPS students by name.

It was discovered Wednesday morning on one student’s door and in a stairwell inside Harrington Hall.

More graffiti was discovered on a ledge between Harrington and Anderson-Langdon halls and on cars in a nearby parking lot.

In at least one place the graffiti was signed “white pride.”

Kay said the school and police were investigating a tip identifying two students who might have been responsible.

Staff members met Wednesday night with students living in Harrington Hall. The students erased the graffiti as a way of collectively denouncing it, Kay said.

“The university’s approach is to be as open and forthright about this as possible,” she said. “Everything is to be gained from denouncing this swiftly.”

Students also planned a rally outside the student center on campus.

“The best way to handle disruptive speech like this is massive amounts of positive speech,” said Brett Kiehl, a senior and president of the Associated Students of UPS.

This was the third racist incident at the private liberal arts college in a year.

In November 1995, racists fliers were found in about 30 books in the race and ethnicity section of the library. In April, students were upset by an effort to start a Euro-American Students Union on campus, which many feared might be a racist group.