A swastika was discovered on Friday inside a social space designated for Jewish students at Loyola University Chicago, according to a report by The Chicago Sun-Times. The reprehensible symbol was found drawn in the Hillel Social Room located within the Damen Student Center, sparking immediate concern among students and faculty alike.
The university responded promptly by issuing a campus safety alert and later detailed the incident, which Vice President for Student Development Keith Champagne described as "heinous." In a strong condemnation, Champagne stated, "Loyola University Chicago condemns this hateful act of antisemitism and discrimination absolutely and unequivocally."
According to the Sun-Times, this incident follows the discovery of other "obscene items" in the same room earlier in the week, intensifying the distress within the university's Jewish community. Metro Chicago Hillel at Loyola expressed outrage over these repeated acts of vandalism, highlighting the violation of their community's security and the heightened sense of unsafety among Jewish students on campus.
The university's Office for Equity and Compliance is investigating the vandalism, with a firm commitment expressed by Champagne to combat antisemitism and ensure the safety and support of the Jewish community at Loyola.
'Violation of community security'"Hillel at Loyola is outraged by the repeated acts of vandalism committed inside the Jewish Life space on campus," Metro Chicago Hillel at Loyola said in a statement. "This is a violation of the security of our community and comes at a time when Jewish students already feel unsafe to express their identity on campus."