A student discovered a swastika sketched on the message board hanging on the door to her room in Smith Hall at around 11:30 p.m. Saturday night.
She immediately informed both Safety and Security and the Hanover Police. Both organizations are investigating the incident, although Sgt. Mark Lancaster said that Safety and Security has no strong leads or suspects at this point.
The student, who is Jewish and spoke to The Dartmouth on condition of anonymity, was "outraged and in disbelief" that such an incident could occur on Dartmouth's campus.
"I would have hoped that people at Dartmouth would be intelligent enough to look beyond race, religion and gender," she said.
Dean of the College James Larimore reacted similarly, characterizing the incident as "antithetical to the ideals of this community" and the swastika as a "despicable symbol."
He said he found it especially upsetting that this incident occurred so shortly after the opening of the Pavilion, the new kosher dining facility.
Nonetheless, Larimore remains optimistic about the Dartmouth community's ability to rise above the incident. "I know we are so much better than this," he said. "We can demonstrate what the Dartmouth community is all about."
No witnesses to the incident have stepped forward as yet. However, the incident likely occurred sometime between 10:30 and 11:30 p.m Saturday night, as the undergraduate advisor for the floor passed the room at 10:30 p.m. and did not see the swastika.
No written message accompanied the swastika, although a message that one of the anonymous student's friends had written several days before remained on the board.
The student noted that the swastika appeared to have been drawn with the pen clipped to the message board, as the swastika had been drawn in red ink and the pen's cap was slightly loose.
She was unsure if the attack was directed against her personally or against Jews in general.
"I don't know anyone who has any strong anti-Semitic feelings," she said. She added that she has not had any arguments with anyone recently.
While she practices the Jewish faith, she is not highly active with any of the Jewish student organizations on campus.
Lancaster said that while he was aware of a similar incident last term, in which someone drew swastikas on the stalls of the men's bathroom near Spaulding Auditorium in the Hopkins Center, he said that there was "no way of knowing" if the two incidents are linked.
He said he does not see any evidence indicating that the student herself or any other Jewish student at Dartmouth is in any physical danger.
Larimore learned about the incident late yesterday afternoon and said he later spoke about it with College President James Wright, who is currently traveling in Indiana.
He said that it was "too soon to say" what the potential consequences for a student determined to have drawn the symbol.
In the past the circulation of anti-Semitic propaganda has garnered heavy penalties.
In the fall of 1999, Peter Cataldo '00 was evicted from his room in Topliff and forbidden to set foot on College property after he was accused of leaving such messages as "KKK, Kill Kosher Kikes" on a marker board in Topliff Hall.
Larimore encouraged students to share any information they might have about the incident with Safety and Security or the Hanover Police.
