The Sandspur

Issue date: 10/9/06 Section: News

Media Credit: Courtesy of Rollins PR Department Holt Hall was one of the buildings under hatred attacks.

What kinds of things do people write on the dry erase boards in dormitory halls? Maybe a reminder for an upcoming meeting? Perhaps a note because someone didn't answer his door? Or even something as simple as a friendly "What's up?"

All these are common, and students know to expect them. But what if, one day, there was something terrible written on one of those dry erase boards? Something hateful and offensive, scrawled on the board anonymously. No one would expect to see something like that, especially not in a community as diverse as Rollins College. However, this sort of hateful behavior has been happening to students in Hamilton Holt Hall, and it's no joking matter.

There have been a lot of rumors flying around about what actually happened after Donna Lee of the Student Affairs Administration distributed flyers to students' mailboxes concerning the incident. These rumors have surfaced mostly due to the fact that the residence hall has kept a certain amount of confidence with the subject, only allowing information to those who were directly affected. It's the smart thing to do. No one really needs to know everything about what happened, after all, keeping in mind that the most important issue is that it happened at all.

"Incidents like this impact all of us… and it is imperative that we speak out against it," cautions Lee. However, to stop some of the rumors, some information must be revealed to the public.

The incidents that were reported were incidents of symbols and slurs written on the dry erase board of one student, as well as on the car of another. Emily Jarrell, a friend of the individual whose dry erase board was vandalized, also had offensive material written on her board. "The slurs were anti-Semitic in nature," Jarrell says, "The only slur on my door was 'Jew Lover,' while things like swastikas and anti-Semitic slurs were on [my friend's door]."

The perpetrator, as of yet, has not been found. However, when the guilty party is caught, the consequences will be dire. "Hate motivated offenses compromise the integrity of the Rollins College community, and the College hearing process may impose harsher sanctions when behavior is proven to be motivated by hate," says Lee,

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