The Campus Safety Department removed a number of unauthorized, anonymous posters from upper campus buildings around 10 p.m. on Oct. 31. According to an email sent the following day from Vice President and Dean of the College Paul J. McLoughlin that addressed the broader campus community, the posters conveyed messages that “could be read as antisemetic” and were removed due to a violation of University policy, which states that any printed advertisements — including posters — must have an organization name attached.
“Colgate University strongly condemns not only antisemitism and Islamophobia, but also bigotry in all its forms,” McLoughlin wrote. “These are antithetical to the shared values of a caring and humane academic community. While the world and these times are complicated, posting anonymous flyers — or any materials designed to frighten members of the community — does not allow us to engage in conversation that helps us to learn from one another and share our diversity of perspectives.”
McLoughlin further emphasized the University’s plan to host events that will serve as opportunities for discussion about the current conflict in the Middle East.
Because similar posters have recently been found on other college campuses, the email indicated that Campus Safety is investigating their origin, including the possibility that they were created and distributed by a group or individual from outside the campus community.
President Brian W. Casey further commented on Campus Safety’s ongoing investigation.
“What they’re mostly investigating right now is [whether] we think these were of Colgate or beyond Colgate,” Casey said. “There’s some strong circumstantial evidence that it’s beyond Colgate, […] but we don’t know yet. What they’re checking right now is [whether] these posters [were] produced on our campus. There’s ways you can try to find that.”
The incident comes as New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that police patrols would increase on campuses across the state to address sudden rises in hate crimes, particularly those related to violence in the Middle East. Associate Vice President for Emergency Management Joe Hernon confirmed that this decision would impact Colgate in a separate campus-wide email sent on Nov. 1.
“Our contacts at the New York State Police barracks in Morrisville alerted us today about their plans for increased vehicle patrols at SUNY Morrisville and Colgate,” Hernon wrote. “I share this news not to alarm our community, but to make everyone aware of the origins of this increased law enforcement presence.”
Both emails from McLoughlin and Hernon added that campus community members should contact Campus Safety with further questions or information.
