GW student gov’t addresses swastika incidents with request for added security

Marcy Oster

(JTA) — In the aftermath of swastikas found in a residence hall, the student senate at George Washington University asked the university to install more security cameras in dorms.

The Student Association Senate passed a resolution Monday calling for the extra security measures in public spaces, such as near elevators and in residence hall lobbies, the student newspaper The Hatchet reported Tuesday.

The proposal came in response to the posting of swastikas twice in three weeks at the university’s International House, which houses members of nine fraternities and sororities.

Three swastikas were drawn on walls of the International House at the end of February in an incident that is now being investigated as a hate crime. Earlier in March, a member of the predominantly Jewish fraternity Zeta Beta Tau posted a swastika on the public bulletin board of the residence hall in an incident that also is being investigated as a hate crime.

After the first incident, the university installed a security camera in the lobby of International House, according to The Hatchet.

The bill also asked the student senate to formally condemn the postings of the swastikas.