Dean of Student Affairs Camille Lizarríbar disclosed the presence of offensive graffiti around Tufts campuses in an email sent to the Tufts community on Wednesday.
The email cited a series of incidents involving the defacement of public spaces, including “[d]erogatory and crude” graffiti on the School of Museum of Fine Arts campus found in the last few weeks. Members of the community have also found a hate symbol on the Medford/Somerville campus and vulgar imagery in the Joyce Cummings Center and the School of Engineering.
Lizarríbar emphasized that this behavior contradicts the “values and expectations” of the Tufts community. The presence of offensive graffiti “creates an unwelcoming environment and disrespects every member of our community.”
Lizarríbar urged students to work together to establish a respectful and inclusive campus culture that encourages students to take accountability for their shared spaces.
The email noted that these incidents will require the university to utilize resources to repair the physical damage.
According to the email, the Tufts University Police Department is now involved and is conducting an investigation into these instances. Once those responsible are found, they will be referred to the Office of Equal Opportunity and subsequently the Office of Community Standards, where they will discuss the violations committed through these acts.
The email encouraged anyone who has information about inappropriate behavior that does not align with community values and standards to reach out to her, OEO, the Division of Diversity and Inclusion, TUPD or the University Chaplaincy. The email stated that any information given will be handled confidentially and will be addressed in partnership with its sharer.
The email also listed a variety of support groups and services for those affected to reach out to. These include DOSA, OEO, DSDI, Counseling and Mental Health Service, the CARE office and Ears for Peers.
Despite the information included in the email, students are unsure about the extent of these incidents and how the university will address them on a larger level. Issues such as these do not come as shock to many who have followed the news of recent racist and antisemitic incidents by Tufts students.
In a Sidechat forum about the email, one student wrote, “I feel like these emails are just like ‘hey we need to send out an email because we feel like we are doing absolutely nothing tangible.’”
Another student wrote, “Let me justify a useless administration position so your tuition keeps funding admin bloat.”
Executive Director of Media Relations Patrick Collins declined to offer an administrative response to these comments.
