An anonymous individual or group spray-painted the words “racist” and “rapist” on a University of Texas fraternity.
Fraternity brothers at the Phi Gamma Delta house, a UT-Austin fraternity located north of campus, woke up to find the fence of their house had been vandalized on the morning of Monday, April 17.
“Rapist” and “racist” were reportedly spray-painted on two sides of a stone fence post at the corner of Whitis Avenue and West 27th Street in Austin.
Dr. Soncia Reagins-Lilly, UT-Austin’s vice president of Student Affairs and Dean of Students, said in a statement, “No defamatory graffiti or vandalism — whether targeting individuals or organizations — has any place in our campus community.”
Furthermore, Reagins-Lilly is asking anyone with information to contact the university’s Office of the Dean of Students.
Via KXAN:
Monday afternoon, a man was seen power washing the graffiti off the stone. The university confirmed they have received reports of the graffiti at the off-campus fraternity house. Dr. Soncia Reagins-Lilly, UT Austin’s vice president for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, says they are in contact with students at the fraternity to gather information and provide support.
The University of Texas did not clarify whether the vandalism is related to a specific incident. Similarly, Phi Gamma Delta did not make any comments.
The University of Texas IFC contacted COED to released the following statement on the matter:
“The Forty Acres should never be a place for hateful rhetoric against any group. In light of the recent vandalism of several fraternity houses, Texas IFC emphasizes that we strive to promote a safe, enriching and inclusive environment for all members of the UT campus community.
In recent years, we have worked to raise awareness for and address sexual assault by partnering with several organizations that have similar aims, including Not On My Campus and Voices Against Violence. There are strides still to be made to create a completely inclusive IFC community, and we will continue to partner with student organizations and the University to do this work.”
