Swastika symbols reported on Stanford campus

Stanford University officials are looking into three symbols that appeared to be Nazi swastikas drawn in locations on campus in recent weeks.

The symbols were found on whiteboards in a dormitory on Nov. 9, Stanford officials said in a news release. The symbols were photographed by students who discovered them, and then were erased. 

Stanford University Department of Public Safety is investigating the incident, and will determine whether it will be considered a hate crime, Stanford said. 

The university proposed various initiatives shortly after the symbols were reported, including “accelerating” the work of an existing Jewish Advisory Committee, which was created this year to improve Jewish student life on campus. Stanford said it plans on implementing more “longer-term” solutions to address antisemitism and improve safety for its Jewish community, according to a news release.

In the same statement, Stanford said it plans on creating a new committee for Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian communities. The proposed committee would include faculty, staff, students and alumni and aim to address “Islamophobia, improve the campus experience, and enhance safety and support for members of the Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian communities.”

Isaac Deutsch, a junior mathematics and education student, said this is not the first time swastika symbols have been found on campus. Last year, a Jewish student with a whiteboard saw swastikas and drawings of Hitler on the board, he said. 

“Then there is this sort of rapid fire placement of swastikas in many different places,” Deutsch said, referring to the symbols that have been seen in recent weeks.

Deutsch said he believes that the response from the university is “divisive” and that creating the various committees is not sufficient.

“The university sort of validated this sort of two-campus idea, which is something that a lot of us don’t actually want,” he said.

SFGATE reached out to a Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine group for comment on the committees but did not receive a response in time for publication.