At least seven hate bias incidents have been reported at the University of Maryland so far this month, according to police and Office of Diversity and Inclusion logs.
There were several instances of anti-LGBTQ language, as well as offensive images targeting students of color and anti-Semitic faxes, according to the ODI’s log.
The most recent incident — which wasn’t included on the office’s log as of Sunday — occurred Nov. 18 at about 10:30 p.m. at Elkton Hall, according to police logs.
In that incident, a resident assistant reported there was a racist phrase written on a bulletin board, police spokesperson Rosanne Hoaas wrote in an email. In a letter sent to dorm residents, resident director Ray Nardella called the incident “unacceptable and extremely concerning.”
There have been 18 hate bias incidents so far this semester, according to the office’s log.
[Read more: “It’s terrifying to go back there”: Students react to hate bias incidents in UMD dorms]
Anti-LGBTQ language was first reported this month in an undergraduate residence’s restroom on Nov. 5, and the police investigation came up inconclusive — which means “evidence is incomplete or conflicting and the incident cannot be verified by UMPD,” according to the ODI log.
On Nov. 11, one student used anti-LGBTQ language in a verbal assault against another student, and on Nov. 14, such language was reported in another restroom of an undergraduate residence. These incidents either were not reported to police or didn’t fall under the department’s jurisdiction, ODI’s log stated.
The next day, anti-LGBTQ language was found on a “Safe Zone” sign outside a room in an academic building. The case is still being investigated by University Police.
[Read more: UMD released its long-awaited external diversity review — but it offers few details]
The police investigation into a Nov. 9 incident — wherein a person sent anti-Semitic faxes to two academic offices from an unknown number — came up inconclusive, the log said.
A Nov. 15 incident, wherein someone drew an “offensive image targeting students of color” on an academic building’s whiteboard, was not investigated by police.
