On Feb. 5, the St. Edward’s University Police Department (UPD) sent a campus advisory alerting the St. Edward’s community of an incident of hate-based graffiti inside Basil Moreau Hall (BMH). According to the advisory, the graffiti included “anti-Semitic and xenophobic words and symbols.”

The incident was reported to UPD on Feb. 3 at around 9:30 p.m. According to Gwen Schuler, the university’s director of communications, the graffiti was found on several residential doors on the same floor inside BMH. It’s unclear which floor of the building this occurred on.

UPD is taking the lead on investigating the incident with the help of Residence Life and the Dean of Students office. Schuler said that UPD has also been collecting evidence and interviewing students in an effort to gain more information about who was responsible.

“UPD has increased officer presence in the affected residence hall,” Chief Homer Huerta of UPD said.

Residence Life staff has also increased their presence on campus, specifically by doing more rounds within residence halls. Additionally, they have implemented programs to support students and address their concerns.

A statement made by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion read: “Hate has no home on our Hilltop and while we are disheartened to hear of any incidents of bias on our campus, we know that this is not representative of our community. The Office of Student Diversity and Inclusion looks forward to continuing to support students through our programs and initiatives.”

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call UPD at (512) 448-8444 or email them at [email protected]. Students can also report incidences of bias through the university’s Bias Incident Response Team (BIRT).

Hilltop Views is committed to providing the St. Edward’s community with accurate, up-to-date reporting. Readers can expect more in-depth information on this incident within the following weeks.