An unknown person or persons committed what the Monmouth University Police Department (MUPD) is referring to as a “bias incident” in the early hours of the morning on Oct. 31, spray-painting various “bias-type words and objects” on portions of Henni and John Kessler Stadium and So Sweet a Cat field.
In addition to the sprayed graffiti, cans of white paint were spilled onto Larchwood Avenue. The defacement was discovered early in the morning by both an unidentified athletics coach, and an unidentified facilities management employee, according to William McElrath, Chief of MUPD.
According to McElrath, a $1,000 reward is being offered to anyone who has any information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the crime. He also said that the incident is still being “actively investigated” by detectives, but no further information was available.
Students were informed of the situation via an e-mail sent at 10:42 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 2, two days after the graffiti was discovered.
“The information that I know is that there were swastikas and the ‘n’ word written on the stadium,” said Hayley Bray, a senior health studies student and President of the Chabad on campus. “When I heard it, I literally felt my heart drop and thought to myself ‘not again.’”
The graffiti was removed by facilities management as soon as it was discovered.
“I was extremely disappointed in the vandalism defacing the new stadium and other campus facilities,” said University President Grey Dimenna Esq. “I was even more disappointed that the vandalism included symbols, pictures, and words that were discriminatory, vulgar, and so antithetical to our community and its values. I would like to think that none of our students were involved. These actions have no place on our campus and I would hope that everyone will stand together in condemning such behavior.”
“Thinking that this type of behavior can bring us back to a dark era is terrifying,” said Bray. “I thought that if something like this were to happen, more would be done [by the school].”
