This article is breaking and will be updated as more information comes to light.

By Theresa Schliep

Public Safety is investigating a swastika in a Tierney Hall restroom as a suspected hate crime, according to a university-wide email from John Carroll, associate vice president of safety and security. The swastika was present since at least August 27. Public Safety suspects a member of one of the visiting groups who resided in Tierney Hall over the summer made the swastika, according to the email.

A Resident Assistant (RA) reported the swastika to Public Safety on Wednesday evening, according to the email. Officers from the New York Police Department (NYPD) responded to the incident, and the university awaits the arrival of a member from the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force.

Carroll said in the email that this incident will be difficult to investigate because the swastika was found in a restroom stall.

“These types of crimes are notoriously difficult to solve without a witness or video footage, neither of which are available in a restroom stall, and are difficult to prevent for the same reasons,” said Carroll. “Regardless, such expressions of hate are an intolerable insult to the University community, and to their intended targets.”

The university called the incident “a suspected hate crime,” a departure from similar incidents in which they used the term “suspected bias incident.” Carroll said in the email the change in language is due to some members of the Fordham community who believe that the latter phrase minimizes these types of incidents.