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AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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Officials name senior vice president, chief of staff
By Fiona Riley, Assistant News Editor • March 26, 2024

Swastikas drawn in Georgetown dorm

Four Georgetown University students found swastikas on whiteboards hanging on their dorm room doors last week, an event that mirrors an incident on GW’s campus three years ago.

The Department of Public Safety at Georgetown is investigating the incidents and has notified the Metropolitan Police Department of the swastikas, Georgetown’s newspaper, The Hoya, reported. “Hitler” was also written next to the symbols.

Housing staff at Georgetown sent an e-mail to students in the affected dorms, saying the drawings do not reflect the beliefs of the entire Georgetown community. Georgetown’s DPS is still investigating the incident, The Hoya reported.

Three years ago, a similar situation at GW prompted an investigation by the University Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A freshman student, Sarah Marshak, reported that six swastikas had been drawn on the whiteboard outside of her Mitchell Hall room. Marshak, who is Jewish, reported the incident to UPD.

The FBI was later called in to determine who had been drawing the symbols, and by using hidden cameras found that Marshak had drawn them herself.

Marshak then told The Hatchet she only drew the last three of six symbols to solicit a reaction from University officials.

A University spokeswoman confirmed Marshak signed a confession stating she drew more than just the final three swastikas. Marshak withdrew from GW after being informed she would likely be expelled following a trial before Student Judicial Services.

Marshak was a Hatchet reporter before the incident.

Editor’s note:
In an earlier version of this story, The Hatchet did not say that Marshak was previously a reporter for The Hatchet.

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