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UPDATED: March 2, 2022, at 9:42 a.m.

Syracuse University’s Department of Public Safety is investigating reports of racist and threatening language toward Asian people on a Discord server, DPS announced in a press release Friday night.

The racist posts started in November 2021 and have occurred as recently as this week, the release said. There are no suspects at this time. This is the first reported bias incident of the spring 2022 semester.

“This online behavior is no less disturbing than if it occurred in-person,” Allen Groves, the senior vice president and chief student experience officer, said in the press release. Groves added that when racist acts are committed anonymously online, they can be harder to find the perpetrator.

DPS is working with the Syracuse Police Department on the investigation. It has also submitted a complaint to the FBI, alerted the New York State Police Bias Task Force and filed a subpoena request with the Onondaga County Attorney’s office.

“I appreciate the hard work of DPS, SPD, and other partner law enforcement agencies as they continue to investigate this matter,” Groves said.

DPS has contacted the person who initially reported the incident to gather information and offer support. The agency has also interviewed other people and reviewed the Discord server where the language was posted.

The press release asks that anyone who has information regarding the case should contact DPS. Those who have information can also anonymously tip DPS through the Silent Witness tool and the Rave Guardian app, the release said.

“Should we learn that anyone responsible for these racist acts is affiliated with the University, we will take prompt action to hold them accountable,” Groves said.

DPS has identified the person believed to be responsible for the posts and has referred the case to the Office of Community Standards.

This post will be updated with additional reporting.

Published on February 4, 2022 at 7:11 pm

Contact Kyle: kschouin@syr.edu | @Kyle_Chouinard