Some disturbing news over the summer is the reporting of a number of incidents of material on doors being defaced by the image of a swastika. In addition to alarming people in the offices concerned it is also unacceptable behaviour that can be categorised as gross misconduct. For staff this includes ‘deliberate or malicious damage to University, staff, customer or visitor property’ and for students and staff in the University rules it includes ‘the general harassment or intimidation of another member of the university’ understood to include: ‘any act or expression or series or combination of such, or incitement to commit such acts, against a person, that creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment that prevents or significantly impairs that person’s (or group’s) full enjoyment of living, learning, or working at Lancaster University; and that is insistent and/or persistent and/or repetitive. Examples include: derogatory name calling, insults, humiliating graffiti, verbal abuse or ridicule of, an individual’.
It is somewhat worrying that the University appears to have chosen not to openly address this.