University Police at the University at Buffalo have been investigating anti-Semitic slurs written inside a bathroom on the North Campus.
"It was disturbing what was written," said Andrew Meyer, the President of Jewish Student Union. "It's a threatening matter and it was kind of scary."
The graffiti says, "Kill all ..." followed by a derogatory word used to describe Jewish people.
The graffiti was discovered about one week ago by a student.
Meyer said that he has seen anti-Semitism before, including swastikas painted outside in his hometown, but has never seen anything like this.
"You don't often hear that," added Logan Woodard, the Jewish Student Union Vice-President. "It's a big word. It's a nasty word," he said of the slur.
The graffiti was written in Capen Hall. Police told Meyer and Logan that it may have been up for weeks before anybody reported it.
The school increased patrols near on-campus celebrations of Purim and in the area of Hillel, a Jewish student organization.
"It's something that you do not expect to happen where you are," Woodard said. "You hear about it happening somewhere else."
The school released a statement, saying in part, "Racist and discriminatory behaviors or conduct have no place at UB will not be tolerated ... Diversity, inclusion and mutual respect are strongly held values of our university."
Meyer and Logan said that UB is extremely diverse, which is part of why this is so surprising. However, they believe that anti-Semitism is on the rise at other college campuses nationwide.
Last month, Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) even threatened to withhold funding for CUNY schools amid allegations of on-campus anti-Semitism.
At UC Berkeley, someone reportedly wrote "Zionists should be sent to the gas chamber" in a university bathroom. A swastika was found on campus there too.
However, both Meyer and Woodard say they doubt this will ever happen at UB again.
"I don't know what they were trying to accomplish," Woodard said. "The school is very united, very helpful."
