CINCINNATI (WXIX) – Miami University’s Dean of Students says antisemitic messages were found in a residence hall on campus.
One message was found on a student’s door, another, along with a racist message, was found in a communal bathroom within Tappan Hall, according to the University.
“I saw some of the photos. There is a swastika, that’s what it is, and the n-word. Sometimes one exclusive, sometimes both. It’s hurtful. It’s 2025 and no one should see that, experience that, it is hateful,” said Rabbi Yossi Greenberg, with the Chabad Educational Center.
Greenberg says after being notified of the hateful messaging, he first checked in on the students to make sure they didn’t feel threatened.
“The answer was that our students did feel safe and the University took it very, very seriously and that made me feel at ease,” Greenberg said. “At the same token, we tell our students, ‘You’re not victims. We’re not victims. We have exams to take care of; we have a holiday season. You have friends, you have family that love you and focus on all of the positive.”
Lindsey Topf, a senior and one of the Chabad Presidents, says the University acted immediately.
“My immediate reaction is obviously this is horrible. Hate towards anyone is horrible,” Topf said. “As a senior who has been a very active member of Chabad for the past four years and a Jew on campus, I feel completely safe. This is my family. I think administration does a phenomenal job making sure that we feel safe on this campus.”
Greenberg says his message to the Jewish community on campus is that the University has their back. He also encourages anyone to celebrate what it means to be Jewish.
“It’s a problem, I don’t want to whitewash what it means to see a swastika in a dorm, but we can’t live our lives based on someone else’s hate. We’re just beyond that,” Greenberg said.
The Dean of Students at Miami University condemned the racist graffiti, saying in a statement:
This deplorable behavior is a direct contradiction of our values and the welcoming community we strive to be at Miami. We unequivocally condemn these acts of hate. Please be aware that if you are responsible for writing these hateful messages, we are committed to investigating fully and utilizing every resource available to hold you accountable under the university’s conduct policies.
”Hate towards anyone is horrible and it should not be tolerated,” Topf said. “It was a little cowardly because they weren’t, whoever it was, brave enough to stand behind their words. They had to do it and run and leave where they couldn’t be caught.”
Miami University says if you witness hateful symbols or language on whiteboards or elsewhere to speak up and report it to a staff member, or call MUPD as soon as possible.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2025 WXIX. All rights reserved.