Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, November 12, 1993 TAG: 9311120114
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By ALLISON BLAKE staff writer
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Reports of anti-semitic activity dropped nationally in 1992, but\ "skyrocketed" on campuses, said Marc Schewel of Lynchburg, chairperson-elect of\ B'nai B'rith's Anti-Defamation League in Virginia. He spoke before about 80\ early risers at one in a series of breakfast lectures on equality sponsored by\ Tech's Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action office.
Incidents range from vandalism, such as swastikas painted in dormitories, to more violent intimations of bodily harm. At a New Jersey campus, for instance, dead cats were dropped in toilets, with a message that read: "This is what we're going to do to Jews," said Schewel.
While national reports dropped eight percent from 1991 to 1992, reports of campus incidents rose 12 percent, he said.
At Tech, the incidents tend to be isolated, limited to perhaps one each school year, said Jeff Sachs, a recent graduate who was active for three years in Hillel, the student Jewish organization.
"If more than five other students heard about these isolated incidents, I'd be shocked," he said. "Students are oblivious to this, but some of the officials are aware."
Two years ago, someone was caught in the act of spraypainting swastikas on a campus building, said Sachs.
"We went outside, and there was a freshly painted wall. In this case, the university responded quickly to removing the item, but we only found out because a cop made an off-the-cuff comment" in a meeting, he said.
Administrators need to keep Hillel and Jewish students informed of such incidents, he said.
Among those in the audience were several members of the campus police force.
"We attend all these breakfasts to keep up with what's going on," said Lt. H.P. Caldwell.
by CNB