A drawing that may include a swastika was found in a study lounge in SUNY-ESF’s Centennial Hall on Thursday evening.

The drawing was found on a chalkboard in the lounge. Members of the college have interpreted its intent differently, SUNY-ESF Interim President David Amberg said in a statement to the campus community. Some saw a swastika included in the drawing, he said. 

The college is taking the incident seriously because of the drawing’s unclear purpose, Amberg said. SUNY-ESF’s University Police are monitoring the incident and have determined the drawing does not pose a threat to the campus community, he said. 

“As a community we have zero tolerance for, and completely condemn, all acts of racism or bias. Therefore, we are immediately informing the ESF community,” Amberg said.

At least 16 hate crimes or bias-related incidents reported on or near Syracuse University’s campus, which is adjacent to SUNY-ESF, since Nov. 7. The drawing in Centennial Hall is the first potential bias-related incident to be reported at SUNY-ESF amid the series of racist, anti-Semitic and bias-related incidents. 

A swastika was found etched in a snowbank on Comstock Avenue on Nov. 14, and graffiti depicting a swastika was found Nov. 16 in SU’s Haven Hall. SU professor Genevieve García de Müeller received an anonymous email Nov. 19 that contained hostile, anti-Semitic language and references to the Holocaust.

The environmental college will work to protect the safety of its campus community, including Jewish students, faculty and staff, Amberg said. SUNY-ESF will immediately notify the campus of any new information concerning the incident, he said.