The main entrance of Baruch College’s William and Anita Newman Vertical Campus was vandalized early in the morning of Oct. 6. Red graffiti spelled out “OCTOBER 7 FOREVER,” an apparent reference to the Hamas attack.
The graffiti remained on the wall until Oct. 7 at around 10 a.m. when facilities covered the graffiti with Baruch banners and worked to scrub the wall clean.
Leader Family Hillel at Baruch shared a photo of the vandalism on its Instagram account on Oct. 6.
“As Rosh Hashana comes to an end and we approach the 1 year anniversary of October 7th, when we mourn the lives brutally taken by Hamas, we face an unthinkable reality: terrorist sympathizers are defacing our campuses with calls for the continued genocide of the Jewish people,” the caption said. “This vile hatred will not be tolerated. We stand united against antisemitism.”
Baruch President S. David Wu addressed the vandalism in an email titled “Baruch Stands Firmly Against Hatred” shared with the Baruch community at 3:16 p.m.
“Let me be crystal clear: antisemitism and any form of hatred and intimidation have no place at Baruch College and will not be tolerated,” the statement said. “We immediately reported the incident to the NYPD, and a full investigation is already in progress, in cooperation with our Department of Public Safety. The person(s) responsible for this action will be held fully accountable.”
Additional public safety officers and security guards were stationed in the Clivner=Field Plaza, at both entrances to the NVC, on the second floor of the NVC and in the club suites.
The incident comes after Baruch students have publicly addressed concerns about antisemitism on campus.
“I don’t feel safe on campus,” Ernest Rafailov, the president of Hillel at Baruch, said in an interview with The Ticker on Sept. 19. “I don’t feel safe because there’s always, in the back of your head, ideas of ‘what if.’”
Wu’s email communication did not address whether NYPD had a suspect in the investigation, but addressed semester-long steps Baruch has taken to increase security.
“The safety and well-being of students, staff, and faculty remain our top priority,” the statement said. “We have implemented additional security measures on campus this semester to ensure that classes and campus operations are not disrupted.”
Hillel at Baruch held a vigil for victims and hostages of the attack as planned without interruption. A public safety agent was stationed at the door to the vigil. Wu and Dean of Students Art King were in attendance.
In a similar graffiti incident, CCNY’s Advanced Science Research Center was also vandalized with the phrase “DIVEST NOW” spray-painted in red across the building.
It is not clear whether the two incidents were related.
“Red marks and streaks also appeared all over the entrance, drawing attention to the act,” The CCNY Paper reported on its Instagram account. “The building is now closed off with workers attempting to clean up the ASRC.”
CUNY released a statement addressing both attacks on Oct. 7 around 2 p.m.
“CUNY strongly condemns the violent vandalism and hateful rhetoric that occurred on two of our campuses early this morning,” the statement said. “The NYPD is currently investigating and the university will not hesitate to enforce disciplinary actions if any members of the CUNY community are found responsible. We have deployed additional private officers to support our colleges and we continue to coordinate closely with our law enforcement and government partners to protect all of our students, faculty and staff.”
Anyone with information regarding the Baruch incident is asked to contact the Department of Public Safety at public.safety@baruch.cuny.edu or 646-660-6000.
