Earlier this week a Zoom meeting hosted by Hobart Student Government and William Smith Congress was abruptly interrupted and cut short.
The meeting had been ‘Zoom Bombed’.
“Racial slurs were uttered and a swastika was drawn on the screen,” an email to the campus community said. At the time, officials with Hobart and William Smith Colleges said they did not know who the culprit was responsible.
“We are at a loss for words. The unbridled hatred that infiltrated this meeting has no place at student government and has no place in the world,” Hobart Student Government said in an email.
A report was filed an an investigation was immediately launched.
Associate Vice President of Campus Safety Marty Corbett said in an email update to the campus community Thursday that an on-campus team has been sorting through data to identify those involved.
“Working closely with Vice President Fred Damiano and his staff in Information Technology Services, we have combed through the data in an effort to identify those involved. At this time, we have narrowed our search to a small number of unique connections into the meeting,” Corbett said in the update. “The initial analysis of these connections reveals that they appear to have originated from a geographic area well outside of the Northeast United States. We are focusing our investigation on these imposter connections in an attempt to identify those responsible. Although we are making progress, there is still much work to be done as we continue our efforts to gather more data.”
The update also noted that HWS has reached out to the Ontario County District Attorney’s Office to determine if criminal prosecution is possible.
“Additionally, through the strong concern and comments offered by students, faculty and staff during yesterday evening’s community meeting, I have contacted the Geneva Police Department Chief of Police to discuss the GPD presence on our campus and his officers’ interactions with our student,” Corbett added. “Please know that your campus safety team is available 24/7 to provide assistance to our community and that your safety is our top priority. We can be reached at 315-781-3000. Further, I am available at any time and can be reached through the same number.”
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