Hate investigation at Curry College leads to employee's firing

An investigation into several instances of racist vandalism and graffiti on a Massachusetts college campus during the last semester has led to the termination of an employee, the school said.

The vandalism at Curry College that included swastikas and antisemitic graffiti, and messages threatening to Black students appeared to be the work of one person, school President Kenneth Quigley said in a message to the campus community on Wednesday.

The private school in Milton just south of Boston contacted the FBI and local police, who investigated. Evidence gathered by law enforcement was used as the basis of an internal investigation, he said.

“The outcome of the college’s independent investigation has resulted in an employee being terminated and removed from our community,” Quigley's message said.

He did not disclose the employee's name or say whether criminal charges have been filed. A spokesperson for Milton police was not available.

“The college recognizes and regrets the impact these bias acts have had on our students, families, faculty, and staff throughout the spring semester and hope this will allow us to continue moving forward,” Quigley said.

The graffiti was found in residence halls, athletic facilities and bathrooms around campus.

On International Holocaust Remembrance Day in January, a laundry room in a residence hall was defaced with swastikas and “discriminatory and hateful language,” college officials said.

In February, after “threatening language targeting the Black community” was found in bathroom and a laundry room, the school gave students the option of attending class virtually for several days.

The college offered a $10,000 reward for information that led to an arrest, but a school spokesperson said Thursday it was unclear if anyone was eligible for the reward.

Several other colleges and universities in the state have reported hate incidents over the past year targeting Black or Jewish students, including the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Mount Holyoke College, and Northeastern University.