URBANA, Ill. (WAND) - The University of Illinois investigated and issued an apology following complaints about anti-Semitism in a diversity training program for residence hall advisers.
A swastika was also found inside a UI building earlier in the week.
In a mass email to the campus Chancellor Robert Jones said the swastika was found inside the Foreign Languages Building on Monday. That incident is being investigated, the News Gazette reports.
A student also raised concerns about "anti-Semitic content" at a staff development program for UI Housing workers.
The presentation was for resident advisers and included about a dozen student-employees and one full-time staff member.
The News Gazette reports the exact comments that were said are not clear, but were made by a student.
"This exercise was part of a university program created to help students learn to share diverse ideas and perspectives that lead to new understanding. Instead of fostering dialogue, it incited division, distrust and anger. The program allowed our students to enter an extremely challenging and potentially volatile situation without the preparation, training, education and professional oversight they needed to succeed. This is inexcusable and unacceptable. This is a failure to our students, and that is my responsibility," Jones said.
The News Gazette reports the campus is taking the following actions:
- Instituting anti-Semitic training
- Launching an "immediate, full review" of the hiring, training and professional oversight and management of resident advisers
- Commissioning an external review of UI Housing's multicultural educational programs
