The defaced crosses that were found in the CD/CR office are a disgrace to all people of faith and those that believe in free, honest and fair discourse at GW. This despicable act manifests the potent intolerance that unfortunately exists at GW. As a result, the person or persons involved ought to face severe consequences.

The GW community deserves strong action against the perpetrators. Anything less than an exhaustive investigation leading to justice would be a disgrace to all fair-minded students at this university. So far, it seems that the proper authorities have acknowledged the severity of the issue and conducted themselves accordingly.

We are calling for “the harshest consequences under the Code of Student Conduct,” something The GW Hatchet demanded in its Feb. 2 edition. We ask that fair and equal treatment be given devoid of any biases because Christian symbols were disfigured as opposed to other religious objects. We believe that a precedent was set last year when condemnation arose after Sarah Marshak was caught drawing swastikas in her residence hall. We felt that the current Assistant Dean of Students Tara W. Pereira’s notice of possible expulsion for the act was proper. We feel that this incident is no less grave and should result in severe punishment, including expulsion, for all those involved.

How this issue is resolved will become a testament to whether this University holds true to its character. If justice is served, it will be evident that our ideals are enduring. If not, it will be clear that they are just empty rhetoric.

Matthew Sauvage, Vice President, GW Young America’s Foundation