The phrase “Rape Haven” was graffitied in black spray paint on the stone partition outside Tiger Inn at some point between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
The graffiti was discovered this morning, according to a picture obtained by The Daily Princetonian that was taken at around 7 a.m. The graffiti was partially blurred out before at least 1 p.m.
It remains unclear who is behind this act of apparent vandalism. TI president Oliver Bennett ’15 and TI graduate board chair Robert “Hap” Cooper ’82 did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.
University spokesperson Martin Mbugua deferred comment to the Princeton Police Department as to whether the incident had been reported to authorities. A local police spokesman said Wednesday evening that he was unaware if any incident had been reported. The Department of Public Safety did not log any reports of vandalism or any other crimes between Tuesday at 7 a.m. and Wednesday at 7 a.m.
The graffiti comes after a photograph allegedly depicting a female student performing oral sex on a male student was distributed to the club's membership through its email distribution list.
There have been no new developments in the police investigation, although the University and the club's graduate board are currently conducting their own investigations.
“SHARE is deeply disturbed by the graffiti, what it represents and the situation overall,” Jackie Deitch-Stackhouse, director of Sexual Harassment/Assault Advising, Resources & Education, said. “That said, SHARE will continue to be here for those who are directly and indirectly impacted by this situation and is committed to doing all we can to make this a safer community.”
The last reported incidents of graffiti at the University were reported in April 2012, when graffiti that included a racial slur were found on an elevator in Frist Campus Center.
In May 2014 at Columbia, a list of alleged sexual assault perpetrators on campus was graffitied on bathroom walls under the title “rapists on campus.” The names were also circulated on flyers.
The graffiti at Columbia was reported a month after 23 Columbia and Barnard College students filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education over the university's handling of alleged sexual assaults.