A one-inch-square swastika was found etched in a classroom table in O'Neil Hall at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester — which is leading some students and faculty members who oppose the school's Crusader mascot to link the two.
Katie Bowles, a senior, told the Worcester Telegram & Gazette that she sees the Holy Cross trustees' decision Saturday, February 3 to keep Crusader as the mascot and nickname and the finding of the swastika on Friday, February 9 as connected, adding in an email message: "This exact act of hate also happened after President Donald Trump was elected. Certain students feel empowered and emboldened to express hate, and to me, that's unacceptable on this campus."
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney delayed his expected announcement that he is running for U.S. Senate in Utah because of the school shooting in Florida, but that didn't keep several prominent Republicans in Utah from disparaging his presumed candidacy — including the chairman of the Utah Republican Party, Rob Anderson, who told The Salt Lake Tribune: "I think he's keeping out candidates that I think would be a better fit for Utah because, let's face it, Mitt Romney doesn't live here, his kids weren't born here, he doesn't shop here." (Anderson later apologized to Romney, but other critics haven't.)
