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The Rock on Farm Lane broken, painted with fraternity letters, 'Trump 2020,' 'BLM sucks'

August 26, 2020
The Rock on Farm Lane on Aug. 26, 2020.
The Rock on Farm Lane on Aug. 26, 2020.

Update: FIJI suspends member involved with painting "BLM sucks" on The Rock on Farm Lane

The Rock on Farm Lane was painted to read "Trump 2020" with the letters of Pi Kappa Alpha, or PIKE, signed below. "BLM sucks" was also written on a nearby sidewalk.

The Rock on Farm Line has since been painted over, with just "BLM" displayed on either side.

In early June, Pike posted a message in support of the Black Lives Matter protests that ensued following the death of George Floyd. They included support for "The Bail Project," an organization committed to "disrupting the money bail system," according to their website.

In February, a member of the fraternity drew a swastika outside the fraternity's house. He was later suspended.

The university experienced a string of racist events throughout the previous year, including a toilet paper noose being hung on a door and a Sona survey being sent out with racist and derogatory language.

Monday, the fraternity Phi Gamma Delta, or FIJI, shared their response to the situation via Instagram stories.

"It was brought to our attention that a member of our organization allegedly participated in the acts," the post said. "When we found out about the allegations we immediately held an internal investigation along with contacting our Graduate advisors and International Fraternity representatives. At this time, the individual is no longer affiliated with the chapter."

PIKE Senior Director of Marketing and Communications Megan Nelson said in a press release that the chapter does not believe any member of their organization is responsible for the paint.

"While there was a similar incident earlier this year, Iota Iota Chapter took immediate action to suspend the individual involved," Nelson said in the press release. "The chapter has a zero-tolerance policy for any form of discrimination or hate speech and is fully committed to fostering a culture of diversity and inclusivity in the way it treats others, ensuring that all those with whom they interact feel welcomed, respected, and valued."

Editor's note: This story was updated to include a press release from PIKE, as well as the post from FIJI.

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