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Swastikas were discovered in two residence halls this week at San Jose State University, according to university president Mary Papazian.

San Jose State University photo/wikimedia commons

In a pair of letters to the campus, Papazian said the first swastika was accompanied by the words “Admit One Jew” and said the university’s police department had identified the student who did it. Papazian said the police believe that although the act was “bias-based,” it “targeted no one in particular and is not by definition a hate crime.”

The second swastika was found on a white board in a residence hall. “The white board was described to police by the student responsible as a ‘joke board,’ ” Papazian said in one of the letters. The police believe the incidents are unrelated, the university president said.

The swastikas were found Sept. 20 “on floors primarily housing first-year students,” Papazian said in her letters.

“While I remain disheartened and outraged by these profoundly hurtful acts, I am also encouraged by the response from our campus and broader community,” Papazian said. “We are focused on continuing to engage and support open dialogue with, and among, students, faculty and staff members, and community leaders.”

Papazian returned early from a California State University meeting in Long Beach to address the issue and has held a number of meetings with faculty and students, with a public conversation scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 29, and a town hall meeting on Oct. 5.

“The school is at the beginning stages of formulating a strategy for addressing anti-Semitism and other related issues on campus,” Hillel of Silicon Valley said in a letter.