PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The president of Brown University has voiced her "frustration, distress and outrage'' at the "homophobic and anti-Semitic graffiti'' scrawled across the inside walls of a student residence hall that houses primarily Jewish and LGBT students.

In an email to the Brown community, university President Christina H. Paxson wrote: "Acts of bias such as this, which attempt to demean and threaten people based on religion, sexual orientation, race or other characteristics, harm not only their most immediate victims but are antithetical to the most deeply held values of this University. Quite simply, there is no place for acts like this one on the Brown University campus."

A second email that went out from the campus life office just before noon on Friday described Thursday's incident.

Titled "Support for Students following Bias Incident at Marcy Hall,'' the email said: "Brown University is committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive, engaged campus and a safe and secure environment for every member of the campus community...Unfortunately, we write this morning to share details on such an incident — one that is deeply offensive and violates the most treasured values of this University.

"Last night, residents of Marcy House — one of our undergraduate residences and home to both our Zeta Delta Xi and Beta Rho Pi fraternities as well as additional undergraduate students — found multiple instances of homophobic, anti-Semitic, and threatening graffiti written on the walls, hallways, and bathrooms of their on-campus home.

"While the graffiti has been removed, the impact of identity-based bias and threat is not easily wiped away. This incident impacts not only those immediately involved, but threatens our shared sense of safety and respect on campus,'' the email said.

Marcy House is a Brown University residence hall. It is home to Beta Rho Pi, a fraternity whose members are predominantly Jewish, and Zeta Delta Xi, a coed fraternity that brings together individuals from a variety of backgrounds, many of whom identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, according to university spokesman Brian Clark.

"To avoid further insult to the members of the Brown community, particularly to those most immediately affected,'' Clark said, "we are not going to share or confirm the statements written in graffiti. But, collectively, they were homophobic, anti-Semitic and threatening." He said "an active, aggressive investigation is under way by Brown Public Safety."

“I'm hurt, upset, shocked,” said Samuel Rubinstein, a Brown University junior.

Rubinstein, a member of Zeta Delta Xi, a LGBT fraternity, said he discovered anti-Semitic messages on the walls directly across from his second-floor dorm room, where he has Hebrew writing and a mezuzah on his door, when he returned to his room just before 1 a.m. on Friday.

He said there were also several homophobic and anti-Semitic messages on the walls of the second-floor hallway, and one in a bathroom. He declined to repeat the messages, but directed a reporter to the Brown Daily Herald website which has a photo of them up. A photo of the graffiti says “Holocaust 2.0” and “Gay will die.”

—kgregg@providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7078

On Twitter: @kathyprojo

—jpelletier@providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7281

On Twitter: @jennampelletier