Alice Millar Chapel, a nondenominational place of worship located across from the Arch, was vandalized Thursday night, according to an email from University officials.
In the email to students sent Friday evening, President Morton Schapiro described the incident as a "abhorrent act of vandalism" that involved spray paint graffiti of racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic and other nature throughout the building.
In response, Weinberg freshmen Anthony Morales and Matthew Kafker were charged Saturday with institutional vandalism, hate crime to a place of worship and criminal damage to property, according to The Chicago Tribune. Morales and Kafker were identified using surveillance footage that showed the two entering Alice Millar unauthorized. The Tribune detailed the nature of the vandalism:
"Once inside the chapel, the pair spray-painted an expletive and a slur against African-Americans with a swastika on the chapel hallway, Assistant Cook County State's Attorney Brooke Shupe told the court. In a separate area, they spray-painted a derogatory word for homosexuals on a wall, along with lines spray-painted over photos of Muslim students."
Both students have been placed on interim suspension by the University, which bars access to campus, according to an email from the University.
Friday's vandalism follows less than a year after anti-Semitic graffiti was discovered in University Library and in the wake of other hateful incidents at Northwestern, such as the 2012 egging of Asian students.
"This disgusting act of hatred violates the deepest values and core commitments of our University and is an affront to us all," Schapiro said in his Friday email.
This post was updated 3/13 at 1:39 p.m. to include information about the alleged perpetrators.