AI-generated posters depicting a Lego set of war-torn Gaza — meant to mock the destruction of the territory amidst the ongoing war — were first seen in the Eastman School of Music’s Living Center (SLC) on Oct. 8.
Students acted to remove and discard any remaining posters promptly, but it is unclear how long they were up.
“I think I saw the posters originally around midnight on Wednesday,” senior Elijah Alexander said. “I threw away four, but some people posted [on social media] seeing more the next day.”
Other students relayed similar stories of spotting the posters before discarding them and notifying others to do the same.
The Campus Times’ request for comments was the first notification University officials received regarding the posters.
“Eastman staff then did an additional walk-through of the SLC and did not find any copies of that poster or any similar signs,” University spokesperson Sara Miller said, speaking on behalf of Eastman School administrators.
Several students on the River Campus also filled out bias-related incident reports once news spread via a screenshot of the poster in a group chat, according to sophomore Rose Fischman.
Fischman stated that the purpose of the reports was to express her “horror and anger” at the posters. Perpetrators are not being held accountable, Fischman said, and with no identified source, their identity may remain unknown.
Miller made no comment on the University’s plans to find the perpetrators, but said that “[the Eastman School] strongly encourages all community members who have any concerns to avail themselves of the reporting and support resources in place, including contacting the administration or filling out a report through the University’s bias-related incident system.”
