Drake University has fired a volunteer hockey coach after she was photographed standing next to a man in a Hitler Halloween costume.
Jessie Rudin, who is a former Bulldogs player, reportedly attended a Halloween party at Miss Kitty’s Country Bar and Nightclub in Clive, Iowa, on Friday night, where she stood smiling next to the Hitler impersonator, according to the New York Post.
The college quickly announced the very next day that it had released Rudin, the paper added.
The school insisted that Rudin’s smiling demeanor in the photo is “completely inconsistent” with its values.
“Drake University unequivocally condemns all forms of hate speech and discriminatory symbolism,” Vice President and Dean of Students Jerry Parker said in a statement. “Such behavior stands in direct opposition to our values of respect, inclusion, and integrity.”
The man who wore the Hitler getup, local business owner Donnie Gardner, was initially defiant after the party and took to Instagram to joke that, “We def upset some feelings tonight,” and captioned his post, “Happy Halloween snowflakes!”
The owner of the bar claimed that Gardner was asked to leave the establishment over his Nazi costume.
Gardner, though, later said that he didn’t mean to cause such a kerfuffle and “takes responsibility” for the whole situation.
“I am dreadfully sorry to anyone caught in the crosshairs and suffering from photos or interactions with me Friday night, as any and all hatred should be pointed at myself and myself only,” Gardner told WOI-DT in Ames, Iowa. “I take full responsibility for the repercussions and will continue to face them head-on.”
The Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines also ripped Gardner’s costume idea.
“Deeply disturbed that a bar patron in our community wore a Hitler costume on Halloween. Hitler is not a costume. This is not satire; it is antisemitism. Free speech is not a shield for minimizing hate. We expect our community’s businesses and institutions to reject antisemitism clearly and immediately,” the group said.
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