Student charged in racist vandalism faces expulsion from Western

Western student Shayne Robert Merwin, 20, of Gold Bar pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Friday, Dec. 7 in Whatcom County Superior Court to felony charges of second-degree burglary and malicious harassment, Washington’s hate crime statute. Merwin was arrested and charged in connection with recent racist vandalism and hate-filled slurs that appeared on Western’s campus. On Dec. 7, the court lifted the pretrial release prohibition of Merwin leaving Whatcom County to allow him to return to his hometown of Gold Bar.

Also, the University’s student conduct process has concluded its investigation into Shayne Merwin’s involvement in the recent racist graffiti found in Nash residence hall and on Wright’s Triangle outdoor sculpture. This graffiti runs counter to the values of Western and is an extremely serious violation of the WWU Student Conduct Code. As a result, the outcome of the student conduct process is the expulsion of Merwin and his trespass from Western’s campus. Expulsion is the most significant discipline the University may impose and means that a student is permanently separated from Western and is not allowed to re-enroll. Merwin has the option to appeal the University’s disciplinary decision; if he does so, his appeal will be considered by a University appeals board.

University Police continue an active criminal investigation into the racist vandalism.