Reports of racist comments toward black Lehigh students made their way to President Alice Gast, she said in a campus-wide e-mail.
The comments, which began after Sen. Barack Obama was elected to be the first black president, cannot be tolerated, Gast said.
"Rather than celebrating a landmark event in American history, we are addressing hateful acts of racism and ignorance," Gast said in the e-mail.
Gast wrote in the e-mail that she met with a group of students Friday morning who said they were victims of hateful comments. All the events are under investigation, she said.
Gast urged students to report any other racist or hateful incidents to the Dean of Students Office, Lehigh University Police, the Council on Equity and Community or any faculty member.
Any person found responsible will be charged with the appropriate criminal offense and referred to the University student judicial system with a recommendation for suspension or expulsion, Gast said in the e-mail.
Gast said she was deeply saddened by the events, saying they are a threat to the entire campus community.
"Our community must come together and create an environment where such behavior is not tolerated," Gast said in the e-mail. "We must resolve to affirm that such behavior is abhorrent at Lehigh and is unacceptable.
It is unclear whether events mentioned in Gast's e-mail were related to leaflets stating "Your president is black. How does that make you feel?" were found inserted into copies of The Brown and White in Maginnes Hall on Friday and were also found on bulletin boards around campus.
Chris Knight, editor-in-chief of The Brown and White, said no one involved with the newspaper was responsible for inserting the leaflets, and the leaflets do not reflect the view of The Brown and White, he said.
Upon finding the inserts, Knight reported the incident to the Lehigh University Police Department, which is investigating the occurrence.
Knight said it was unclear who distributed the flyers and what their intention was.
"I think they were used to get people thinking. I don't know who did it or why but [the leaflets] spark your interest and get you thinking," said Sara Balin, '09, a member of The Movement. "I didn't take it in a negative way."
The Council on Equity, chaired by Professor Michael Raposa and Carolina Hernandez, will host their second town hall meeting on Tuesday at 8 p.m. in Parella Auditorium in Rauch Business Center.
In a separate e-mail to campus leaders, Gast encouraged students to make public statements to condemn racism and hate, work to support their community and to encourage others to participate in the town hall meeting.