Didn’t that graffiti incident turn out to be a hoax? Not that I’d expect NY Times to admit that...
There was a racial graffiti incident that was real in 2011 and was dealt with immediately by the school. You might be thinking of the (supposed) incident of smeared feces in the shape of a swastika on a bathroom wall in a dorm - from what I recall nobody saw the person doing it, the report, if any, was never released and nobody was arrested for it. This was the astro turf moment....