WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue officials are investigating anti-Barack Obama graffiti found on the West Lafayette campus this week.

An obscenity and the president-elect's name were painted on a tree in an area near the Class of 1950 Lecture Hall, where black students often gather.

Other graffiti was found chalked on campus sidewalks and buildings.

In a letter to the campus, Purdue President France Cordova called the graffiti "deeply offensive."

"Such conduct is reprehensible and wholly out of character with Purdue's long tradition of fellowship and mutual respect," Cordova said in the letter.

Purdue police Lt. Fred Davis said officers are trying to determine if a crime was committed, since First Amendment rights were involved.

The graffiti on the sidewalks and building was removed. The graffiti on the tree was painted over.