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In wake
of police report calling hate crime at CMC a hoax,
colleges reaffirm commitment to improving our community
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In recent weeks, the campus has experienced a series of
shocks as students, faculty and staff have been confronted
by a number of racially-charged incidents, the most serious
of which has now been alleged by the Claremont Police and
the FBI to have been a hoax perpetrated by the alleged
victim.
On March 10, the campuses of The Claremont Colleges
cancelled classes and closed ranks to express their horror
and outrage over what appeared to be a hate crime aimed at
silencing a vocal member of the community. The
incident--which involved the vandalism of a car belonging to
a member of the Claremont McKenna College faculty and
included the painting of racist, misogynist and anti-Semitic
remarks on the vehicle--galvanized the campuses in a massive
demonstration of support and concern, as well as a day-long
series of discussions about underlying issues.
A week later, however, on March 17, with students gone from
the campuses for Spring Break, the colleges again found
themselves dealing with the unthinkable when the Claremont
Police Department issued a statement saying that their joint
investigation with the FBI had concluded that the supposed
victim had staged the entire incident. The statement said
two eyewitnesses had positively identified the professor as
the person they had seen defacing and vandalizing her own
car. The police have turned the case over to the District
Attorney's Office for review.
In an e-mail to the College community on March 18, President
David Oxtoby said the College remains committed to finding
ways to improve the racial climate on campus and noted that
this development, while shocking, did not lessen that
commitment in any way. He added that he was particularly
concerned "that some members of our community may feel
disillusioned by yesterday's revelations, and perhaps may
even feel that their idealism was misplaced."
He concluded that he is proud of the reaction that the
College community exhibited in the face of an apparent hate
crime. "Wednesday's discussions, marches, and speeches were
a wonderful example of the best of education, even though
all of our classrooms were closed," he said. "Most
fundamentally, I remain committed to the directions of
change that we have been discussing over the last several
months in order to create a truly diverse and supportive
community. I look forward to reporting in the future on some
steps that we are taking, and to continuing to explore with
all of you new approaches that will lead to real change."
Reactions to the event from across the campuses and the city
of Claremont sounded a common theme: concern for continued
progress in dealing with the underlying issues of racism and
community-building. Claremont McKenna College President
Pamela Gann said in a public statement that CMC plans to
conduct a further investigation and has not yet made a
decision concerning the professor's employment status.
"While this information certainly comes as a shock and
surprise to our community," she added, "Claremont McKenna
College remains committed to its mission as an undergraduate
residential college in which academic freedom and free
speech are wholeheartedly supported, and in which all
individuals feel welcome to study and teach, and free to
express their viewpoints, thoughts, and ideas."
Speaking to a range of media outlets, some of the few
students and faculty who remained on the five campuses
during the week expressed a range of emotions, from
confusion to concern.
"We've taken our second stab in the back at a time when we
thought we were secure," Marc Bathgate, president-elect of
the Claremont McKenna student government, told the
Associated Press.
"My fear ... is that people will say, 'See, they're blowing
this all out of proportion. There are no real incidents of
racism,'" said Pomona Professor Sidney Lemelle, also
speaking to the AP.
"I'm just afraid that all that community spirit is going to
be lost and become cynicism and anger," Warren Katzenstein,
student body president of Harvey Mudd College, told the Los
Angeles Times.
Katherine Lind, chairwoman of the cityıs Committee on Human
Relations, told the Times that what the students had done
following the apparent hate crime "was really inspiring.
Their passion was a lesson for us all." She added: "I urge
the students to continue to articulate their problems and
not let this incident dissuade them in any way."
Related stories:
3/19/04: In wake of police report calling hate crime at CMC
a hoax, colleges reaffirm commitment to improving our
community
3/11/04: Pomona College joins other
Claremont Colleges in day of solidarity.
3/10/04: Pomona College joins other
Claremont Colleges in canceling classes for one day on March
10 in response to hate crime. |
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