Subject: Incident at Pitzer College
Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2006 09:06
From: Jeanne Noda

A Message From the Pitzer Dean of Students:

Early Sunday morning vandalism of an extremely offensive and misogynistic nature was discovered in Holden Hall. There were comments that were both sexist as well as homophobic and very degrading and demeaning toward women. In all, there were 28 different statements and pictures covering the K/L center stairwell through all of L2 and down the L stairwell.

There is no place for this type of hostility and ignorance on our campus. This action is intolerable and antithetical to our values as an educational community. Please see the Pitzer Community Values listed below.

If you have any information about this incident or other such incidents, please contact Campus Safety, the Dean of Students, Dean of Faculty, Director of Human Resources or another campus resource (such as an RA, faculty advisor, mentor, etc.). If individuals are found responsible for these actions they will face severe penalties in accordance with College policies.

Pitzer Community Values:

COMMUNITY: We come together to live and work in a shared learning environment where every member is valued, respected, and entitled to dignity and honor founded upon the following rights and responsibilities:

DIVERSITY: We learn from the rich and complex histories, view points, and life experiences in our community. We value and celebrate the synergy created by our differences and similarities.

DIALOGUE: We support the thoughtful exchange of ideas to increase understanding and awareness, and to work across difference without intimidation. We have the right to be heard and the responsibility to listen. Communication, even at its most vigorous, should be respectful and without the intent to harm.

INQUIRY: We prize the powerful possibilities of learning and the principles reflected in our educational objectives including our dedication to access and justice, civic involvement and environmental sustainability, and our respect for pluralism, freedom of expression, and the sustained effort necessary for achieving academic excellence.

ACTION: These values are mere words until we practice them. We expect to see them evidenced, hear them named, debate their integrity, and demand change on their behalf. We are committed to the hard work and dedication this will demand.

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Subject: Update on Incident in Holden
Date: Thursday, December 07, 2006 8:51 AM
From: Jim Marchant

Dear Members of the Pitzer Community:

I am writing to inform you that based on a very thorough investigation it has been determined that the perpetrators of the hateful and offensive vandalism in Holden Hall a few weeks ago were two off-campus individuals. These people were not affiliated with Pitzer or the Claremont Colleges in any way. This matter has been turned over to local law enforcement for further action.

Thank you to everyone who provided information regarding this incident. I would also like to thank those students who gathered together in Holden and Sanborn to discuss these incidents and engage our community values in such a thoughtful way. Finally, I would like to acknowledge Pitzer students Elinor Crescenzi, Blythe Baldwin, Liz McAllister, Page Pauli, and others for their powerful and moving display of the incident and its impact on our community in the dining hall.

Sincerely,

Jim Marchant
Dean of Students
Vice President for Student Affairs
Pitzer College

Subject: Writing on a Door in Auen Hall
Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2006 17:14:44 -0700
From: Huang, Jefferson

Dear Members of the CMC Community;

On Wednesday, October 18th, one of our Building Attendants discovered some writing in Auen Hall that said, "I hate crackers." It was written on a stairwell door. She became concerned and reported it to her supervisors.

For those of you who do not know, this writing could mean more than one thing. It could be a racial slur, with "Crackers" being a derogatory term for "Caucasians". It could also mean other things.

We sent the Auen RA to speak with people in his residence hall to find out if anyone knew who wrote this or what it meant. Was this a racially-motivated incident? Or was this just a stupid, random comment? Unfortunately, no one claimed to know why the writing was there. If anyone does know who wrote this or the context for what it meant, please contact the Auen Resident Assistant or myself.

Without a complete understanding of what was meant by the writing on the door, we would be justified in being offended. Therefore, I'm choosing to address the more serious, racially-based interpretation.

There is no room for racial slurs, hate, threats, and intolerance against individuals or groups on our campus, or at The Claremont Colleges more generally. We have been building a terrific experience for students, and something like this is a hindrance to the positive momentum we have.

Let's take a moment to think about this act of intolerance and/or carelessness in an educational context, recognize that we may have a lot to learn about the world from people who are different from ourselves, and find ways to incorporate the things we have learned into our future actions. The world is a complex place, and overly-simplistic attitudes about it reflect poorly on everyone in this institution.

Sincerely,
Jeff Huang
VP & Dean of Students