Five College Directors Condemn Messages of Intolerance

The ongoing crisis in the Middle East has spawned passionate debate on all of our campuses. For the most part, that debate has been civil and productive. Recently, however, graffiti with anti-Semitic or other hateful overtones have been found on or near some of our campuses. We condemn such messages of insensitivity and intolerance-whether anti-Jewish, anti-Muslim, or anti-Arab. We urge that all members of the community present their views in the spirit of reasoned discourse that has distinguished colleges and universities generally, and our schools in particular.

John Connolly, Smith College
Joanne Creighton, Mount Holyoke College
Tom Gerety, Amherst College
Lorna Peterson, Five Colleges, Inc.
Gregory S. Prince, Jr., Hampshire College
Beverly Tatum, Mount Holyoke College
Marcellette G. Williams, University of Massachusetts