To the Williams community,
Everyone at the college was sent a Clery timely warning email last night about a hateful incident on campus. I am writing about this and other recent identity-based attacks on community members. We have to resist hatred in all its forms, and these latest incidents are evidence of why our work must continue.
Here is a summary of what has been reported to the administration:
In one case, a table painted with the U.S. and Israeli flags was placed outside on the Frosh Quad. Over several days the table was repeatedly flipped over and damaged. It was eventually defaced with graffiti that read, “Free Palestine,” “I love Hamas,” “F— Zionists,” “Colonizers,” “F— AmeriKKKa” and “Don’t claim rednecks.” The Star of David was also crossed out on the Israeli flag. After the graffiti was discovered, the table was subsequently flipped upside down and damaged one more time.
I also want to inform you that, on several occasions this semester, people in cars have yelled the N-word and other racial slurs at Black and other students crossing Route 2. During one of those incidents a person in the car also threw an empty plastic bottle at the students. Route 2, the main public thoroughfare through campus, has been a site of similar incidents in past years.
The administration is taking the following steps to address the events and support our community:
- Staff from Campus Safety, OIDEI, the Dean’s Office and the Chaplains’ Office are coordinating outreach to the students directly affected in these cases, as well as to wider communities of students with similar identities.
- Campus Safety investigates campus reports and supports the Williamstown Police’s investigations on matters in their jurisdiction. If you have information that might help us find the people responsible in these cases, or if you have experienced other acts of bias of any kind, please contact Campus Safety at (413) 597-4444 or via the Bias Incident Report form as soon as possible.
- If people from Williams are found to be responsible we will hold them to account through our campus conduct processes. If they are from outside the college community we will partner with local authorities, who decide whether any offenses can be prosecuted.
- In response to previous student requests Campus Safety staff had already arranged to be present at the main campus crosswalks this week during peak traffic times and at dusk. That presence will go ahead as planned.
- If further events are scheduled to address the recent incidents or hold space for people to gather we will announce them in Daily Messages.
I am also concerned that we need to follow our policies consistently, including in regards to timely warnings. So while we respond immediately via the above actions I am meanwhile going to work with Senior Staff and others to make sure we are consistent in our policies and practices in regards to Clery messages.
So far I have focused on action steps. But I want to close with a personal message. As a community we must and will reject any effort to intimidate, harass or threaten people. While the administration takes steps to address the incidents themselves, we need to help each other, too. Williams at its best can be a deeply attentive, caring community. I invite everyone to pull together now and look out for each other, in all the ways we know how.
Maud