Peter T. Tsai '97, also a Chinese-American resident of Dunster, was equally surprised by the "silent protest" and said he was disturbed that the letter's writers seemed to suggest they spoke for all Chinese-American Dunster residents.

"Whoever wrote it should not have," Peter Tsai said. "It is not a representation of the whole group which they said they'd represent."

Another student, Hayle Chun '98, suggested another reason for the "silent protest." He said he thinks the flyer was a protest against the manner in which Dunster courtyard is made available for events.

"Some people in Dunster have influence in the house and can get the courtyard to use for what they support," Chun said, "whereas other people clearly would not have this kind of influence."

Chun said he believes the courtyard should not be used for religious services targeting a specific group of students. He said he believes the festival was an attempt to justify the placement of an exclusively Jewish symbol in a public space.

"In order to justify the sukkah...they had to do the Harvest Moon Festival [which incorporated varying cultures] which targets the larger community," Chun said.

Despite the controversy over this year's festival, several students hope that a modified version of it will return next year.

"I hope that next year the celebrations will be continued," said Daniel I. Silverberg '97. "But I also hope that they'll be sensitive to people's concerns.