Racist letters, swastikas and anonymous threatening e-mails plagued out-spoken students at both the conservative and liberal ends of the spectrum this year. Yet students say the administration's insufficient response raises questions about its commitment to an atmosphere of tolerance and diversity.

The earliest reported incident occurred in October when Jose M. Padilla '97 found a swastika taped to the door of his Eliot House suite. The attack followed an Oct. 15 editorial column in The Crimson by Joshua A. Kaufman '98, in which he criticized the September issue of Peninsula magazine, a conservative student publication.

Kaufman's column centered on Peninsula's cover story "Know Your Enemy," which named prominent campus and public figures who Christopher M. Griffith '97, the author of the magazine's "Enemies List," felt were counter to Peninsula ideals.

Kaufman called the article the work of "a handful of reactionaries," and published the names from the magazine's masthead and encouraged students to "let them know how their drivel makes you feel."

The next morning, Padilla, one of those mentioned by name in Kaufman's column, found the hand-drawn swastika on the door.

Padilla said he felt falsely targeted, saying he had nothing to do with the article.

"It's irresponsible to print the names," Padilla said. "People can go vandalize their rooms, go drop off swastikas on their doors."

Peninsula was also attacked at the beginning of the spring term when the slogan of its recruitment posters, "Faith, family and freedom," was parodied by posters in which the slogan was substituted by "Racism, fear and bigotry."

Peninsula editor Bradley E. Whitman '98 called the attack an act of "ideological genocide" and expressed concern over the impact the false posters might have on first-year students who might be unfamiliar with the group.

But members of Peninsula were not the only conservatives attacked.

On Feb. 27, Undergraduate Council member Steven J. Mitby '99 found a letter on the door of his Lowell House suite calling him a "jackbooted Nazi thug" four days after he had spoken against a resolution to add "transgendered" to the characteristics named in the non-discriminatory clause of the Council's constitution.

Alex S. Myers '00, an openly transgendered student who sponsored the resolution, which later passed, condemned the letter as "not a proper response at all.... It does nothing to help either and possibly does a lot to hurt."

Mitby said the threats made him more hesitant to speak his mind.

"I'm concerned by the level of disrespect shown for dissenting opinions and particularly offensive is the use of the word 'Nazi,'" he said.

Gay Rights Challenged

On March 11, four gay students who had published an opinion piece in that morning's Citizen, the newspaper of the Kennedy School of Government (KSG), received a memo that said, "Fuck your first amendment. Stop crying faggot!"

Naheed K. Nenshi, opinion editor of The Citizen, also received a memo which included racist attacks. All the memos were signed "Citizens for a Fag Free KSG."

The following month, during the Queer Politics Conference at the K-School--which headlined leaders from national gay-rights organizations, openly gay state-level officials, legal advocates and lobbyists--residents of Dunster House awoke on April 6 to find the main house entrance, G-entry, scrawled with anti-gay epithets.

The graffiti covered two walls with the words "Faggot" and "Mother-fucker," across from a poster for Queer Harvard Month, a series of events sponsored by the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian and Transgendered Students Association (BGLTSA). The previous night, a dinner for the Queer Politics Conference had been held in Dunster House.

Dunster residents Moon Duchin '97 and Roland Tan '97 said they felt the graffiti demonstrated that Dunster has become less tolerant in the past year. According to Duchin, Dunster is home to significantly more BGLTSA members than any House, and she worries that randomization has changed Dunster's previously accepting atmosphere.

Administration Reaction

In response to these attacks, University officials expressed concern and repeated their commitment to creating a diverse and welcoming community.

Dean of the KSG Joseph S. Nye Jr. responded to the hate mail with a memo to the KSG community, describing the letters as "puerile and outrageous" and saying he will provide greater security at events where gay, lesbian or bisexual students may be targeted for hate crimes.

College officials also condemned the attacks.

"I would...caution members of the College to honor everyone's right to be a member of this college no matter their political persuasion and to call for a civil debate of these issues," said Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III.

However, students in both the KSG and the College said they feel that the response from the Administration has been disappointing.

"[Nye's] response to the memos was woefully inadequate," said KSG student Myrna Perez. "He was able to get off relatively easy. He didn't have to commit to any difficult or hard-to-enact changes."

Those attacked earlier in the year said they also felt frustrated with the administration.

Padilla, the Peninsula member targeted in the October attack, said he felt his complaints were not addressed by the Administration.

"They said they'd get on it, but nothing ever happened," Padilla said.

Moreover, Padilla said he felt the University is sacrificing protection of conservative students in favor of trying to prove that Harvard is diverse. "[The administrators] forget that someone who's conservative could be oppressed as well," he said.

Epps said the Administration has a limited ability to respond in these cases and can only act if there is repeated harassment or an incitement to violence. "In the case of speech," Epps said, "we are constrained to respond with speech."

What investigations have occurred have failed to find the perpetrators of these hate crimes, leaving victims and opponents alike confused and frustrated by what they perceive as a lack of response from the Administration.

Conservative students voiced concern that their liberal counterparts may have been responsible for the attacks.

"It's just a group of radical P.C. left-wingers who don't believe that conservatives deserve free speech," said Peninsula Auxiliary John J. Appelbaum '97.

Liberal student leaders denied involvement but agreed that attacks on conservative groups took unacceptable forms.

"As much as we, the left, would like to consider ourselves tolerant and open to opposing viewpoints, I don't think...the liberal community always engages in appropriate forms of discourse," said Marco B. Simons '97, an Undergraduate Council member and co-sponsor of the transgender amendment.

But gay and lesbian students who have been targeted said they feel the attacks have made it harder to believe in the University's ability to provide a comfortable environment.

"Dunster was something it's not anymore," Duchin said. Fellow Dunster resident Tan also said he wonders if the attacks hint at a growing intolerance in the Harvard community.

"I'm concerned that...people in the House should remain tolerant," Tan said, "and make the House a place where you feel comfortable."