President Larry Bacow's emerald account has been swamped with hundreds of e-mail messages questioning the University's patriotism. The messages are in response to a Frontpage Magazine article by senior Joshua Martino, former editor-in-chief of The Primary Source, criticizing Tufts' handling of a harassment incident at the cannon.
The altercation, involving Source Editor-in-Chief Sam Dangremond and juniors Elizabeth Monnin, Lou Esparza, and Adam Carlis, occurred on Oct. 2 while Dangremond was guarding an American flag that Source editors had painted on the cannon. The juniors approached Dangremond, and employing what they call a non-violent blocking technique, attempted to repaint the cannon. All three assailants were found guilty of harassment by the Dean of Students' Office, and placed on Probation Level 1.
In the Nov. 9 article, Martino criticized the students' use of violence as well as the inaction of the University. "Anyone familiar with life on a politically correct campus knows that there is no justice for conservatives," Martino wrote.
"These three have been polluting the campus with their lies," Martino said yesterday. "Tufts reeks of their stupidity," he said, adding, "I decided the issue needed a little fresh air, so I brought it to the attention of those outside of Tufts."
Frontpage Magazine added an appeal for readers to "tell the good folks at Tufts University what you think of their refusal to punish their militant 'peace' activists," as well as a link to the e-mail addresses for Bacow and Dean of Judicial Affairs Veronica Carter. The result has been a landslide of e-mails directed at Bacow and Carter, many of which speak of disappointment with "the refusal of the University to properly discipline the guilty students" as one man said in a letter to the president.
Bacow sent Dangremond a "carefully worded" e-mail that included a sampling of scores of e-mails the president has received since the article's publication. Some were from alumni, and informed Bacow that the writers would not donate money to their alma mater in the future, according to Dangremond. One told Bacow that his "actions and policies disgust me," and another said he would refuse to send his son to Tufts.
Martino himself has received over 150 messages - most of them supportive - and was contacted by radio stations from both Seattle and Florida who invited him to speak on their shows.
Martino says he is happy with the response to his article, and said he hopes the support encourages change in the administration. "I wanted to see if people outside of campus thought it was right to use violence to solve political problems," he said. "I've been disappointed by the general student apathy on this issue."
Martino maintains that the Dean of Students Office was too lenient in its dealing with the three students, finding them guilty of harassment, not assault. "If you're found guilty of assault, the appropriate punishment is that you're suspended for a semester," he said.
Frontpage is a conservative, online magazine that publishes opinions on current events.
Probation 1 places a student on disciplinary probation for one year, but does not affect a student's "good standing" in the University, appear on the student's transcript, or trigger a phone call home.
All three students maintain their innocence and say Dangremond was the aggressor. Their assault suit against Dangremond was dismissed.
