Why Harvard Didn’t Take Death Threats Seriously
On Oct 3rd and in the days following, hundreds of Harvard Asian and Asian-American students and affiliates, primarily women, were emailed a racist death threat. The author referred to the recipients as “slit eyes” and threatened to come to Harvard to “shoot all of you” and “kill you individually.” A Harvard police spokesperson responded that the threats “may not be credible.” Some students were still receiving emails one week after the threats.
Here are links to details about the case:
The Crimsom: Email Death Threat Investigation
Manifest Magazine: Unapologetic and Refusing to Remain Silent
The Crimson: Death Threat Facebook Solidarity
Many Asian and Asian-American students have expressed the view that Harvard has failed to adequately support them in the face of these threats because the perpetrator has not been identified, because the University has failed to explain how the perpetrator gained access to their email accounts and identities, and because Harvard leaders have not strongly condemned the racist and terrifying nature of these attacks and provided support to students.
Harvard Asian-American Alumni Alliance alumni parents are concerned for their children’s safety and worried that there has been a lack of urgency and sensitivity on the part of the University in the face of what we consider to be hate crimes. Twenty-two parents wrote to President Faust last week asking for an explanation of how the perpetrator was able to make these threats and what steps the University has taken to deal with the perpetrator, prevent further attacks, and make Asian-American students feel safe and supported.
Within 24 hours, President Faust answered and arranged a meeting for The Harvard Asian-American Alumni Alliance members with Rakesh Khurana, the Dean of the College, the HUPD and IT staff to be held during the Summit this weekend. She stated: “The safety of our students—your children—is paramount, and we will do everything we can to assure their security and ensure that communications are swift and comprehensive.”
The Harvard Asian-American Alumni Alliance Executive Committee has voted to endorse the concerns expressed by the parent alums in their letter. They urge University officials to strongly condemn these racist attacks, to explain what their investigation has shown and why the threats are not credible, and to take action to bring the perpetrator to justice.
PS: When swastikas recently appeared on the Yale campus, the Yale college dean responded forcefully, writing ” There is no room for hate in this house.”
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Below is an email that was just sent to the Harvard College community by Dean Khurana. It is followed by the letter we sent to President Faust after our Oct. 25 meeting with Dean Khurana, who also spoke at our Summit plenary. The focused attention of students, HAAAA and supporting alumni and faculty groups surely helped bring the below response about, four weeks after the incident. We hope to hear from President Faust soon. Thank you for your feedback, ideas and support. And special thanks to the groups that endorsed our letter. Please let us know your thoughts.
Bill Yao, President, HAAAA. Margaret Chin & Jeannie Park, Co-Chairs, HAAAA University Affairs Committee
This reponse came from Harvard last night, Oct 31, 2014:
Dear Harvard College students,
I write to you with an update on the investigation of the threatening emails sent earlier this month to many members of our community, which targeted, particularly, women of Asian descent, and to speak about how the College can better respond to such situations in the future.
First, it’s important for you to know that the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) has, from the very outset, treated the sending of these emails as a hate crime. The HUPD continues its investigation and seeks to bring to justice the person or persons responsible, working with local and state government, federal and international agencies. The investigation is active and on-going. I want to thank the HUPD for their quick action in responding to this threat and their steadfast commitment to keeping our entire community safe. I can assure you, as Dean of the College, that all of us at the College and the University are committed to doing everything we can to protect our community members from physical, emotional, and psychological harm.
Fortunately, we were able to determine quickly that no one in our community was in physical danger. However, I want to be very clear that our community stands together against hate. Emails of this kind are an assault on the fundamental dignity and rights of each person and therefore constitute an attack on our entire community. There are those in the world who would seek to leverage their negative and destructive ideas through the heightened attention we receive as an institution. Targeting members of our community may have been a tool for this purpose, but these people don’t know us. Our vocal rejection of these ideas, and the way we care for one another during such upsetting episodes can and should blunt the tools of those who hate.
We are continuing to find ways to discuss bias on our campus and improve our understanding of how we can work together with our students, staff, and faculty to create a more inclusive community. We have also been meeting with students, parents, and other concerned members of the community to hear their thoughts about how we should approach such incidents in the future. We are revising our emergency response policies and procedures based on many of their suggestions.
Dean Stephen Lassonde will oversee additional programming and initiatives in the Office of Student Life that deepen our understanding and responsiveness to incidents of bias and hate in our community. In particular, Dean Lassonde and Emelyn de la Peña, Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, will develop a Bias Reporting System that will make it easier for members of the Harvard community to report instances of bias, discrimination, and harassment through multiple channels, including online and in-person reporting. This process has already begun, and I expect to receive a plan by the end of this term. We will fully engage the College community throughout this process.
I know that upsetting incidents evoke a wide range of emotions – fear, sadness, anger, helplessness – that interfere with our ability to function at our best. The College has numerous resources available to support you through this. We will continue to reach out directly to those who received these email threats. I also encourage you to reach out to one another in solidarity and support.
Creating a culture rooted in inclusivity is difficult. But when we strive for inclusion, it helps our community to overcome the present realities of bigotry and bias in our society and to create a new future. Each of us belongs here, and we should always make each person feel as if they do. Our ability to recognize both our common humanity and the dignity and unique perspective each person brings to this community is essential to our mission to educate citizens and citizen leaders for our society. This incident gives each of us the opportunity to think about how our words and actions can shape the world we want to see, at Harvard and beyond.
Warmly,
Dean Khurana
