To the Editor:
The unfortunate occurrence of anti-Semitic incidents on this campus is a compelling reason to sign the petition against anti-Semitism. One such incident occurred last year when a female student returned to her dorm only to find a swastika on her door. To my knowledge, no one was ever caught; nothing was ever done.
The petition against anti-Semitism recognizes the right of Jewish students to live and study at Dartmouth in an environment that is safe, tolerant of ethnic diversity and free from religious and political persecution. The petition neither infringes on other groups' rights and beliefs nor prevents other groups from taking similar actions.
The petition against anti-Semitism protects the rights of all Dartmouth students. By failing to sign the petition, President Wright is ignoring anti-Semitic bias incidents that have occurred here in the past and is signaling the perpetrators of such incidents that they can continue. I am certain that President Wright and his colleagues do not want to foster this cycle hatred.
Last year, several students and I spoke to President Wright about how the anti-Israel sentiment among the faculty and in much of the college programming has made the atmosphere on campus quite uncomfortable for us.
Therefore, I am personally disappointed that he did not sign the petition. I urge him to reconsider his decision. Alternatively, perhaps he will work to improve the current situation by forming a committee that will write a petition that includes all groups that are discriminated, threatened and targets of hatred -- including Jewish students
