Incidents Draw Law School Response

Three incidents charged with racial and religious tensions that sparked controversy at Harvard Law School (HLS) last week continue to be a hot topic at HLS and across the University.

On Monday HLS deans sent an e-mail to faculty and students condemning the incidents—a web post that used “nig,” an e-mail that defended the use of the word “nigger” and a widely distributed anti-Semitic flier.

The recent events were “appalling things” said the e-mail, which was signed by HLS Dean Robert C. Clark, Dean of the J.D. Program Todd Rakoff and Dean of Students Suzanne Richardson.

“In my view, this was a pretty bad thing that happened at the law school, and the important thing to do was to speak out against it,” Rakoff said in an interview.

The controversy that prompted the deans’ e-mail began when first-year law student Kiwi A. Camara used the racial epithet “nig” in a post on a website run by HLS students.

On April 1, first-year law student Matthias Scholl sent an anonymous e-mail to classmate F. Michelle Simpson, who had complained about Camara’s use of “nig” on the website.

Scholl’s classmates tracked the e-mail to Scholl after conducting an on-line search.

In the e-mail, which the self-described civil libertarian Scholl said was only intended to defend the right to free expression, Scholl wrote: “I have actually begun using the ‘nigger’ word more often than before the incident.”

Early last week, a flier was placed anonymously in nearly 80 first-year law students’ mailboxes. The flier contained a swastika, anti-Semitic comments and a reprint of Scholl’s e-mail to Simpson.

The Harvard University Police Department is still investigating the origin of the fliers.

First-year law students met yesterday for a discussion led by Professor of Law Randall L. Kennedy, author of the recently published book, Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word.

First-year law student Anjan Choudhury characterized the meeting as “uneventful.”

“It was very academic,” he said. “We had a discussion of race in the classroom.”

University President Lawrence H. Summers has also commented on the events recently. He opened a question-and-answer session Monday at Mather House by condemning the incidents.

“I just want to say in the strongest possible terms that such acts of racism, of religious discrimination, of stereotyping directed at particular individuals offend every value for which the University community stands,” Summers said. “We need to have zero-tolerance for intolerance.”

Rakoff said any disciplinary action to be taken against Scholl is “still under consideration.”

—David H. Gellis contributed to the reporting of this story.

—Staff writer Jenifer L. Steinhardt can be reached at steinhar@fas.harvard.edu.