No room for intolerance

Author: David Schoenholtz

When I got back to my room after Hillel's Purim party at Pearsons Hall, I saw it. My laminated nametag had been torn off my door, which had been defaced. On the door - not the white board - a message was written in dry-erase marker in pretty big letters: "You Fag." I wasn't quite in the state of mind to react right then and there, so I didn't think about it until the next morning. When I woke up and left my room, I saw the writing on my door once again and decided I wasn't going to just erase it and forget about it. I mentioned it to a few friends at dinner that evening, and they were as disturbed as I was.

One thing I hoped to never hear again when I came to college was "That's so gay," which was uttered profusely at my high school. I coveted an atmosphere in which not only is no one judged based on his or her sexual preference, but also where offensive expressions were not commonplace. Students have the right to live in a safe space is violated by expressions of hatred.

It doesn't matter to me whether or not the culprit was drunk, or if he (and yes, I'd be willing to bet that it was a guy) even knew whose room he was at when he decided to vandalize part of the dorm. His actions were disgusting and inexcusable.

As prospective students visit the campus, we all want to show Middlebury at its best. This incident, however, reflects very poorly on the College. If someone who is seriously considering coming to Middlebury College sees derogatory writing on a door, he or she could be highly offended and easily decide that Middlebury is not the right place for him or her. Or if a parent sees something of the sort, he might discourage his child from choosing Middlebury.

If whoever defaced my door the other night is reading this, maybe you should think about how you'd feel if I wrote "Homophobe" or "Bigot" on your door. It isn't difficult to show basic respect for your fellow students.