As you well know, hoaxers always have helpers. You cited the college's chief facilitator. This "reporter," Mira Katz, is also a piece of work. She mentions "anger," but quotes only comically sympathetic voices.
And how about the ADL lady?! According to her logic, people must get post-traumatic stress syndrome from getting caught in the rain!
By MIRA KATZ, STAFF WRITER
CLAREMONT - Students and administrators at the Claremont Colleges said Wednesday that even if a professor vandalized her own car last week, there's still a good lesson in it.
While some students were staunch in their support for psychology professor Kerri Dunn and others were angry, most agreed that it caused the college community to examine larger issues of diversity on campus.
"The community's response Wednesday was to the climate of privilege and hate that exist on these campuses," said Pomona student Jeremy Schulman, 21. "But this climate did not begin or end with the vandalism to professor Dunn's car and we need to be sure to continue to confront these issues."
All five Claremont Colleges canceled classes March 10, after Dunn told police the night before that her car had been vandalized, racial slurs and obscenities spray painted on it, the tires slashed, windows broken and $1,700 of property stolen from inside.
Students rallied and demonstrated, and more than 1,000 attended an evening vigil at which Dunn spoke.
The epithets scrawled on Dunn's car targeted blacks and Jews. Dunn, who could not be reached for comment Wednesday, has described herself as Catholic converting to Judaism.
In recent months, officials at the colleges have investigated multiple reports of hate crimes - including a cross-burning and offensive graffiti.
Students are now on spring break.
Twenty-one-year-old Keith Miyake, a student at Harvey Mudd College, said Dunn must have been desperately trying to raise awareness of racial issues.
Miyake added that all of the letter writing, forums and discussions about diversity, race and ethnicity were ineffective.
Alison Mayersohn, associate director of the Anti-Defamation League, criticized Dunn's alleged behavior.
Hate crimes used as hoaxes victimize the community twice, she said.
"People are victimized and hurt and scared when the initial incident happens," she said. "And then if it is indeed true that she did this it repeats the victimization."
Dunn's teaching contract ends June 30, and based on the information from the police investigation, Claremont McKenna College will conduct a further investigation and decide whether to allow her to finish out her contract.
No decision has been made.
Mira Katz can be reached by e-mail mira.katz@dailybulletin.com or by phone at (909) 483-8551.