Mather Tutor Target of Epithet Written on Door

The senior tutor and masters of Mather House issued a letter this week condemning a racial slur directed at a Black resident tutor last Saturday.

An unknown person wrote the word "nigger" across the name card of David Porter, a sixth-year doctoral candidate and designated race relations tutor in the house, according to a letter sent out to all house residents Monday.

Porter could not be reached for comment yesterday.

The letter, which is signed by Masters Sandra Naddaff '75 and Leigh Hafrey and by Senior Tutor Mary K. Peckham, denounces the incident as divisive.

"[The slur] insults the individual, divides the community, and mocks the knowledge and achievement that are our common enterprise. It is simply unacceptable," the letter said.

The House staff agreed with the sentiment of an angry respondent who wrote beside the racial slur, "This is disgusting.

Still the letter says such responses do not go far enough to ease racial tensions.

"It does not address the depth of the underlying problem," the letter said.

"This is not something we can tolerate within our community," Naddaff said in a telephone interview yesterday.

The masters and the senior staff met yesterday with Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III and with Niti Seth, a race relations counselor from the Bureau of Study Counsel, to discuss possible further action regarding the incident, Naddaff said.

"We mainly talked about how to view [the incident] ourselves, how to make sense of it and how to answer student concerns," said Peckham.

Epps expressed his approval yesterday for the House staff's handling of the situation.

"I strongly support the actions taken by the masters of Mather and in particular, join in the condemnation of this act," Epps said. "It is totally unacceptable in this community."

Many Mather residents were surprised to hear about the slur.

"I've never seen any racism here," Brian D. Borg '96 said. "It surprises me and bothers me."

Students emphasized that the defacing was an isolated incident and is not indicative of the attitude of the entire house.

"I just hope this one incident doesn't make Mather House seem like a bigoted house, because it's not," Rupen B. Soutanian '96 said.

Soutanian said that to his knowledge Black students have not had a problem in Mather in the past. But this is not Mather's first racial incident. Two years ago, someone painted a swastika on a Mather House elevator door.

Peckham discouraged comparing that case and Saturday's incident.

"That was a swastika in an elevator, this was a racial slur written on the door of a tutor. This is a much more personal attack," Peckham said.

"Both incidents are dismaying though," Peckham added.

For now, House officials say they are taking a wait-and-see attitude.

"The tutors will be meeting again in two weeks to discuss the feedback from the students," Peckham said. "We would like the students to have a chance to respond.

Peckham discouraged comparing that case and Saturday's incident.

"That was a swastika in an elevator, this was a racial slur written on the door of a tutor. This is a much more personal attack," Peckham said.

"Both incidents are dismaying though," Peckham added.

For now, House officials say they are taking a wait-and-see attitude.

"The tutors will be meeting again in two weeks to discuss the feedback from the students," Peckham said. "We would like the students to have a chance to respond.