Swastika Found on Eliot Suite Door

In what several suitemates called an attack on one roommate's conservative politics, seven Eliot House seniors discovered a swastika taped to their suite's door yesterday.

Michael B. Garcia '97 found the piece of notebook paper with the hand-drawn swastika at around 4 p.m.

"I was surprised and a little angry," Garcia said. "I thought it was for Jose."

Garcia's roommate, Jose M. Padilla '97, is listed as an "Auxiliare" on the masthead of Peninsula and was criticized by name in an opinion piece that appeared in Tuesday's edition of The Crimson, Garcia noted.

In his biweekly signed column, Joshua A. Kaufman '98, the Crimson's associate editorial chair, listed the names of all students who appear on Peninsula's masthead.

The piece attacked the cover story of the conservative magazine's September issue, titled "Know Your Enemy."

In the Peninsula story, Christopher M. Griffith '97 presented "Peninsula's Official Enemies List," 14 groups and individuals on campus whose ideologies he questioned.

In his column, Kaufman urged his readers to "let [the Peninsula members] know just how their drivel makes you feel."

While Padilla called himself a current member of Peninsula and an active member of the magazine during his first two years at Harvard, he said he no longer has time to work for the publication.

He said he should not have been attacked in Kaufman's column because he had nothing to do with Griffith's piece.

A disclaimer at the bottom of Peninsula's masthead notes, "All signed pieces express the views of the author."

Padilla's roommates said they are concerned about being the target of future attacks.

"We're just kind of worried for our safety," Garcia said. "It's irresponsible to print the names of those people on the masthead. People can go vandalize their rooms, go drop off swastikas on their doors."

Padilla, who has talked about the incident to his parents and Margaret Bruzelius, Eliot House's Allston Burr senior tutor, said he wants The Crimson to publish a letter of apology.

He said he is also considering a lawsuit against The Crimson.

"It's a lot of trouble and not something I want to do my senior year," he said. "But {the opinion piece} is inciting people to come up and do things like put a swastika on my door."

Crimson President Todd F. Braunstein '97 declined to comment on the possibility of a lawsuit but said he hopes to address Padilla's complaints soon.

"If anybody is disappointed with the column, I would appreciate the opportunity to meet with them and discuss their concerns," Braunstein said

Padilla, who has talked about the incident to his parents and Margaret Bruzelius, Eliot House's Allston Burr senior tutor, said he wants The Crimson to publish a letter of apology.

He said he is also considering a lawsuit against The Crimson.

"It's a lot of trouble and not something I want to do my senior year," he said. "But {the opinion piece} is inciting people to come up and do things like put a swastika on my door."

Crimson President Todd F. Braunstein '97 declined to comment on the possibility of a lawsuit but said he hopes to address Padilla's complaints soon.

"If anybody is disappointed with the column, I would appreciate the opportunity to meet with them and discuss their concerns," Braunstein said