April 26, 1989
Four black students in Chapin House receive racist notes
An envelope was found in Chapin House Wednesday night containing four personalized racist notes directed against four black students in the house. After their meeting with President Dunn and other administrators that same night, the 68 residents of Chapin House met for six and a half hours trying to make someone confess to having written the notes. They even voluntarily searched each other’s rooms, but they did not encounter a culprit. In contrast to previous notes, these notes were deemed offensive enough to violate federal civil rights laws and were turned over to the Northwestern District Attorney of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Judd J. Carhart. The FBI and a private investigator were also called and consulted, and President Dunn declared that the culprits responsible for the notes would be punished with expulsion.
The special Sophian edition “Racial Tension at Smith” from May 4th, 1989 can be found here (1, 2, 3, 4).
A New York Times article on the notes can be found here.
A Union-News (Springfield) article on the notes can be found here.
[Last updated on October 31, 2018]