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Opinion
Letter: Apologize for insensitive column


"To say that sports column �No Sense in Anti-Mascot Crusade� by Jonathan J. Lehman �08 was hurtful and unacceptable would be an understatement. Not only were the actions of Dartmouth Athletic Director Josie Harper taken out of context, but an inappropriate comparison has been drawn between Harvard and Dartmouth, which the author wrongfully claims are �in...similar position[s]� regarding this issue. Further, the tone and wording of the article seem deliberately cruel to and ignorant of the native community on Harvard�s own campus.

In no way should Harper�s apology be construed to apply to or, frankly, to have anything to do with Harvard. The apology was addressed to the Dartmouth community and served to affirm the view of the Dartmouth Athletic Department that the mascots which the NCAA has deemed �hostile and offensive� are indeed so. Harper was speaking in the context of several recent events at Dartmouth�events of such magnitude that Dartmouth�s president has officially addressed them and, just last week, sparked a �Solidarity Against Hatred� rally attended by several hundred Dartmouth students, staff, and faculty.

If any fair comparison can be drawn between Dartmouth and Harvard at this time, it is this: while Dartmouth�s athletic director, in light of campus events, felt the need to apologize to the Dartmouth community, so should The Crimson and Jonathan Lehman address the concerns of and apologize to Harvard�s native community for an article which was both misinformed and deliberately callous."

Get the Story:
April D. Youpee-Roll: Column Insensitive to Native American Community (The Harvard Crimson 12/8)

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