Image: Facebook/UMass Amherst
One student from the University of Massachusetts Amherst was told by a residence director to take down an anti-Nazi sign from her dorm window.
Junior student Nicole Parsons recently put up the sign on her window, which read “F*ck Nazis you are not welcome here,” after getting tired of her university’s silence towards hate crimes on campus, as per BuzzFeed News on Dec. 23.
Parsons said in the report that she was compelled to put up the sign after a “Happy Hanukkah” sign on a resident assistant’s door was vandalized with a swastika early this December.
“I thought maybe if I hang the sign up, the person who drew the swastika will see it and see someone condemning their actions, even if the administration doesn’t do it,” Parsons was quoted as saying.
She, however, was surprised when she received an email from residence director Eddie Papazoni telling her to take down her sign.
As per Papazoni, Parsons’ anti-Nazi sign has sparked some complaints from the community, saying it has “created mixed emotions in the community on how to proceed, issues of inclusion, and the inability to be active members of their community.”
“I am asking that you or your roommate take the sign down so that all students can be a part of an inclusive residential experience…” Papazoni stated in his e-mail.
“I was in absolute shock,” Parsons said further. “This email tells me the university cares more about the feelings of Nazis than the safety of their students.”
The university, meanwhile, has taken to their official Facebook account on Dec. 21 to address the issue. As per their post, the residence director’s “poorly worded email” that “should not have been sent” does not reflect the university’s values.
“UMass Amherst emphatically rejects Nazis and any other hate group, a view expressed in the students’ sign,” the university wrote, clarifying it was Parsons’ use of profanity that they found improper.
“We are sensitive to the use of profanity, which some could find inappropriate. The university respects the students’ right to display the sign and it may remain up.” Cody Cepeda/JB
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