By Currier Times Staff////

Two more messages of hate were discovered on campus on February 14th and 15th, and another date, February 22nd, was identified as a day that was “targeting the Black community,” according to an email to the Curry community Tuesday afternoon. The college also said they would offer a $10,000 reward to anyone who can provide information that can lead to the arrest of the perpetrator(s) of the hate crimes.

The college email message, which is posted below, also reiterated that conviction on these types of hate crimes can include imprisonment for up to 2.5 years.

Due to these additional incidents, the college said it would offer both online and in-person classes this week, with fully online classes next Tuesday, February 22nd, the date specified in the latest hate message.

President Kenneth Quigley, in the email message, said that the community “…will get through this. We will not bend to those who threaten or, by their actions, cause fear in our community. “

READ THE FULL MESSAGE BELOW:

“Dear Members of the Curry College Community,

I am writing to inform you of two bias/hate incidents discovered on Monday, February 14 and Tuesday, February 15. These were discovered in a restroom and a laundry room in North Campus Residence Hall. One of the incidents included threatening language targeting the Black community, with a specific date noted of February 22, 2022. The second incident was racist hate language and a drawn swastika, a threatening symbol particularly against our Jewish community.

The College is making hard choices under difficult circumstances with limited options until the perpetrator is caught. We implore any member of our community who may have any information about this series of incidents to please get involved. The College is offering a reward of $10,000 to any individual who provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the individual or individuals (See anonymous tip line information below).

It is important to note that the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office enforces the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act and protects against hate crimes, including threats, harassment, violence, and other bias-motivated conduct. Perpetrators of hate crimes are typically brought under criminal prosecution and, in some cases, can also be prosecuted civilly. Criminal sanctions include imprisonment up to 2.5 years.

To ensure our students have the maximum opportunity to continue their studies and to provide as much comfort as possible to our community, we will offer flexible learning options this week starting tomorrow, Wednesday, February 16 through Saturday, February 19. All classes will be held fully online Tuesday, February 22. We take this step out of an abundance of caution and as a commitment to our students, staff, and faculty. The College wants everyone to feel safe and to have choices.

• Students may choose hyflex (Zooming in to an in-person class) or fully online attendance of classes.
• Faculty may choose hyflex or fully online delivery of classes.
• Campus offices, services, and residence halls will remain open.
• Staff should coordinate with their supervisor related to remote work options.
• Resident students who wish to leave campus and be fully online, please let Residence Life know by emailing reslife@curry.edu.
• Most internships, offsite clinical placements, student teaching placements, and athletic events will take place as scheduled through Friday, February 18.
• The College will remain in a restricted status and open to only faculty, staff and students with a green CoVerified App and a Curry ID.
• During the holiday weekend, campus operation will be following a traditional weekend schedule. Information on scheduled events will follow.

Over the coming weeks, the College will continue to work with the Milton Police Department to assist with their investigation, to continue to increase MPD and Public Safety patrols of our campus, to install additional cameras throughout the campus, and has engaged with an outside security consultant who will assess our ongoing security protocols. Currently, MPD and Public Safety conduct regular rotations on our campus and we have secured staff to supplement our community desk attendants in first-year areas for the next four weeks.

Our plan is to return to a fully operational and open campus on Wednesday, February 23. We will get through this. We will not bend to those who threaten or, by their actions, cause fear in our community. I particularly want to thank the students and other community members who spoke at the rallies last Thursday and Friday.

To many of us, these incidents are deeply personal and frightening, and your words mattered. While we work on keeping our campus safe, we also look ahead to the work that needs to be done as a community to make sure Curry is an inclusive, welcoming, and safe place of learning for all.

We will still gather virtually as a community next Friday, February 25, for an important community event with the theme Showing up for each other: Becoming Authentic; Allies, Advocates and Accountability Partners. An email with details is forthcoming. Thank you to every member of our community who has stood strong to support our ideal of a community where all people are welcome and treat each other with dignity and respect. “

Milton Police Crime Tip Hotline (Anonymous) 617-698-COPS (2677)

Curry College Public Safety Emergency Line: 617-333-2222

Anonymous Tip Line: 617-391-5280