WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Williams College on Monday reported that the school's Soldier's Monument on Main Street was defaced with apparent white supremacist graffiti.
President Maud Mandel sent an email to the college community reporting that a local resident reported to the school the presence of a Confederate flag and the painted word "Rebel" on the base of the Civil War statue, located outside the school's Griffin Hall.
"The Confederate flag and the word 'Rebel' are commonly used as symbols by white supremacists and other extremist factions," Mandel wrote. "The appearance of those marks is more evidence that we live in a world where people hold racist and otherwise hateful ideas."
Mandel reported that a Williams staff person removed as much of the graffiti as possible and covered the "remaining traces" until the stone could be more thoroughly scrubbed.
The college's Campus Safety Services department is investigating the incident and has referred it to the Williamstown Police Department, Mandel wrote.
Anyone with information can contact Williams College CSS at 413-597-4444.
"When someone defaces our campus — our own home — with symbols of those ideologies, it becomes especially personal," Mandel wrote. "I will join you all in defending the right of every member of this community to live and work here free of bias or intimidation."
The Williams Soldier's Monument was dedicated in 1868 to the memory of alumni who fought for the Union in the Civil War.
The report of its desecration came on the same day a group of Williamstown residents at the other end of Main Street installed 50 lawn signs on the Field Park rotary acknowledging the town's and college's presence on the homeland of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community.
An iBerkshires.com Facebook post referencing the "50 Mohican Reminders" installation generated several derisive comments on Monday morning.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Williams College Receives Anonymous $25M Gift to Support Projects
Staff Reports
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Williams College has received a $25 million gift commitment in support of three major initiatives currently underway on campus: constructing a new museum building, developing a comprehensive plan for athletics and wellbeing facilities, and endowing the All-Grant financial aid program.
The donors, who wish to remain anonymous, say the gift reflects their desire to not only support Williams but also President Maud S. Mandel's strategic vision and plan for the college.
"This remarkably generous commitment sustains our momentum for WCMA, will be a catalyst for financial aid, and is foundational for athletics and wellness. It will allow us to build upon areas of excellence that have long defined the college," Mandel said. "I could not be more appreciative of this extraordinary investment in Williams."
Of the donors' total gift, $10 million will help fund the first freestanding, purpose-built home for the Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA), a primary teaching resource for the college across all disciplines and home to more than 15,000 works.
Each year, roughly 30 academic departments teach with WCMA's collection in as many as 130 different courses.
The new building, designed by the internationally recognized firm SO-IL and slated to open in 2027, will provide dedicated areas for teaching and learning, greater access to the collection and space for everything from formal programs to impromptu gatherings. The college plans to fund at least $100 million of the total project cost with gifts.
Another $10 million will support planning for and early investments in a comprehensive approach to renewing the college's athletics and wellbeing facilities.
The donors, who wish to remain anonymous, say the gift reflects their desire to not only support Williams but also President Maud S. Mandel's strategic vision and plan for the college.
click for more
Neighbors of a proposed subdivision off Summer Street last week asked the Planning Board to take a critical look at the project, which the residents say is out of scale to the neighborhood. click for more
The Select Board and Planning Board this week clashed over a proposal that would add to the town charter a mechanism to ensure compliance with the foundation of town government. click for more
The Select Board has agreed to remove the town flag a year after town meeting established a bylaw restricting the use of flags on public property.
click for more