Dear Editor:



It was upsetting to learn that a vehicle located on the College of

Southern Maryland’s Leonardtown Campus had been vandalized with ethnic

slurs on Tuesday, July 19. It is troubling that such an act occurred on

one of our campuses. Let me be clear, the college -- in the strongest

possible terms -- condemns this act of vandalism, and as an

organization, we do not, and will not, tolerate such behaviors.



We will use all internal and external means to prevent this behavior

from occurring again, including aggressively moving forward with the

installation of additional surveillance equipment. Furthermore, I can

assure our community that we are cooperating fully with the St. Mary's

County Sheriff's Office. Our goal is that the individual or individuals

responsible for this crime are identified and punished.



I am disturbed that even though we have come so far as a society,

individuals still exist who demonstrate malice and intolerance of

others. It is unfortunate that well into the 21st century, we as a

society still struggle with issues that should have been resolved in the

past.



The college and all who work here are steadfast in our commitment to

ensure an educational and working environment that is free of bias and

prejudice and is also an environment in which every member of our

college community can feel safe and supported. Our official

non-discrimination policy makes that quite clear.



I would urge anyone with information about this incident to call the

St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office at 301-475-4200, extension 1900.



Dr. Brad Gottfried

President, College of Southern Maryland