April 15, 2008
Albuquerque Journal
5 Receive Menacing Letters to the Editor at NMSU
By Martin Salazar; Journal Staff WriterSeveral New Mexico State University faculty members and a student on Monday found racially offensive notes under their doors, threatening them to shut up or suffer the consequences.
The five people who found the notes when they arrived at work Monday have been vocal in an ongoing dispute in NMSU's College of Health & Social Services. Each has called for an investigation into alleged wrongdoing, ranging from intimidation to pornographic e-mails.
Those who received the letters include John Moraros and Yelena Bird, faculty members in the health science department who are fighting a decision not to renew their contracts. Both have accused supervisors of retaliation and racism.
Among their allegations are that an associate dean used his NMSU account to e-mail pornography to Moraros.
Associate Dean Larry Olsen stepped aside pending an investigation into the e-mails he is accused of sending.
The threatening notes have sparked a police investigation.
"We take any and all incidents seriously," NMSU Police Chief Jaime Chavez said in a statement issued Monday afternoon. "We'll treat this as any other investigation. We'll see if any other leads develop. NMSU police is looking into this."
The university's communications office said NMSU had no further comment regarding the matter.
Four of the five one-line notes contained obscenities and racial epithets about blacks.
"(epithet) shut the (expletive) up and get out of las cruces and nmsu and go back to Africa asap or else," says one of the notes, which was slipped under student Freedom Chetani's office door.
Chetani, a graduate student from Zimbabwe, has spoken out publicly and filed a complaint with NMSU's Office of Institutional Equity about the pornographic e-mails he also saw.
Moraros, who also filed a complaint, received a similar note. He is married to Bird, who is black.
"I was shocked, I was appalled and I felt disgusted," Moraros said. "I felt sick to my stomach. It is quite despicable to see someone put in writing and spew this kind of hateful, disparaging discriminatory and demeaning remarks and to threaten your well-being if you were to stay in Las Cruces.
"It only strengthens my resolve to see this case through. I refuse to be intimidated. I refuse to be threatened, and I refuse to stay silent."
Moraros said his wife was "shaken emotionally" by the notes.
Chetani, apparently the only student who received a note, said he notified the FBI. "I am scared to death."
Satya Rao, another faculty member who was targeted, said she and the others are concerned for their safety. She said the fifth person who received a note was Robert Buckingham, the longest-serving faculty member in the health science department.
Moraros and Rao said they are uncomfortable with NMSU police handling the investigation into the notes. They had hoped State Police would take the case.
Moraros also said he has no faith in the NMSU investigation into the pornographic e-mails and other matters.
Meanwhile, D'Anne Stuart, NMSU's human resource director, and Gerard Nevarez, director of the school's Office of Institutional Equity, sent an e-mail to all NMSU employees Monday afternoon addressing the controversy.
It said everyone at NMSU is afforded the opportunity to bring forward concerns and issues as described in NMSU policies, and took issue with some of the statements made in the media. It appeared to be unrelated to the notes found Monday.
It said a vital component of NMSU's mission was to provide an environment that is conducive to effective teaching and research "without regard to age, race, gender or any other protected class. Allegations submitted pursuant to university policy are thoroughly investigated.
The e-mail referenced recent commentaries and news articles pertaining to the College of Health & Social Services uproar.
"The recent allegations regarding the College of Health & Social Services are factually inaccurate... ," the e-mail said. "Even though some statements have been made in the media regarding this ongoing investigation, it is important to point out that not all of the facts have been revealed and not all the reports are accurate."
It also stressed the importance of confidentiality in all personnel actions.
NMSU spokesman Mario Montes said university officials would not elaborate because they don't want to jeopardize anyone's confidentiality.