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Support for a colleague

- December 5, 2007

The Dalhousie community is rallying around a professor targeted in a disturbing video that was posted for a short time last week on YouTube.

In a message circulated by email last Friday, Dalhousie President Tom Traves expressed support for the engineering professor and characterized the six-minute video as ā€œracist and malicious.ā€ The video and the universityā€™s response were first reported by CBC Radio and have since generated coverage by many other media outlets.

ā€œI am sending this note to you for several reasons: to voice my personal disgust for this sort of anonymous and hateful attack; to underline that this is not regarded as a prank, but as a vicious assault,ā€ said Dr. Traves in the email.
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The feedback to Dr. Travesā€™ note was immediate; he was lauded for taking a strong stand and expressing his concern. Dalhousie faculty and staff who responded to the note also expressed their support.

ā€œBravo to you for clearly sending a message to the Dalhousie community that malice and racism will not be tolerated,ā€ wrote one Dalhousie staffer.

ā€œI want to thank you for responding for the Dalhousie community.Ģż I could only imagine how I would feel if this was all about my family,ā€ responded Susanna Morash, an administrative secretary with the School of Architecture. ā€œI hope you do find out who did this and take very strong measures on behalf of all of us.ā€

Halifax police have been asked to investigate the video, which made derogatory references to the professorā€™s ethnicity and religion. It was sent out by someone using a fabricated email address containing the professorā€™s name.Ģż

Const. Jeff Carr said they have to look at the evidence and speak with the Crown and decide if it falls under criminal or civil law.

ā€œThis may be defamatory or libel and, if so, thatā€™s covered in the criminal code,ā€ he said. ā€œItā€™s not something we deal with on a regular basis but something that the Crown would discuss.ā€