HANOVER — Dartmouth College is investigating after “fake malicious and racist emails” were sent to several students and at least one professor, purportedly from another student.
“A few months ago, an unknown person sent racist email messages to students purporting to be from another student. Today we are seeing similar fake messages sent to other students and one faculty member,” Steve Nyman, Dartmouth’s chief information technology security officer, told students in an email on Monday. “These messages are NOT originating from Dartmouth’s email system and are NOT authored by the student they are claiming to be.”
The Dartmouth student newspaper said that at least three Dartmouth professors and 18 students, most of them people of color, had received the emails, and that they contained sexually explicit language and racial slurs.
Dartmouth College spokeswoman Diana Lawrence said Hanover police have been notified and that the college is investigating.
“We find the language contained in the emails abhorrent and antithetical to our community values and standards. This investigation is a high priority for the college and we continue to pursue the matter actively,” Lawrence said via email on Thursday.
Hanover Police Chief Charlie Dennis said his department would investigate if there is evidence that a crime has been committed.
“There are First Amendment rights for people to say things, as long as it’s not committing a crime, such as a threat of an act of violence or something like that,” Dennis said.
Lawrence said that if the emails were found to have been generated from someone on campus, they would be subject to the college’s disciplinary process.