AMHERST — Critics of Hampshire College’s move to stop flying the American flag in the middle of campus kept up the pressure Monday, a day after hundreds of people poured onto campus in protest.
The private college’s decision has pitted veterans groups and some politicians against a segment of students reacting to the presidential election and who more broadly say the flag symbolizes historic injustices against marginalized groups.
College President Jonathan Lash has said the move is a stopgap measure, saying a recent back-and-forth over the flag’s place on campus had become a distraction. The administration opted to temporarily remove the flag altogether on Nov. 18.
Critics, including three politicians who attended Sunday’s rally, say the move is an insult to veterans — and that the flag’s removal itself is a distraction from the students’ underlying goal for a more just society.
“You can have a conversation about those issues with the flag up,” said state Rep. John Velis, a Democrat from Westfield. “It’s very simple: Put back the flag. Put back the flag yesterday.”
Velis was expected to continue his push for the flag’s return Tuesday on the TV show “Fox and Friends.” Velis said Monday he hasn’t yet received a response to a letter he sent to Lash last week.
Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno also attended Sunday’s rally and echoed Velis’ arguments.
U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, in a statement Monday urged the college to keep flying the flag.
“In my opinion, the Hampshire College community can have a genuine conversation about our future while respecting the American flag in the process,” Neal stated.
Students demanded the flag be lowered on Nov. 9, the day after Donald Trump’s election — a reaction, the college said, to a “toxic” campaign season and vitriol against minorities.
On Nov. 10, the flag was raised to half-staff to “honor the students’ expression,” the college said, but was set ablaze that night by someone who is yet to be identified. It was flown at full-staff on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, and removed altogether on Nov. 18.
Democratic Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan has also weighed in, saying he participated in the rally Sunday to “honor and respect veterans and our American flag.”
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Beyond the critical statements, a group has launched a Whitehouse.gov petition calling on officials to freeze federal aid to the school. As of Monday afternoon, the petition had received 523 signatures. A total of 100,000 signatures are needed by Dec. 25 to receive a White House response.
On Sunday, Lash said in an interview that the flag would be raised, but didn’t specify when. He said the school would first host forum-like discussions and emphasize dialogue in other ways.
“I don’t have a date certain,” Lash said. “I mean, it’s a discussion the country needs to have. We just had a campaign in which there was racist, sexist and Islamaphobic rhetoric and they need to be able to discuss that.”
He said the flag elicits different emotions for different people. “Removing that symbol so we can have a discussion of the underlying issues seems to me to be really important,” he said.
On Monday, the school kept quiet.
The rally Sunday turned tense at times, especially when one student sat on the Hampshire College sign at the entrance to campus as protesters attempted to take a photo with the sign in it. Witnesses claimed the student flipped off the crowd before sitting on the ledge.
Protesters hurled taunts and curse words at the man, and a newspaper photographer reported that someone shouted at her “grab her by the p***y!”
The elected officials said the sideshow is a distraction from their ultimate goal of returning the flag to campus.
Freshman Randy Edward Yearby Jr., who said he helped spearhead the initial flag removal Nov. 9, said Monday he and other students will meet “in the future” to discuss their next moves, but didn’t have a specific meeting date.
He said Sunday he would be open to the school raising the flag once again, so long as the school also raised a flag representing “people of color, Muslims, Latinos, LGBTQ — everybody that’s marginalized and oppressed in America.”