Editor,
On Sept. 11, at the beginning of my 8 and 11 o'clock classes, I made a number of callous and insensitive remarks to those classes, including a flip remark about anyone blowing up the Pentagon getting my vote.
It is the inclination of my personality to deal with shocking events by making light of them, but nothing excuses what was at the time an incredibly insensitive and plain stupid thing to say. It should have been perfectly clear to me that there were many people in those classes with personal connections to the murders in New York and Washington, people for whom my remarks would be particularly hurtful.
I do not support terrorism or the slaughter of innocent people. I was simply being at the moment an incredibly insensitive and unthinking jerk, and I want to apologize to all those whom I pointlessly hurt because of my momentary callousness.
Please accept the apology of a thoroughly embarrassed and ashamed individual, who has done pointless damage to the very institution to which he has given 30 years of his life.
Richard M. Berthold
Associate History Professor
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