Hate attack shocks a prep school

By Jordana Hart and Nicole Cusano, Globe Staff and Globe Correspondent

NORTHFIELD - Forced into the corner of a dormitory room at Northfield Mount Hermon School, his shirt pulled up over his naked back, a teenager winced in pain as two other students allegedly used a knife to carve an anti-gay slur into his back.

The assault on the 17-year-old boy last week stunned the prestigious, liberal prep school, founded by a 19th century evangelist to educate poor children and nurture spirited social activism.

Many of the 1,139 students who attend this sprawling campus in northwestern Massachusetts - whose graduates include singer Natalie Cole, actress Uma Thurman, and The Reader's Digest founder DeWitt Wallace - regularly volunteer at local soup kitchens and animal shelters. They join Amnesty International, and mentor local youngsters through Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

But early last Sunday, the school's core was shaken as never before when the 11th-grader came forward to tell his headmaster, Richard W. Mueller, about the alleged assault that occurred on May 27.

Two students, the boy said, pushed him into the corner of the room, made him turn around, and carved ''Homo'' in 5-inch block letters across his back with a pocketknife. The student did not need stitches, but the wounds bled.

The victim did not come forward for two days. When he did, the school contacted police immediately, Mueller said.

The carving ''was shoulder to shoulder. It was prominent,'' Laurie MacLeod, a Northwestern Region assistant district attorney, said yesterday. ''It is very sad to think that this young man may carry these scars on his back for the rest of his life.''

On Tuesday, Gill police arrested Matthew Rogers, 20, of Franklin, Tenn., on the school campus. Rogers recently accepted an appointment to the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. But yesterday, academy spokeswoman Karen Myers said the school will revoke the offer.

Meanwhile, Rogers's friend, Jonathan Shapiro, 18, of Keene, N.H., turned himself in to Gill police on Wednesday, MacLeod said.

Reached yesterday, a man who identified himself as Shapiro's older brother said his family would not comment on the alleged assault.

Gill police said Rogers and Shapiro, both seniors, told them they attacked the student because he liked to listen to the British rock band Queen, whose lead singer, Freddy Mercury, died of AIDS-related complications in 1991.

''There was apparently a disagreement over the style of music he liked,'' said Gill Police Chief David Hastings. ''Rogers called it a gay band.''

MacLeod said she was not immediately aware of any other problems between the suspects and the victim, or whether the victim identified himself as gay or was perceived that way.

Rogers and Shapiro each pleaded not guilty to identical charges: Assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault with intent to maim, and assault with intent to intimidate, resulting in bodily harm. MacLeod said the third charge makes the alleged assault a hate crime.

''It is a horrific crime, and we are reviewing it very seriously,'' said MacLeod.

Yesterday, school officials were scrambling to stem news of the attack and protect the reputation of the socially conscious, peace-loving campus that attracted the likes of 1960s celebrity-activist Paul Stookey of the folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary. Stookey, whose wife is a school chaplain, spent last winter teaching songwriting, computers, and spirituality.

The school's 4,800 acres make up two campuses, here and in tiny Gill across the Connecticut River.

It boasts a broad history of social activism. In the mid-1980s, for example, it enrolled black students from apartheid South Africa to help prepare them for admission to US colleges. In 1996, the school hosted a three-day contemplative retreat following the death of Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia.

The school's graduates are a diverse and influential lot. They include Thomas Payzant, head of the Boston public schools; Henry Roe Cloud, founder of the first US high school for Native American students; and Edward Said, a Columbia University professor and well-known proponent of the Palestinian cause.

Yesterday, striped tents stood ready for Sunday's commencement ceremony, and parents hauled suitcases and duffel bags from dorm rooms. Most students refused to discuss the attack that soured their prom weekend, saying school administrators and teachers in meetings earlier this week warned them against talking to reporters.

One boy, who declined to give his name, said students were told they might get dragged into court proceedings if they spoke about it.

Yesterday, administrators called the alleged attack an isolated incident. On Wednesday night, the school called mandatory meetings to answer students' questions and concerns, and to dispel rumors following the arrests, said Randy Stevens, dean of student life.

The school ''is known for its diversity and respect for difference, including for our gay and lesbian students,'' Stevens said. ''Our entire community is shocked that such a thing happened here.''

Students begin their summer vacation today.

''Incidents such as the one alleged to have taken place are wholly inconsistent with basic human decency, the values that [the school] stands for, and are abhorrent to every member of the community,'' Mueller, the headmaster, said in a brief statement. He noted that every student enrolled has to sign a ''statement of personal commitment ... to treat others always with honesty, civility, and respect.''

Administrators declined to comment about the suspects or the victim, citing their right to privacy.

Rogers was released on $10,000 cash bail following his arraignment Tuesday in Greenfield District Court. The following day, Shapiro posted $5,000 cash bail, lower than Rogers because he turned himself in. Neither student is allowed on campus except for disciplinary matters, and each must remain in Massachusetts or in their parents' custody.

Material from the Associated Press was used to prepare this report.

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