who found the players were "good students who caused no problems in the class, treated Duke staffers with respect...and had no record of sexist, racist, or other forms of anti-social behavior." Duke students and faculty One signer, Kim Curtis, a visiting associate professor in the Political Science department who specializes in political and feminist theory, failed two members of the lacrosse team who were in one of her classes. When one of them appealed the grade, Duke did not act immediately; they eventually raised his grade from "F" to "D". Kyle Dowd and his parents sued Curtis and the university. Duke later settled, listing the grade as "Pass". An engineering professor at Duke, Michael Gustafson, was concerned that the restrictions on stereotyping had been done away with. He suggested that the accused lacrosse players had not been evaluated as individuals, but as caricatures, making it easier for commentators to criticize them. One of the signers, English professor Cathy Davidson, wrote in the Raleigh News & Observer in January 2007 that the ad was a response "to the anguish of students who felt demeaned by racist and sexist remarks swirling around in the media and on the campus quad in the aftermath of what happened on March 13 in the lacrosse house." Ten months after the original letter to The Chronicle, a group of 17 economics faculty signed an alternative petition, stating "the Group of 88 does not speak for all Duke faculty". Clarifying letter On January 16, 2007, a letter was posted at the newly established Concerned Duke Faculty website. It was signed by 87 faculty members, many of whom had been among the "Group of 88". They stated the ad had been misinterpreted and that the intent of the original ad had been to address issues of racism and sexism in the community, not to prejudge the case: "We reject all attempts to try the case outside the courts, and stand firmly by the principle of the presumption of innocence", and refused "to retract the ad or apologize for it." The letter said that Duke fosters an "atmosphere that allows sexism, racism, and sexual violence to be so prevalent on campus." Aftermath A 2007 poll of Duke faculty showed that 82 percent were "troubled by the actions by the Group of 88." References External links List of Duke Faculty signatories Concerned Duke Faculty website 2006 in lacrosse 2006 in