A national civil rights organization that weighed in last April after a racially motivated incident involving Franklin & Marshall College students is not satisfied with F&M's confidential mediation of the problem.

Two Asian students and one Asian-American student were the targets. At the time, the Japanese American Citizens League sent a letter to Lancaster Bureau of Police Chief Keith Sadler urging him to thoroughly investigate the incident.

Lancaster police Lt. Todd Umstead confirmed last week in an e-mail that the case is still open.

The students were subject to racial insults, and two of them were beaten.

Asked to comment on F&M's choice of mediation, William Yoshino, Midwest director of the Japanese American Citizens League, said in an e-mailed statement Thursday:

"We find it troubling that when an alleged racial incident occurs where individuals are physically injured that the remedial process and consequences are veiled in secrecy.

"We believe racist behavior must be publicly condemned with consequences fully revealed to serve as a deterrent to future similar behavior."

After a professional mediation process lasting months, F&M announced Dec. 12 that a confidential agreement was reached between the three students who were victimized and four of the five students who allegedly took part in the attack.

The fifth student, who said he wasn't present when the incident took place, was given a hearing before Franklin & Marshall's Committee on Student Conduct.

Responding to Yoshino's comments, F&M said in a statement released Friday:

"The college has made clear throughout its handling of this incident that we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive community. We cannot go into the contents of the mediation agreement because it is a confidential and legally binding document.

"The complainants and the respondents participated in the process voluntarily and could have opted out at any point. They chose to stay in mediation, reached an understanding and signed the resolution. In it, the students addressed the nature of the incident and issues of responsibility and consequences."

In his statement, Yoshino also called on Lancaster police to continue the investigation.

"We are hopeful that law enforcement will fully pursue this matter to determine if any charges are warranted," Yoshino wrote.

In his e-mail, Umstead said charges could still be filed because the victims have not contacted city police detectives or the county district attorney's office and asked that the investigation be closed.