AMHERST, Mass. (AP) – About 200 University of Massachusetts students and faculty members have rallied on the Amherst campus in support of a former student they say has been excessively charged for an on-campus fight.

Jason Vassell, who is black, is charged with attempted murder for allegedly stabbing two white men who broke his dorm room window and used racial epithets.

Twenty-year-old John Bowes of Hancock, N.H., has been charged with assault and hate crimes for the incident last month, while 19-year-old Jonathan Bosse of Milton has not been charged.

Vassell’s supporters say the two men provoked the fight and shouldn’t face lesser charges. They say the incident reveals society’s racism.

Vassell, of Boston, has withdrawn from school.

A university spokesman has declined to comment on the case.

AP-ES-03-12-08 1416EDT