ATLANTA -- After Ruth Malhotra and another student filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Georgia Tech in the spring, the outspoken member of College Republicans said she expected some negative reaction. She was surprised, though, by the death threats and personal attacks. Some fellow students threatened to choke her between classes. Others said they would throw acid on her at Tech's graduation. Someone stuffed her campus mailbox with Twinkies snack cakes implying that she was yellow on the outside (Malhotra is Indian) but white on the inside. Her lawsuit challenges Tech on its campus policies aimed at protecting students from intolerance. "It was disappointing and disconcerting," Malhotra, who is readying for graduate school, said Wednesday.