OFFICE OF
STUDENT
And
OFFICE FOR WOMEN’S AFFAIRS
Reports from the Incident Teams
2007-08
The Racial Incidents Team (RIT), the
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Anti-Harassment Team (GLBTAHT), the Gender Incidents Team (GIT), and the
Religious Bias Incidents Team (RBIT) were created to assist students who have
been victims of any kind of harassment or discrimination based on race,
national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or gender. We accept reports that are both for “action”
and those that are for “information.”
When appropriate we provide support for victims, assist them in
resolving reported incidents and collect data for the campus. While we prefer to know the names of victims
so we can talk to them, we do accept anonymous reports.
During the academic year the teams
release periodic summaries of the incidents reported. We believe that incidents reported to the
teams represent a small percentage of the total number of incidents that occur. In order to protect the privacy of victims,
the teams operate with a strict code of confidentiality. For this reason, the summaries give few
specific details. The summaries will
provide information about the number and type of incidents being reported to
the teams and any action taken. Every
case reported to the teams will appear in a summary during the year. Those cases for which team action is pending
are designated by the letter “A.” Those
which are completed or were reported for information only are shown by the
letter “C.”
This report includes summaries of
incidents reported to the RIT, GLBTAHT, and RBIT from July 1, 2007 through June
30, 2008. Accompanying this report is
the summary of incidents reported to the GIT for 2007-2008. Incidents motivated by religious bias are
included in the RIT summary for years up to and including 2003-2004. Since July 1, 2004, religious bias incidents
have been reported to and summarized by the Religious Bias Incidents Team.
For more information about the RIT,
GLBTAHT, or RBIT, or to report an incident to these teams, please call 855-4463
or send an e-mail message to trust@indiana.edu. For information about the GIT or to report an
incident to this team, call 855-3849 or send an e-mail message to trust@indiana.edu. Additional information
and data from past years can be found at http://www.trust.indiana.edu/index.html.
*************************************************************************************
Incidents Reported to the Racial
Incidents Team
An Asian American graduate student was riding his bicycle on an off-campus street when the White male driver of a passing car shouted racial slurs, including “You’re going to die, Chinky bitch!” The case was reported for information only, as the student was unable to get the license number of the car. [C]
A residence hall staff member reported finding a sign that said, “Fu*kin Indians” outside a room of an Indian student. The evening before the sign was found, someone had vomited on the floor, requiring emergency maintenance, and the doors of a bathroom entrance and a stall had been broken. Several Indian students live on the floor, and prior to this incident there had been no such incidents on the floor. Incident was reported for information only. [C]
Residence hall staff reported that a bulletin board about “White Privilege” was vandalized with the written comment, “If black people had jobs they could fix this.” The paper containing the comment was removed from the board after being discovered by two resident assistants (both African American). The staff member who reported the incident was aware of three other incidents of vandalism of boards on this topic. Staff in the center met to plan passive and active programs for the next semester. Incident was reported for information only. [C]
A student reported to a university staff member and to the Dean of Students that the faculty member of a course in which she was enrolled had ridiculed the name of an international student. The reporting student explained that the name was from a “Hindu background,” and that after class she expressed her concern to the faculty member. The student reported that the faculty member responded poorly, indicating that freedom of speech was important to him, and that in America we “poke/make fun of religion and culture” and that she should get a “thicker skin.” The reporting student transferred to a different section for the remainder of the semester. The team worked with academic administrators in responding to the complaint. The faculty member was told that students are entitled to a learning environment that is conducive to learning and does not include speech that is demeaning to their race, religion, gender, etc. (Case also was reported to the Religious Bias Incident Team.) [C]
A White male faculty member requested help from the team in resolving a situation in his class in which an African American female student was offended by the manner in which he suggested a class assignment. The student confronted the faculty member after class, indicating that he “singled her out,” and that his behavior was racist. A team member, the faculty member, and the student met to process the incident, and the student was able to successfully complete the semester. [C]
An African American student became irate when he did not receive the response he wanted from a White female staff member in a university office. The staff member told the student to leave the office, as he was creating a hostile and disruptive atmosphere. When he argued and did not leave immediately, the police were called. The student accused the staff member and her co-workers of being “racist bitches,” and he alleged that he was not being treated fairly because of race. Later, the student became angry with a White female staff member in another office, also accusing her of racism. There was no evidence that the information being given to the student in either office was inappropriate or discriminatory. The matter was addressed in the campus judicial system. [C]
An African American student reported that while watching a basketball game in a sports facility, he taunted a White player who missed a shot. The White player then physically touched and threatened the African American student, who complained that the staff did not address the problem fairly. The reporting student was upset and did not leave the premises when asked. He then was banned from the facility until meeting with an administrative staff member. A team member offered to accompany the student to meet with the administrator, but the student did not respond to the offer. [C]
Residence hall staff reported that an African American female resident had been encouraged to move to a different room because of complaints from her White female neighbor. The neighbor continuously complained about the African American student’s music being too loud, but staff confirmed that the music was barely audible. The White student’s mother became involved, and both she and her daughter refused to meet with the African American student, because the White student said that the African American student had threatened her. A team member talked with the African American student, who had moved to another location and was happy with her new suite-mates. She did not want any further assistance from the team. [C]
A
An African American student reported that while he was dancing with male and female friends at a local bar, the DJ stopped the music and announced that the establishment does not “allow that nasty ass shit up in here.” He also then said, “God bless y’all faggoting nasty asses.” The student who reported believed that this action was discriminatory both because of sexual orientation and race. The team referred the student to the Bloomington Human Rights Commission, and the matter was formally addressed. This incident also was reported to the GLBT Anti-Harassment Team. [C]
Residence hall staff reported that a student from
Residence hall staff reported finding the words “Asians smell” etched into a metal plate above an elevator in a university apartment building. Incident was reported for information only. [C]
Police reported that a White male student was called “nigger” and “bitch” before being physically beaten by two White males. The incident occurred in an outside location on campus. One of the attackers was apprehended by police and was intoxicated. The other was not immediately located, but was later identified. The incident was handled both by police and the campus judicial system, and a team member met with the attacker. [C]
Residence hall staff reported finding racist and sexist graffiti written on a dry erase board on the room door of two male residents. Among the drawings and writing was the statement, “A rich Nigga can’t even buy freedom, but Cadillacs they can. That’s why I give my white bitches everything but freedom, and if they want rat poison, then ima feedin.” The residents of the room were unaware of the graffiti, but appreciated the staff member talking with them about it. Incident was reported for information only. [C]
Police reported being called by a taxi driver after a White male student who was extremely intoxicated said to the driver, “I’m going to kill you nigger” and other similar remarks. Case is still pending. [A]
White female student, while being arrested for public intoxication, slapped the African American police officer and said to him, “you fucking Black people.” Case was handled both legally and in the campus judicial system. [C]
A faculty member reported that in an undergraduate class that she was teaching, an African American graduate student who was taking the class to make up deficiencies in her background and a White undergraduate student were paired to work together on a project. The undergraduate complained that the graduate student had submitted the project without any input from the undergraduate, and it was completed incorrectly. The graduate student complained that when discussing the experiment, the undergraduate had patted her on the shoulder, and the graduate student felt this was a condescending gesture on the undergraduate’s part. The faculty member met with the students, and the Graduate Director got involved. A team member offered to meet with the students, if needed. [C]
A White male staff member forwarded to a list of recipients a joke about ebonics that he had received from an African American colleague at another university. The heading on the message was “For Those Who Cannot Understand King James version. TEN COMMANDMENTS Ebonics Style.” Among the recipients was someone who forwarded the mailing to the team with a complaint that the sender said was from numerous individuals who were offended by the joke. A team member talked with the staff member, who was remorseful and sent an apology to the list. The complainant accepted the apology. (Case also was reported to Religious Bias Incident Team.) [C]
Staff discovered the following message on a dry erase board on a residence hall room door after students had moved out at the end of the semester: “Niggers ruin society.” Attempts to reach the former occupant of the room were unsuccessful. Incident was reported for information only. [C]
Two African American female students who regularly ride public buses reported that a White female driver did not pick them up at an off-campus location where they’d caught the bus previously. A male driver then informed them that the female driver should have picked them up, as they were at a regular stop. A team member investigated, and it was learned that the route had, in fact, been changed. The women understood that the incident probably was not racially motivated, after all. Unfortunately, though, as they waited for another bus, a car with a woman and children inside drove past them, and the children spat at the women. The women were unable to get a license plate number, so the incident could not be investigated. [C]
A female African American graduate student reported that the faculty who supervise her work as an associate instructor and as a student have discriminated against her on the basis of race and learning disability. After review of e-mail correspondence to the student from the faculty, it was determined that the matter was best resolved between the student and faculty, as no evidence of unfair discrimination was found. [C]
An instructor contacted the team for assistance with a
conflict involving a female
Residence hall staff reported that two residents, one African American and one White, reported finding a racial slur, “Nigga Beotch,” written on the dry erase board on the door of some other residents. No one knew who wrote the slur. The resident assistant talked with the residents of the room to let them know about the graffiti and that a team member would be glad to talk with them, if needed. Incident was reported for information only. [C]
A staff member reported that an African American student informed her about a series of racial slurs that he had experienced when serving as “sober driver” for his fraternity. The perpetrators of the incidents were members of the fraternity next door to his, and other members of the fraternity told the student to “ignore it.” Incident was reported for information only. [C]
A representative of a community agency in which many students serve as volunteers wrote to university officials regarding an incident that occurred during a community project. Four men from a participating fraternity were working with a community member, who pointed out to the men that their work was not being done properly. One of the students reportedly said, “It’s just for Mexicans anyway.” Another comment made was that “no one is going to see it anyway.” The community member was upset by the comments and felt it was important to report them to the agency in charge of the project. The fraternity was contacted, and the group’s president wrote a letter of apology, but none of the members admitted to having made the comments. The president will be working with team members at the beginning of fall semester to plan an educational program for the fraternity about diversity appreciation and understanding. [A]
A female Native American faculty member called to consult about a male student in her class who made demeaning comments about Native Americans. He stated more than once that if Native Americans had been “killed off” he would not have to be reading the course assignments. The faculty member wanted to consult about the possibility of the student again enrolling in her class in a future semester. The faculty member worked with the academic department chair to manage the situation. [C]
Residence hall staff reported finding “KKK” written on a wall on the inside of an elevator in the residence center. Also found carved on the outside of the doors of a different elevator were the letters “KKK.” The vandalism was reported to the police and to the director of a conference that was housing participants in the center during the summer months. Staff covered the graffiti with tape until the doors and wall could be painted. Incident was reported for information only. [C]
Residence hall staff reported that an African American was walking outside his residence hall with a friend and could hear music blaring from one of the rooms. He asked that it be turned down. Awhile later, when the student was again outside the building with friends, someone inside the building in the vicinity of the loud music heard earlier began making “goose noises.” One of the African American student’s friends responded with the same noise, after which someone from inside the building said, “uh oh Oreo.” Attempts by a team member to talk with the African American student were unsuccessful. Residence hall staff attempted to identify the person who made the comment. Incident was reported for information only. [C]
A
A faculty member reported finding on a bulletin board outside a classroom building a typed document titled, “A Special Note About the African American Drunk and Elite.” The document consisted of 1 ½ pages of stereotypical and offensive comments about African Americans. The document was removed from the board and reported for information only. [C]
Incidents
Reported to the Religious Bias Incidents Team
A staff member reported that a leaflet advocating “repent and be baptized in Jesus Christ” was distributed on campus and placed near a Muslim woman who was studying in a campus building. The incident was reported for information only. [C]
Residence hall staff reported that a resident who moved to a different room was harassed by her former roommate and the roommate’s friend. The two students were standing outside the resident’s door, yelling. The resident also reported that the former roommate had posted notes on the former roommate’s door that contained offensive comments regarding homosexuals, Christians, and the resident. The resident took photos of the notes and reported feeling targeted and harassed. Residence hall staff handled the situation and reported it for action in the campus judicial system. (The incident also was reported to the GLBT Team.) [C]
A White male staff member forwarded to a list of recipients a joke about ebonics that he had received from an African American colleague at another university. The heading on the message was “For Those Who Cannot Understand King James version. TEN COMMANDMENTS Ebonics Style.” Among the recipients was someone who forwarded the mailing to the team with a complaint that the sender said was from numerous individuals who were offended by the joke. A team member talked with the staff member, who was remorseful and sent an apology to the list. The complainant accepted the apology. (Case also was reported to Racial Incidents Team.) [C]
Residence hall staff reported that the words “Jew Suite” were printed on the metal door plate of a residence hall room door. A photo was taken and the writing was removed. A staff member planned to speak with residents of the room. Incident was reported for information only. [C]
A Jewish graduate student reported to university administrators that campus policies are not adequate to prevent discrimination against Jewish students who wish to observe their religious holidays. She gave several examples, such as major assignments being due on Yom Kippur, that have occurred in the short time that she has been a student at IU. A team member met with the student, another discussed the issues with the Provost, and another contacted the Registrar about the current status of blocking large classrooms so that exams could not be administered in them on high holy days. The team and the student acknowledged that addressing the concerns will be an ongoing process, possibly involving the Commission on Multicultural Understanding. [A]
A Jewish student was placed for her practical experience in a location that she believed to be unacceptable due to its reputation for bigotry. The student had appealed the placement through her academic unit and been denied a change of location. Two team members offered to meet with her to discuss the matter, but she decided instead to change majors, acknowledging that part of the problem may have been that her major was not a good match for her interests. [C]
A student reported to a university staff member and to the Dean of Students that the faculty member of a course in which she was enrolled had ridiculed the name of an international student. The reporting student explained that the name was from a “Hindu background,” and that after class she expressed her concern to the faculty member. The student reported that the faculty member responded poorly, indicating that freedom of speech was important to him, and that in America we “poke/make fun of religion and culture” and that she should get a “thicker skin.” The reporting student transferred to a different section for the remainder of the semester. The team worked with academic administrators in responding to the complaint. The faculty member was told that students are entitled to a learning environment that is conducive to learning and does not include speech that is demeaning to their race, religion, gender, etc. (Case also was reported to the Racial Incidents Team.) [C]
A local rabbi reported that while at an off-campus Halloween party that was sponsored by members of a fraternity, a Jewish student and her friends were shocked when a member of the fraternity arrived wearing a Nazi costume, including swastikas on arm patches and clothing. The women expressed their concerns and were physically pushed by members of the organization. A team member talked with the woman who reported the incident and learned that the national headquarters of the organization had taken appropriate action. [C]
A local rabbi reported that the Jewish center’s sign had
been vandalized. Police were called and
increased patrol in the area. A team
member participated in a meeting at the center at which students took the lead
in planning a response. Bloomington
United and the Bloomington Human Rights Commission also were informed about the
incident, and various groups in the
A staff member circulated an e-mail message that depicted Barak Obama as a Muslim who was only pretending to be Christian, and suggesting that he had ties to terrorism. The e-mail was full of lies and half-truths intending to make the candidate look unfit for office. Several colleagues who received the e-mail complained, some directly to the sender and one to the team. The staff member’s supervisor met with her to make sure she knew what she had done was inappropriate both in terms of how she was using her work time and spreading falsehoods. The staff member sent an apology to the people who had originally received the message. Incident reported to the team for information only. [C]
Police reported vandalism of the touch screen on a kiosk that was the property of an academic unit that had administrative offices in the residence center. Scratched onto the screen was a swastika. Incident was reported for information only. [C]
Residence hall staff reported finding a message board full of vulgar drawings and a poem that referred to eating bagels from birth with the word “Jew” written to the side. Incident was reported for information only. [C]
Residence hall staff reported finding two swastikas carved into the plaster near an elevator. Someone had attempted to disguise the symbols by drawing extra lines around and through them. The area was painted over by afternoon on the same day the drawings were discovered. Neither the vandal nor the person who attempted to lessen the impact of the swastikas was identified. Incident was reported for information only. [C]
A Jewish residence hall staff member held a judicial
conference with a student who later told other residents that he had
manipulated the conference by wearing his Star of David and talking about his
religion. The student’s admitted premeditated use of their Jewish ties to
influence the outcome of the judicial conference was offensive to the staff
member. A team member processed the matter with the staff member, who then
was able to have a follow-up discussion with the student. [C]
Incidents Reported to the Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Anti-Harassment Team
An office on campus dealing with student services for GLBT students received a fax from an unknown party. The fax was a joke that stereotyped gay people and was about a cowboy walking into a gay bar. Incident reported to the team for information only. [C]
A woman who was a member of a campus group reported that she felt she had been forced out of the group because she was a lesbian. A team member met with her and kept in email contact over a period of time. The woman who reported met with the staff member in charge of the campus group but did want any action taken by the team. [C]
A female student reported that while walking on campus a man shouted “DYKE” at her from a passing car. She said this was not the first time this had happened to her and that it had happened on at least two other occasions. She expressed her great frustration that these events had occurred. Incident reported to the team for information only. [C]
A woman reported to a campus technology office that she had read a “solicitation for sex” ad on ONE START. The male who purportedly posted the ad was looking for sex with other men. Upon investigation it was learned that the student whose name was in the ad had not posted it. Rather, it had been posted illegally by his roommate as a joke. A team member contacted the victim to see if he wanted anything done. Both students had recently graduated so using the campus judicial system was not an option. The team offered to write a letter to the person who posted the ad, but the victim never got back to the team. [C]
A female residence hall staff member reported finding the dry erase board on her door covered with inappropriate writing. Included was “I am a leziban” [sic] and “I eat pussy all the time.” She reported this to her supervisor and a picture of the board was taken. She said she was planning a bulletin board and floor program on the topic of prejudice and racism and would expand it to include this incident. Incident reported to the team for information only. [C]
Several people reported that at an event sponsored by an institutional office one of the speakers was someone who in the past has held rather well known homophobic views. There was concern that this person was invited to speak and that it left an impression that this office held similar views. The team wrote a letter to the person who invited the speaker and requested a meeting to discuss the matter. This person wrote back an explanation and offered to meet. Two team members met with the host of the event and another person from the office. It was a productive meeting that led to a better understanding. [C]
A residence hall staff member reported finding a dry erase board attached to the door of male residents that had “I [heart] Penis.” A picture was taken and the message was erased. The resident assistant on the floor was asked to follow up with the residents of the room. Incident reported to the team for information only. [C]
The university police department reported arresting a male student who was intoxicated and had yelled to another male “look at your tight-ass jeans, faggot.” The case was heard in the campus judicial system. [C]
A residence hall staff member reported finding about a dozen phrases written on the walls, doors and dry erase boards of a residence hall floor. All of the phrases were obscenities directed at resident assistants. Among the phrases were “Fuck RAs. You’re gay” and “RAs are gay.” Pictures were taken and police were called. A resident of the floor who had been documented for alcohol by staff earlier in the evening commented during the taking of pictures, “It says fuck RAs on all the dry erase boards. I wonder who did that.” There was no proof who had written the comments. Incident reported to the team for information only. [C]
A faculty member reported that a student in his class had called another student in the class “fag” in an on-line discussion. A team member communicated with the faculty member to discuss options for dealing with the incident. The faculty member reported back that the student who wrote the message apologized to the victim. [C]
A residence hall staff member reported that a male resident found his moped covered with mustard and defaced with writing from a green marker. Included were the phrases “Honk if you’re gay” and “I love penis.” Pictures of the vandalism were taken and a team member consulted with staff in the residence center. It was decided that the police should be called so a report could be written. The victim believed that the incident was intended as a general insult and was not targeting him with regard to sexual orientation. Though there was a student who was strongly suspected of the vandalism, there was nothing that could be confirmed. [C]
A residence hall staff member reported finding a dry erase board on the doors of male residents that said “We love A.N.A.L.” The residents indicated that this was an abbreviation for a Facebook group that had to do with “Nerf” balls, “American Nerf Association of [name of unit].” [C]
Residence hall staff members reported that while on duty rounds they found this message written on the dry erase board of female residents: “These lezzies love on girls.” When contacted by staff, the women indicated that they did not feel threatened or targeted, and they erased the message. Incident reported for information only. [C]
A residence hall staff member reported that the word “fag” had been written on the dry erase board of male residents. Residents indicated to staff that they did not feel threatened or targeted by the word but understood why this was being taken seriously. They indicated they did not know who wrote it but if they found out they would report the name. Incident reported to the team for information only. [C]
Residence hall staff members called police to their residence center to talk to two male residents who had been physically assaulted by an unknown male. The perpetrator was intoxicated and had pushed the two victims to the ground while calling them “faggots.” Apparently he did not like the color of their shirts. Police were able to find the perpetrator who was arrested. A team member contacted the two victims and worked with the judicial board who adjudicated the case. The perpetrator felt remorse for what he had done and wrote very heartfelt apology letters to both victims. [C]
A residence hall staff member reported that during a confrontation with students who had alcohol in their room, one of the men present verbally harassed him. The staff member was asked, “This is so gay, why are you doing it?” and “Are you gay or something?” The staff members present explained that in this context the word “gay” was inappropriate. The man who was using the word later apologized. This case was referred to a campus alcohol assessment program and the counselor meeting with the young man was asked to address the remarks. Incident reported to the team for information only. [C]
A residence hall staff member reported finding “Fuck my ass” written in magic marker on a wall in a stairwell. Because the stairwell was near male floors and there had been homophobic graffiti found in this vicinity earlier in the year, it was assumed that the phrase was meant to be homophobic. The wall was cleaned of the phrase by custodial staff. Incident reported to the team for information only. [C]
A floor governor in a residence hall notified staff that the
windows on a floor lounge had been painted for the Homecoming football game
with Penn State and that some of the what was on the windows was inappropriate.
Included were phrases such as, “We will drink the blood of every man, woman and
child of
A residence hall staff member reported that over a period of several weeks a male resident on a coed floor had been generally disrespectful of other residents by things he said to others and some of things he would write on the dry erase boards of other residents. Included was something on the dry erase board of a gay male student that read, “[First name of room occupant] is a faggot.” The troublesome student denied writing this, but most believed he had been responsible. The staff met with the gay student in order to provide support and he indicated he was “doing fine.” A team member offered to meet with him but he declined. This case was referred to the campus judicial system and the troublesome student agreed to move to a different residence center. [C]
A residence hall staff member reported that a female resident had received several obscene notes from known residents of the floor. She said they were all in jest and that she had also participated in spreading nasty notes to others in fun. Some of the notes were sexist and were reported to the Gender Incidents Team. One of the notes said, “[Name] = LESBIAN SLUT. You’re a freaking lesbian, woman-lovin’ slutbag! [Heart] [Name].” The staff member of the unit intended to send out an email to all residents helping them think about the difference between “clever” and “vulgar.” Incident reported to the team for information only. [C]
A gay male student reported that he went to a local bar with some friends. This establishment has a DJ and dancing, and because it was two days before Halloween some of them were wearing costumes. At one point he and two friends, one male and one female, were dancing together. The DJ stopped the music and said into the microphone, “You’re nasty motherfuckers. I’m not starting the music until you get your nasty asses out of here. God bless y’all nasty faggoting asses.” He and his friends felt humiliated. The student who reported to the team phoned the owner of the bar to discuss the matter. She agreed this should have not happened. The student also filed an official complaint with the Bloomington Human Rights Commission asking that the DJ face appropriate consequences and that the bar staff receive diversity training. The Human Rights Commission took over the case. The incident also was reported to the Racial Incidents Team. [C]
A residence hall staff member reported that while walking past a room he heard one of the residents of the room say, “Look, there is that little red-headed faggot bitch.” The staff member recognized the resident as someone he had documented for an alcohol incident a week earlier. The staff member poked his head in the room to ask how things were going, wanting them to know that he heard the remark. The resident who made the remark said, “Peace,” and then repeated the homophobic remark. This case was referred to the campus judicial system. Incident reported to the team for information only. [C]
An institutional office that supports GLBT students reported receiving a phone message from an unknown male. The caller started the message by complimenting the work of the office but he then began making obscene comments about “blow jobs” and “tickling teeth.” In the background one could hear a woman laughing. The person in the office who was listening to the voicemail was so disgusted that she hung up and did not listen to the rest of the message. [C]
A gay male student reported that late on a Saturday night he was walking with his boyfriend along a street that borders campus and then turned up a wide brick pathway through the Sample Gates. He and his boyfriend were holding hands. A police car pulled up the path behind them and circled around slowly while staring at the men and then drove off. The student reporting the incident was upset and believed they had been examined by the officer because they were holding hands. A team member spoke with one of the police supervisors who reported that at about that same time there had been a robbery reported in this vicinity, and he is certain the police officer was only checking to see if the men on the path fit the description of the suspect. The police supervisor offered to meet with the men to explain all of this. A team member reported back to the men who made the team report, but neither was interested in a meeting. [C]
A residence hall staff member reported finding a picture drawn on the dry erase board of male residents. It was of a man dressed as a woman with his genitalia showing and the phrase “it is getting bigger every day” written next to it. Staff erased the picture and were intending to follow up with the residents. Incident was reported to the team for information only. [C]
A residence hall staff member reported finding “I’ve got AIDS and will eat your ass” written on the dry erase board of male residents. A picture was taken and the phrase was erased. A staff member was planning to follow up with the residents of the room once he found them. Incident reported to the team for information only. [C]
While checking rooms for Thanksgiving break a residence hall staff member reported finding a dry erase board on the door of male residents that had the following phrase: “[First names of the male residents] love Dick in their mouths.” A picture was taken and the phrase was erased. A staff member planned to discuss this with the residents when they returned from break. Incident reported to the team for information only. [C]
A residence hall staff member reported finding a bulletin board on a male floor that had all of the paper ripped down and on the floor. Written on the bulletin board was “[Name of resident of the floor] is gay 4 ripping off all the wall paper!!! and liking men.” Above the phrase a penis was drawn. A professional staff member in the center wrote to the student who was named and was going to try to meet with him to see what he knew about this. Incident was reported to the team for information only. [C]
A male student reported receiving an email from a male professional staff member he did not know that he perceived to be a request for an “anonymous homosexual date.” It seemed obvious to the team that the staff member in question sent the message to the student thinking this was someone he knew through relatives who were out of state. It was a friendly message that indicated he had heard from the relatives that the student was attending IU and he wondered if the student would like to have lunch sometime. Apparently, the staff member sent the message to the wrong student who believed this was some sort of proposition. A team member wrote back to the student acknowledging his report and explaining that we believed this was simply a case of mistaken identity. The team decided not to inform the staff member since we did not believe he had done anything inappropriate. [C]
A gay residence hall staff member reported that he attended a program in a residence center that had to do with stereotyping in reality television shows. In response to a video clip the staff member said that if someone spit in his face he would walk away. A male member of the audience belittled his response as being “unmanly” and called the staff member “dog food.” The staff member was very upset by this and felt in part he was being attacked because he was gay. In another video clip involving a bisexual woman an audience member commented that the woman “needed to find Jesus before she goes to hell” and “there is no such thing as bisexual, just greedy.” A team member called a meeting with several professional and graduate staff members who were involved in planning the program to process what had happened. It was decided that an attempt would be made to repeat the program with better facilitation. The gay staff member who reported the incident felt very supported by his colleagues. [C]
A gay male student reported he was unhappy that a campus medical facility had what he believed was inadequate information about a medical condition that can sometimes affect gay men though it is more usually associated with women. Team members worked with the student and professional staff at the medical facility to air his concerns. The medical facility was going to examine the information they provided about this condition, and they agreed to provide more current information in the publication of a new brochure on the condition. [A]
A residence hall staff member reported finding a drawing of
a penis on almost every door decoration on this male floor. In addition, they
found a dry erase board with a drawing of a penis ejaculating into a mouth, a
dry erase board that read “
A residence hall staff member reported that another male staff member in the building who identifies as bisexual had a rainbow flag door decoration ripped down. The victim was feeling supported by his colleagues and did not need any team intervention. Incident reported to the team for information only. [C]
A residence hall staff member reported finding the word “fag” carved into the door of male residents. A picture was taken. A professional staff member in the center followed up with the residents who did not feel targeted and believed the word had been there since the start of the academic year. Arrangements were made to have the door sanded. Incident reported to the team for information only. [C]
A male student who is a leader in his student organization reported to the team that members of his organization had engaged in some behavior that was inappropriate and that had caused his organization to appear in the campus judicial system. The behavior in question involved wearing little clothing and simulating some male sex acts with each other in front of an audience of women. The men involved in this had been removed from the organization but the organization wanted team members to lead them in an educational program that would include members who were present during the incident but did little or nothing to stop it. Two team members created an educational program and facilitated a discussion with several members of this organization. [C]
A residence hall staff member reported that the bulletin board he had created about homosexuality entitled “That’s So Gay” had been vandalized. Included was an arrow pointing to “Gay” with the writing “Hate these fuckers.” The board was taken down and a team member offered to meet with the staff member to discuss some possible responses. Incident reported to the team for information only. [C]
A residence hall graduate staff member reported that while passing a room with male residents inside he heard one of them refer to resident assistants as “fags.” The staff member confronted the student who made the remark and explained he was frustrated with RAs who acted like “douche bags.” The student seemed annoyed at being confronted for his language. The graduate staff member who had made the confrontation and a professional staff member in the residence center later met with the student. The student, who identified as gay, said he had no problem with the word “fags” but he understood that what he said was inappropriate. The staff members felt as though it was a productive meeting and that the student “got it.” Incident reported to the team for information only. [C]
A male student reported being very bothered by an educational bulletin board put up by residence hall staff. The board recounted the murder of a15-year old boy by a homophobic man. The title of the board was “Who is the Victim?” and was meant to point out that the shooter was, in a sense, a victim of society’s homophobia and heterosexism. The student who reported, and three other people who subsequently reported dissatisfaction with the board, believed that it was unfair to cast the shooter in the same category of “victim” as the murdered teen. The staff who put up the board made some changes to the board that tried to make the intent more clear, and the professional staff member who supervises the staff who created the board met with the student who complained. Also, blank paper was put up next to the board with an invitation for people to write their comments. Some of the comments written were hatefully homophobic. It was decided to have a residence center educational program and discussion about the board in order to bring about some learning. Two team members were present for the program. [C]
A residence hall staff member reported taking down several printed fliers that he and others thought could be offensive. Subsequently, several students noticed these fliers on and off campus. The fliers seemed to be an advertisement for an off-campus party for which there was a five-dollar cover charge. Part of the poster read as follows: “Even being a Queer can be a drag. Let’s get one thing straight, I’m not. Closets are for clothes, so cum on out to [address]………..A screening of Brokeback Mountain, guest speakers Richard Simmons, Dumbledore of the Harry Potter films and a farewell speech for Heath Ledger.” Students believed this was likely a spoof of “gay parties.” A team member tried to reach someone at the phone number on the flier but was not successful and messages were not returned. Incident reported to the team for information only. [C]
A residence hall staff member reported that the dry erase board of a male resident had the word “fag” written on it. The male resident did not feel targeted or threatened and the word was erased. Incident reported for information only. [C]
A female student reported that while attending an event with friends on campus a group of men belonging to an organization and sitting behind her were shouting homophobic comments to some of the performers on stage. Included was “that’s so gay,” “he’s a fag” and “homosexuality is a sin.” She gave them some looks of disapproval but they did not stop. After the performance she confronted them and engaged them in conversation about their comments, trying to help them understand why the comments were disturbing. Most of the men were argumentative with her but one of the men did engage in a conversation. While leaving the venue the female student reported the incident to a professional staff member who listened to her, but the perception of the female was that he down played the incident. A team member met with the student who reported the incident and later attended a meeting with the student and the professional staff member, who promised to help bring about a learning opportunity with the organization to which the offending students belonged. The team sent a letter to the president of the organization asking for a meeting to be scheduled to discuss next steps. [A]
Residence hall staff members reported that while on duty rounds they found the word “gay” written on a poster that was taped to the door of a resident. No one was home when the staff tried to contact the residents, and they planned to try again to talk with them at a later time. Incident was reported for information only. [C]
Residence hall staff members reported that while on duty rounds they found this message written on the dry erase board of male residents: “[name of male resident] = cock lover.” The resident was not present in the room, and staff were planning to follow up with him later. Incident reported for information only. [C]
Residence hall staff reported that a resident who moved to a different room was harassed by her former roommate and the roommate’s friend. The two students were standing outside the resident’s door, yelling. The resident also reported that the former roommate had posted notes on the former roommate’s door that contained offensive comments regarding homosexuals, Christians, and the resident. The resident took photos of the notes and reported feeling targeted and harassed. Residence hall staff handled the situation and reported it for action in the campus judicial system. (The incident also was reported to the RBIT.) [C]