A female sophomore who identifies as gay transferred out of Sears House in response to a homophobic remark written on the whiteboard on the front of her door. The student, who asked that her name not be used, said she saw the comment when she woke up the morning of Sept. 24. The comment read "OMG IM SO HAPPY YOU CAME OUT OF THE CLOSET, GAY PARTay."
Though the student said she has experienced some homophobia off campus, she said she had not come across much antagonism from Brown students until last month's incident.
After the student emailed her Community Assistant, the Department of Public Safety and the Office of Residential Life got involved to help investigate the incident and provide support. A dean called and emailed the student to offer temporary residences until she could move to a different dorm.
The identity of the student who wrote on the whiteboard is still unknown.
Students writing offensive statements on whiteboards is not a new problem, said Margaret Klawunn, vice president for campus life and student services.
"Usually it's an unpleasant or biased or discriminatory statement, and they can do it in a way where they're not identified with it," she said. "It's cowardly, and it's counter to the values that we try to promote, but unfortunately it does happen from time to time."
The student said she thinks comments such as the one written on her door are based on a sense of entitlement. "That just made me feel like they were laughing at me and laughing at my identity, which is not something I really want to feel," she said.
The comment falls under Offense IV of Brown's Code of Conduct, which states that students must not subject another person or group to "abusive, threatening, intimidating or harassing actions, including, but not limited to those based on race, religion, gender, disability, age, economic status, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression."
If the student responsible is caught, he or she will face non-academic disciplinary charges, said Natalie Basil, associate director of ResLife. The severity and nature of the punishment would depend upon the sanctions the student is charged with, and subsequent determinations by officers hearing the case.
Basil attributes the majority of whiteboard vandalism to poor decision-making when students are intoxicated. While many students are open-minded and progressive, their judgment and rationalization might be impaired while under the influence of alcohol, she said. It is not clear whether alcohol was involved in this specific situation.
The LGBTQ Resource Center is considering organizing a community program in response to this situation, said Kelly Garrett, coordinator of the center.
While bias-related incidents do occur on campus, Garrett said such displays of discrimination are not frequent. "I don't want to paint an overly rosy picture, but I think we're very lucky here," she said. "Most Brown students value supporting LGBTQ students."
Garrett said many students do not understand the consequences of actions they may think are harmless or funny. She said she thinks this problem can be improved with the help of individual and community education. "Students do things without thinking sometimes," she said. "Individuals have the right to their opinions, but it's when they do something to harm others that it becomes problematic."
The LGBTQ Resource Center offers support for students faced with homophobia. "We want people to seek out that support," Garrett said. "We don't want people to suffer in silence."
