Photo by Colleen Neely
A possible hate bias incident at University of Maryland South Campus Commons has left a lasting mark even after the damage has been repaired.
An act of vandalism at South Campus Commons Building #2 at the University of Maryland’s campus is being investigated as a possible hate bias incident after an anti-LGBTQ phrase was found etched into an apartment door on Sept. 16.
Mary Breaker, the Resident Director for Commons Buildings 1 and 2, reported the incident to the University of Maryland Police Department after a resident of the affected apartment informed their resident assistant of the defacement.
It is unclear how long the vandalism had been on the door. It is possible that it went unnoticed for some time, said Tracy Kiras, the Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing for the Department of Resident Life. Kiras said resident life staff did not see the vandalism before it was brought to their attention. Kiras said that the Department of Resident Life has provided multicultural resources for those who feel affected by the incident.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, 1,143 hate crimes were reported across more than 6,000 institutions in 2017.
The damage to the door has been fixed, said Kiras.
But for the LGBTQ community, healing the injury may not be so simple.
Ellie Litwack, president of Pride Alliance said “This is my third or fourth interview with a journalist about hate bias incidents just like this. And you know, it feels really frustrating saying the same things over and over again.”
Pride Alliance is a student organization aimed at providing support for LGBTQ+ students.
Litwack said while resident life “does a really good job” of providing resources for those affected by hate bias incidents, they have less success in preventing them in the first place.
Actions that attack an entire community of people have a much wider scope than just those that directly targeted individuals, Litwack said.
“The Resident Life Department always talks about creating, right, it’s not just a dorm floor, it’s a community,” Litwack said. “When incidents like this happen…it makes LGBT people feel like we do not want to try and be part of those residence hall communities.”
According to the UMD 2018 Campus Climate Survey, 47% of student respondents said they agreed to varying degrees that they were scared about the occurrence of hate bias incidents on campus.
Writing on a whiteboard with a marker is one thing, Litwack says. But cases like this are different.
“There’s a real threat to our community when someone comes to someone else’s door with a knife,” Litwack said.
Image by Jasmin Sessler from Pixabay
The LGBT Equity Center located in Marie Mount Hall offers resources for students including access to peer groups. The Counseling Center, located in the Shoemaker Building, also offers mental health resources for students.