The Bias Incident Group recently met for the second time this academic year in response to an act associated with homophobia.
A student, who requested anonymity, said that she parked her car at Brunswick Apartments on the night of Friday, February 3, and woke the next morning to discover that the word "gay" had been written in the snow on the front and back windshields of her car.
In an interview with the Orient, the student, who is openly gay, said that she knows she was targeted because "it took time, energy, and purpose to find my car and write on both the front and back windshields."
The victim said that the incident shocked her and made her feel uncomfortable.
"I didn't know who did it, and I worried that every time I walked into a room someone would think it was some kind of joke to laugh at me about," she said.
"I realized that derogatory language on campus exists and if people think it's OK to say it, then why wouldn't they go a step further and write it on my car," she added.
She reported the incident that day via e-mail to Dean of Student Affairs Tim Foster, a member of the Bias Incident Group, who then alerted President Barry Mills. Mills decided to convene the Bias Incident Group to discuss the act and the appropriate response. The Bias Incident Group, which was created in 1988 to respond to acts of bias, consists of students, faculty, and administrators and responds only to anonymous acts.
Foster said that the Bias Incident Group "could meet anywhere from zero to three times a year." The last few times the group has met have been in response to homophobia or anti-Semitism, Foster said.
Mills wrote in an e-mail to the Orient that it is typically "the group's practice to issue a letter to the community explaining what happened and underscoring our condemnation of acts that are vicious in nature or recklessly indifferent to the feelings of others, and that attempt to silence others and breed fear in our academic community."
"We could have issued another letter [in response to the incident on February 3] but instead we are hopeful that [the victim's] willingness to speak out...[will provide] a better opportunity for dialogue and a greater chance of reaching those responsible with the clear message that such acts are hateful, harmful, and flat-out unacceptable here," Mills said.
Bias Incident Group Member and Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs Scott Hood originally alerted the Orient to the incident and indicated that the victim wanted to publicly tell her story. The victim later decided that she did not want to publicly reveal her name.
The first incident addressed by the Bias Incident Group this year occurred during the fall when the word "fag" had been written on a first-year student's door.
Professor of English Peter Coviello, also a member of the Bias Incident Group, said that the February incident made him and the other committee members angry and exasperated.
"When I heard about this latest incident, it really made me feel like taking hold of the students who would do or countenance such a thing, and just telling them, plain and simple, to grow the f--- up," Coviello said in an e-mail to the Orient. "Writing 'fag' on someone's door or 'gay' on someone's car is astonishingly junior high school lame. And while being incredibly lame, it's really hurtful to somebody. It's scary, makes them feel targeted, less safe."
According to Director of Safety and Security Randy Nichols, Assistant Director of Security Louann Dustin-Hunter is leading Security's investigation of the case.
Dustin-Hunter, the civil rights officer of the department, handles all cases involving situations of discrimination or bias. In addition, Security reports any incidents that could be considered a hate crime to the Attorney General's Office.
"They will not be investigating [this case], but we do keep them informed of all events of this nature," Nichols said.
Director of the Queer-Trans Resource Center and member of the Bias Incident Group Anne Peacock said that "it's sad and disturbing that [the victim] is being sent the message that she is targeted because of this particular part of her identity. The campus as a whole needs to think about the culture that exists that allows these acts to happen."
When asked about the use of homophobic language on campus, one male student athlete said the word "gay" "definitely gets thrown around."
"It's not used as a derogatory term," he added. "It's used loosely, usually around just a bunch of guys. People are pretty conscious about not using the term in general."
Foster expressed concern about the casual use of homophobic language.
"There is certain 'locker room language' where people say things in settings where they are not called out on it," he said.
"The language ends up being used in general settings if it goes unchecked. People are responsible for calling one another out."
Another student who said she experienced discrimination for dating a girl said that "when people use the word 'gay' and equate it to 'lame,' it doesn't matter if they don't mean it in a homophobic manner, because it is anyway. I don't necessarily feel targeted, but I feel different. I don't feel accepted."
Coviello agreed that there may be a problem surrounding the use of language at Bowdoin.
"It's exasperating that [homophobia] is a problem at a college of this caliber," Coviello said. "We're not interested in being language cops. We're just interested in making sure everyone here feels safe."
Foster agreed.
"We have to teach people how to intervene," he said. "How do you tell people when you're uncomfortable with their language? It's hard, but it's important."
Anne Riley contributed to this report.