Recently, several hate incidents have taken place at the Lincoln Park campus of DePaul University. The occurrences have involved homophobic graffiti, verbal harassment, and even two physical assaults.
'The physical assaults revolved around their sexual orientation; this is based on reports the students made to the administration and the LGBTQA Resource Center at DePaul,' said Randy Ward, the diversity outreach specialist at the university. 'The first attack is currently under investigation and the second one has been reported and is being followed up on,' he added.
The LGBTQA community at DePaul has been doing a lot to get the word out. Students, faculty, staff, and community members spoke at a rally on the Quad (between Fullerton Pkwy. and Belden Ave. on Seminary) at 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 1. The rally was expected to be preceded by a sit-in that was scheduled from 10-4:30 in the student center's atrium.
Angela Papaleo, the public relations chair for DePaul's LGBTQA group SPECTRUM, does not believe that the attacks were premeditated. 'They seem to be unplanned, sporadic events,' she said. However, the scope of the events encompasses more than homophobia. 'One of the students who was verbally harassed was called a 'spic faggot,' so it's not just about [sexual orientation],' Ward said.
However, Ward believes that the attackers' motives may be political. 'Actually, a lot of them [may] have had something to do with the elections. There have been a lot of Kerry/Edwards stickers up—and a lot of them have been crossed off with 'faggot' written on them. The climate on campus right now is pretty tense,' Ward stated.
At this point, the post-election atmosphere will bear watching.
To contact SPECTRUM, please visit www.depaul.edu/~spectrum or e-mail the organization at spectrum@condor.depaul.edu .