Over 200 students, faculty and staff filled the UB Ballroom Sunday night. Some stood in doorways or on the floor in order to take part in a discussion about the campus environment.
President Brian Casey looked out on the over 200 forum participants, took a deep breath and delivered his opening remarks.
"We're going to be discussing the nature of this campus and this community and there comes a time when you have to do it more overtly," Casey said. "DePauw may not be a perfect place, but it's a good place."
Casey stated that the recent events on campus have created a disturbance that requires addressing through conversation.
"What we're doing a we're negotiating just what it means to be together and maybe the events that have occurred over the past couple of days and the past couple of months, the reason they were so disruptive was that they were unusual," Casey said. "This isn't us."
Casey explained three events that took place in the past three years that gained the attention of the student body and caused emotional harm to groups of students who associated with identities being questioned or assaulted. The first was an invitation sent out in May of 2010 containing negative stereotypes about Mexican-Americans by a student hoping to draw other students to a Cinco de Mayo party. After students protested and suggested that the comments made were inappropriate the creator apologized.
In the past two weeks two other events brought attention to the idea that campus lacks acceptance. First the creation of T-shirts with that were deemed inappropriate — "You've had our Dick / Now here's our Seaman" — and were not distributed as coaches and the creator decided they negatively represented the university and its football program.
Second, Casey addressed a case of harassment that occurred at Phi Kappa Psi fraternity over Halloween weekend.
Casey expressed that these events and other instances of harassment on campus upset him as a president and as a person.
"These events on campus have been disturbing, but more importantly disappointing. They're not really reflective of the best of us," Casey said. "Disappointment is the feeling I've had, with occasional flashes of anger."
Following his address students began discussing the T-shirts and why they upset some students.
Senior Danny Cetina changed the subject, though, suggesting that the lack of male representation at the forum reflected his opinion that harassment toward homosexual students comes primarily from males.
"I'm wondering why more men aren't coming to these meetings, especially if you're trying to go against stereotypes that greeks have of being sexist, racist or homophobic," Cetina said. "It stinks being stereotyped like that, but we're not helping by being silent."
Sophomore Hunter Goble agreed with Cetina and suggested that rallies and demonstrations may not appropriately frame the issues to all audiences.
"The same people that are absent from this conversation and the same people that I guess we think are part of the problem are the same people who are going to be absent at these rallies and parades," Goble said.
Soon afterward senior Kelly Kish added that although the principle assailant at Phi Psi was identified as a student from another university, the potential of another instance of harassment still exists on campus. She said that because students congregate at the fraternities with such regularity, the fraternities take on power.
"We're all just so afraid because we all know each other on this campus, and we're afraid to step forward and say this is wrong and to call our friends out and to call our brothers out and to call our sisters out," Kish said.
President of Phi Psi Paul Dugdale responded, saying he felt deeply disappointed by the instances of harassment.
"I'm glad that this has prompted this sort of thing for us, providing an ability to get everything out and I think that is very important, but I would have to say that I 100 percent support the integrity of our men at Phi Kappa Psi and that I am saddened that this had to happen, and I am saddened that things told about before did happen," Dugdale said.
Kish replied to Dugdale's comment by bringing up Phi Psi's participation in the Greek God and Goddess competition in September.
"I am not trying to target your fraternity when I specifically say this, but you were disqualified from Greek God and Goddess for the past two years. And I think that is a reflection of the men in your fraternity who decided to create these dances that break all the rules," Kish said. "I do think that there are patterns happening on this campus and I think they need to be addressed."
Kish's comment shocked some attendees. The crowd began to whisper until Dugdale responded.
"Yeah we looked like a bunch of idiots out there and I agree, I completely agree, but they got disqualified for it," Dugdale said. "Is the main issue what happened at Greek God and Goddess? No, the main issue here is what happened to Taylor [Truster] and that's what we should be talking about."
Casey intervened, saying that investigations are underway and will continue evaluating the verbal assault Truster endured at a party hosted by Phi Psi.
Junior Erika Roman re-opened the issue, suggesting that bystanders who did not act in the case at Phi Psi were also guilty.
"We talk about the primary offender is being investigated. Yeah, he might have directly done something but all the secondary offenders that may be in this room right now, every person that saw something and said nothing," Roman said. "Inaction is action in itself. If you're not standing against the problem you're with it."
The comment received applause from the audience accented with a few shouts of ‘Amen.'
The conversation resolved with proposals of how to bring more students into the discussion. Casey vowed to work through various venues to bring the topic forward.
Casey closed the discussion looking out over 200 individuals.
"To put a personal add-on, as a person with some diversity characteristics, I've come to a place that is remarkably open and accepting," Casey said. "So I know it's in the DNA of this place that we'll get this moving forward."