“At Shippensburg University, we strive to provide an environment where the people of our campus community feel safe.”

These were the words used in an email by SU President Laurie Carter in the aftermath of the Oct. 1 defacing of an office door belonging to Students Advocating for Equality (SAFE), a student LGBT group.

The email was vague as to what was left on the SAFE door, but said whatever it was violated the Student Code of Conduct and was presumably homophobic. The administration has provided no other information regarding the incident or the investigation that it told students would follow.

SAFE, the Pride Center and other SU students united last week for a peaceful demonstration in the Ceddia Union Building amphitheater in light of the incident. Carter and other administrators also attended the event in support of the LGBT community.

However, no other information has been released since Oct. 1 regarding the nature of the incident.

Our world has become tribal in the way we are divided by race, gender, sexual orientation and political party — the damage to SAFE’s door proves that. Instead of acting for the sake of morality, we make decisions based on shock value and with the purpose of offending supposed enemies. 

Meanwhile, the nation’s widespread lack of empathy is a bipartisan issue with no sign of stopping.

The LGBT community has been spat on and discriminated against for decades, and even now struggles to be treated the same as heterosexuals.

College campuses are supposed to be a safe space for students to come into their own, but hate crimes such as these make everyone afraid to do so. How are students supposed to learn who they are when their fellow students are telling them that a lifestyle different from the majority is not OK?

That is where Carter comes in. It is her job above anyone else’s to stand by us in times of injustice; that requires more than attendance at an event and an email telling us that this incident was wrong, as the perpetrator surely knew that it was.

The administration’s response to this incident seemed, in some respects, political. Yes, everything was said that was needed to be said — this is wrong, the investigation is ongoing and we are committed to keeping students safe.

But there was nothing about the email that suggested more information would be provided to students when it became available. Carter also encouraged students to seek support through the usual means — the Counseling Center, Dean of Students’ Office and the Pride Center, to name a few — instead of holding a public event of her own to show support.

Make no mistake — it was fantastic of the president to attend SAFE’s event outside the CUB. But an administration-sponsored event would have gone much further to show the perpetrator that their actions were unacceptable.

The job of a successful president is to stand by his or her constituents in good times and bad. 

The administration works for us — without us, there would be no university. By failing to follow up with more information, she is in part failing at protecting us.

Each year, parents of LGBT students send their children here under the assumption that they are in good hands. But with one email and a lack of follow-up information, it is hard to see how sincere the administration is about keeping lines of communication open.

SU’s LGBT community deserves to receive all of the information regarding this incident. They deserve to see Carter doing more to declare that this behavior will not be tolerated.

They deserve more than what they have gotten.

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