Trial of former Rutgers University student Dharun Ravi highlights crucial responsibility of college and university administrators and staff in keeping LGBT students safe on campus

Campus Pride, the leading national non-profit working to make colleges and universities safer and more inclusive for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students, today marked the end of the weeks-long trial of former Rutgers University student Dharun Ravi by issuing a call for all colleges to heed the lesson Rutgers officials were forced to learn as tragic events unfolded on their campus and to immediately implement the necessary policies, programs and practices to keep their LGBT students safe.

Ravi, accused of using his webcam to spy on his gay roommate Tyler Clementi during a sexual encounter with an unnamed male partner, was found guilty of several counts of invasion of privacy and guilty of several counts of bias intimidation toward Tyler Clementi, among other charges. The case attracted national attention after Clementi died by suicide in September 2010.

During the trial, details regarding Ravi’s and Clementi’s relationship as roommates and Clementi’s request to Rutgers housing officials for a room change underscored the single most important but least talked about issue since Clementi’s tragic death two years ago: The responsibility of college administrators, faculty and staff to keep their LGBT students safe.

“Though the trial has ended, there are no verdicts, no words and no sentiments that will ever bring Tyler Clementi back to his friends and to his family,” said Shane Windmeyer, executive director of Campus Pride. “Additionally, this trial’s conclusion will not end the daily torment and harassment of LGBT students on college and university campuses across the nation.

"College and university professionals have an obligation to recognize the crucial role and responsibility they have in creating safer environments for LGBT students,” Windmeyer added. “Tragedies can be averted and lives can be saved when students feel safe and accepted and when universities are proactive in their approach to campus climate and the academic success of all students."

Simple and commonsense steps could have prevented Clementi’s suicide. Since his death, Rutgers University has made several steps in bridging the gap between their LGBT students’ needs and the campus’ offered services, but too many colleges refuse to see the consequences of inaction and remain unsafe for LGBT students.

Of more than 4,000 colleges and universities across the U.S., less than 10 percent have opted to voluntarily assess their campus’ policies and practices using the Campus Pride LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index (www.campusprideindex.org). Less than seven percent of schools offer institutional support to LGBT students, such as an LGBT student center or programs director. Only 13 percent offer non-discrimination protections on the basis of sexual orientation and just six percent protect students on the basis of gender identity. Only one school, Illinois’ Elmhurst University, asks students demographic questions about sexual orientation and gender identity on its admissions application.

“The mere presence of an LGBT student organization or LGBT-inclusive policies will not make a campus safer for students,” said Windmeyer. “Concrete policy implementation put into immediate practice is necessary – constant work that includes listening to and including the voices of LGBT students and taking decisive and proactive steps to respond to their needs before tragedy occurs, not afterward.”

Campus Pride calls on all colleges and universities to take steps now to fully include LGBT students on their campuses and to create safer, more welcoming environments where LGBT students can grow in their academic careers. Programs and policy implementation – such as anti-discrimination policies, safe and inclusive student conduct codes, gender-neutral housing, LGBT living-learning communities, hate-crime and bias-motivated incident response and LGBT-inclusive healthcare – are not optional.

“University administrators, faculty, campus housing staff and other trained professionals are paid to teach and to keep students safe,” said Windmeyer. “When professionals fail to do their jobs, students are unable to do theirs – to learn and to grow academically – and tragic incidents of suicide, hazing and bias-motivated violence became an all-too-real possibility. No student should ever live in fear for their own safety or struggle to be comfortable with themselves in the face of harassment.”

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Last night, Campus PRide Executive Director Shane WIndmeyer appeared on CNN Headline News with Dr. Drew to discuss the on-going trial of Dharun Ravi, the former Rutgers student accused of cyber-bullying roommate Tyler Clementi, who died from suicide in September 2010.

Windmeyer appeared with Allyson Pereira, who had nude photos of her at age 16 leaked by her boyfriend to her peers at school. Pereira said the Clementi and Ravi case wasn't a hate crime, though radio personality Erica "America" Hayden disagreed.

Windmeyer's comments cut right to the chase on the larger issues surrounding the case: "It's very disturbing the fact that this young man today was sharing that it was curiosity [that led him to spy on Clementi]. It is disturbing that young people today have so much privilege being straight that they don't see the repercussions of what it means to be gay and how difficult it is to come out."

Be sure to watch the interview and comment below!

See Campus Pride's previous statement on the case, "Trial of Rutgers University student Dharun Ravi highlights national priority to create safe and inclusive campuses for LGBT students."

A university's first and foremost responsibility is the safety and education of its students. LGBT-inclusion and safety programs and policy implementation are not optional.

The harassment and death of Tyler Clementi, pictured, and Rutgers University's handling of the ensuing controversy serve as prime examples of the need for increased awareness and responsibility by university administrators.

Jury selection in the trial against former Rutgers University student Dharun Ravi, accused of cyber-bullying that ultimately led to the Sept. 22, 2010, suicide of his roommate Tyler Clementi, began on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012. As the trial proceeds, the details regarding the relationship between Ravi and Clementi continue to highlight the need for college and university administrations to make their campuses safer and more inclusive for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students.

"Colleges should take responsibility for their LGBT students," said Shane Windmeyer, executive director of Campus Pride. "At the heart of this issue is the right of LGBT youth and students to be heard and recognized on the important campus safety issues they face at school. Nearly a quarter of LGB students face harassment on campus and this percentage is even greater for our transgender students."

Clementi's death and Rutgers University's handling of the ensuing controversy serve as prime examples of the need for increased awareness and responsibility.

"The mere presence of an LGBT student organization or LGBT-inclusive policies will not make a campus safer for students," said Windmeyer. "Concrete policy and practice implentation is necessary -- constant work that includes listening to and including the voices of LGBT students and taking decisive action to respond to their needs."

Listening and responding to LGBT students takes effort on the part of university admissions, student life and housing professionals, Windmeyer added. Asking optional questions about students' sexual and gender identities on forms for admission, housing and other services is a crucial first step toward ensuring accountability in campus programming and resources. To date, only one U.S. institution of higher education, Illinois' Elmhurst College, has added such questions to their undergraduate admissions forms.

Since Clementi's death, officials at Rutgers University have implemented a "Respect and Civility" program and have created an LGBT student living/learning community -- a program students had been seeking for a number of years before the tragic incident in 2010.

Campus Pride calls on all colleges and universities to take steps to fully include LGBT students on their campuses and to create safer, more welcoming environments where LGBT students may live, learn and grow with respect and dignity. Programs and policy implementation -- such as anti-discrimination policies, safe and inclusive student conduct codes, gender-neutral housing, LGBT living-learning communities, hate-crime and bias-motivated incident response and LGBT-inclusive healthcare -- are not optional.

"A university's first and foremost responsibility is the safety and education of its students," Windmeyer said. "It is imperative that colleges and universities begin to recognize their role in creating safer environments for LGBT students. Tragedies can be averted and lives can be saved when students feel safe and accepted and when universities are proactive in their approach to campus climate."

As part of its continuing commitment to develop necessary resources, programs and services to support LGBT and ally students on college campuses across the United States, Campus Pride offers its national benchmarking and assessment tool, the Campus Climate Index (www.campusclimateindex.org), free-of-charge to college and university administrators seeking to understand the current needs, challenges and opportunities for their campuses.

Dear President McCormick,

I was a Reader's Digest editor for 20 years, and a commissioner of education in Los Angeles Unified School District (1996-99), as well as being a long-time published author.

Rutgers will never (your words) "rise to the highest tier" among American universities unless it does the right thing about Tyler Clementi's suicide.

Your school must act decisively in this case. You must expel both Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei for invasion of privacy of fellow student Tyler Clementi. Their actions were a clear violation of campus code.

If Rutgers does not enforce its own rules, you are sending a message that student lawlessness can rule your campus, whether it relates to LGBT students or other matters. This lethal incident will become a black mark on your school's reputation, and a red alert to parents, who will be well-advised to send their children to schools, where their rights, safety and privacy will be protected by rules that are actually enforced.

Sincerely yours,
Patricia Nell Warren

***************************************

Email we sent to the President at Rutgers:

My husband and I are both alumni of Rutgers University (Law School and Social Work School.) And we have many gay and lesbian family members.

We understand that the Rutgers University Code of Student Conduct prohibits "making or attempting to make an audio or video recording of any person(s) on University premises in bathrooms, showers, bedrooms, or other premises where there is an expectation of privacy with respect to nudity and/or sexual activity, without the knowledge and consent of all participants subject to such recordings."

Dear President McCormick,

My names is Jim Swimm. I'm a 39-year old man living in the Inwood community here in New York, NY, the area where Tyler Clementi's body was found on Sept. 29th. I was the first person to see Tyler's life-less body floating along the banks of the Harlem River. It was a surreal moment, to say the very least, and one that is having a profound effect on my life.

You see, I'm also Gay. I'm not sure if you are aware of the other boys who died that week that Tyler committed suicide, but I grew up in Houston, TX, in the same area as Asher Brown. Asher was a 13-year old boy who couldn't bear the bullying any longer and shot himself with his stepfather's gun. So, as I'm sure you can imagine, the issues of homophobia, anti-LGBT bullying, and teen suicide were all in the forefront of my thoughts that day as I walked through the park and came upon a body in the water. I thought it just a random occurrence, unfortunate, but random.

Once it was confirmed that the body I'd seen was, in fact, Tyler Clementi, I began to doubt that my being there at that particular moment was actually as random as I thought. Of all the people in the city, even this community, to have first seen that sadly misused and violated boy's corpse, is a Gay man who happens to also have a connection to another boy who was"bullied to death" (as Asher's mother put it?) I can't believe there wasn't some fateful occurrence that put me there. Now, I think I'm beginning to see why.

The following is something I posted on Facebook after attending the vigil in Washington Square Park last Sunday. Please read this, as I think it explains how I came to find some higher purpose to all this:

HELP US SEND A CLEAR MESSAGE AGAINST LGBT HARASSMENT & HATE

Tell Rutgers University President Richard McCormick to take immediate action in the wake of this national tragedy and immediately expel both students in accordance with their own Student Code of Conduct for invasion of privacy.

If you're an Rutgers University Alumnus, please contact the campus online:
http://www.alumni.rutgers.edu/s/896/index.aspx?sid=896&gid=1&pgid=382

“Now is the time to act decisively and send a clear message at Rutgers and at colleges across the country that LGBT harassment and hate will not be tolerated any longer,” states Campus Pride noting it has now been two weeks since Clementi committed suicide.

(New Brunswick, NJ) Campus Pride, the nation’s leading non-profit organization working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and ally college and university students, today called for Rutgers University to act decisively to expel both Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei for invasion of privacy of fellow student Tyler Clementi. Two weeks ago on Wednesday,September 22, Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge posting on his Facebook page, "jumping off the gw bridge sorry."

According to Campus Pride, the Rutgers University Code of Student Conduct prohibits "making or attempting to make an audio or video recording of any person(s) on University premises in bathrooms, showers, bedrooms, or other premises where there is an expectation of privacy with respect to nudity and/or sexual activity,without the knowledge and consent of all participants subject to such recordings."

“Ravi and Wei acted maliciously to secretly tape Tyler Clementi, even posting comments to encourage others to ‘video chat’ and watch. This is an egregious act of invasion of privacy. Both students should be expelled. Period,” said Shane Windmeyer, executive director and founder of Campus Pride. “This act was not simply a prank. It has been two weeks now and neither student has been expelled. Now is the time to act decisively and send a clear message at Rutgers and at colleges across the country that LGBT harassment and hate will not be tolerated any longer.”

Campus Pride’s “2010 State of Higher Education for LGBT People” released last month shows that LGBT incidents of harassment and discrimination are neither rare nor fleeting-- they are real. The national study indicates that one quarter (23%) of LGBQ staff, faculty,and students reported experiencing harassment. An even greater percentage of transgender students, faculty, & staff reported experiencing harassment (39%), often more overt and blatant on campus.

Since the death of Clementi, Campus Pride has received hundreds of emails and phone calls from concerned parents of LGBT youth who are asking for resources to determine safe, welcoming LGBT-friendly colleges and universities. While the national organization recognizes that it takes time for law officers to deal with the investigation surrounding the criminal charges and prosecuting to the full extent of the law, Rutgers University has a clear violation of its own student code of conduct to enforce for the safety and privacy of all students.

“Rutgers University has an obligation to the family of Tyler Clementi and to parents who have gay kids across the nation to enforce the student code of conduct,” said Windmeyer. "The nation is watching what happens.Rutgers should take immediate action in the wake of this national tragedy and immediately expel both students."

For more information about Campus Pride's "2010 State of Higher Education for LGBT People" report, visit www.campuspride.org/research.

“Now is the time to act decisively and send a clear message at Rutgers and at colleges across the country that LGBT harassment and hate will not be tolerated any longer,” states Campus Pride noting it has now been two weeks since Clementi committed suicide.

(New Brunswick, NJ) Campus Pride, the nation’s leading non-profit organization working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and ally college and university students, today called for Rutgers University to act decisively to expel both Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei for invasion of privacy of fellow student Tyler Clementi. Two weeks ago on Wednesday, September 22, Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge posting on his Facebook page, "jumping off the gw bridge sorry."

According to Campus Pride, the Rutgers University Code of Student Conduct prohibits "making or attempting to make an audio or video recording of any person(s) on University premises in bathrooms, showers, bedrooms, or other premises where there is an expectation of privacy with respect to nudity and/or sexual activity, without the knowledge and consent of all participants subject to such recordings."

“Ravi and Wei acted maliciously to secretly tape Tyler Clementi, even posting comments to encourage others to ‘video chat’ and watch. This is an egregious act of invasion of privacy. Both students should be expelled. Period,” said Shane Windmeyer, executive director and founder of Campus Pride. “This act was not simply a prank. It has been two weeks now and neither student has been expelled. Now is the time to act decisively and send a clear message at Rutgers and at colleges across the country that LGBT harassment and hate will not be tolerated any longer.”