Hate crime targets first year

Gender non-binary student’s door vandalized 

Amy Inkrott / Copy Editor / The USD Vista

Standing before a crowded classroom in Camino Hall, first-year student Eleanor Wheeler read a statement, sharing their story of the recent hate crime on USD’s campus. On the night of Oct. 24, Wheeler was the victim of an attack on the LGBTQ community when their Valley A apartment door was vandalized. Wheeler identifies as gender non-binary, meaning they are somewhere on the gender spectrum and do not identify as either male or female. Homophobic and transphobic slurs marred the students door and the pride flags that adorned it. Some comments suggested that the student kill themself. 

  Given the severity of this incident and in an effort to be transparent with the USD community, The USD Vista Executive Editors chose to include the uncensored photo of the vandalism. Through USDtv, Wheeler provided The USD Vista with these materials and wished that they be made public. 

In their statement, Wheeler shared the emotional distress they faced when they discovered the vandalism. 

“At 3:34 a.m., it was like all the air was taken from the world, my own body couldn’t hold me up, and I collapsed, sobbing into my sleeve until it was soaked with tears and snot, and my eyes swelled shut from crying, silently, to not wake up my floormates,” Wheeler said. “I sat there, shaking, unable to force myself to move and get up. I thought maybe I’d stay there forever and give up and give in. Finally, I stood up and the blood in my body was replaced by pure and utter terror. I ran to the bathroom and threw up out of sheer revulsion.” 

The USD Department of Public Safety notified the entire campus community three hours after the incident was reported, although they did not specify the nature of the hate crime at first. The targeted community was not identified until later that day, when President James T. Harris III, D.Ed. sent out a campus-wide email concerning the reported hate crime.

“Today we were informed of a hate crime on our campus that strikes at the core of our campus values,” Harris said in the email. “This deplorable act targeted a member of our LGBTQ+ community and is antithetical to our belief in the respect and dignity of every individual on our campus.”

USD officials did not provide information regarding the specifics of the hate crime committed.

Wheeler’s statement describes the hate crime’s direct impact on their life at USD.

“Did you know that I spent an entire day planning on dropping out? Did you know that when I walk on campus now it feels like I can’t breathe?” Wheeler said. “You may be able to move on and forget this happened in a week, but I will never have the privilege of forgetting. This incident’s scars will be there forever.”

Despite the hate crime, the student is standing strong in their identity. 

“I will never let you take my pride from me,” Wheeler said. “I have fought too damn hard for it.”

However, this is not the first time the LGBTQ community has been targeted at USD in recent memory. In March, the SLP’s all-gender bathroom was vandalized in an act of intolerance. The bathroom’s paper towel dispensers were ripped off the walls. President of Diverse Sexuality and Gender Alliance (DSGA), Paulina Sierra, noted a marked difference between this reported hate crime and the act of intolerance. To Sierra, the vandalism of a first year’s apartment is more serious. 

“What needs to be understood about this situation is that this student’s home got vandalized,” Sierra said. “This is where a student lives. And now whenever that student has to exist in what is supposed to be the safest of all places, there is fear.”

The incident’s classification as a hate crime by the university also highlights the severity of this act. The suspect of the hate crime faces both university and legal ramifications. 

“Harassment of others because of a person’s race, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender, sexual orientation, or because he/she perceives that the other person has one or more of these characteristics is against the law and will not be tolerated by the University,” USD’s webpage on hate crimes reads. “Severe disciplinary action and possible criminal prosecution will follow.”

The reported hate crime is currently under investigation by the Department of Public Safety and San Diego Police Department, neither of which have made any arrests.

The day after the hate crime, Associate Director of the LGBTQ+ & Allies Commons Stacey Williams sent out a message to members of the community.

“As an institution, we need to not only take these more extreme acts seriously, but see them as the symptoms that they are,” Williams said. “We need to take seriously the daily indignities and oppression that permeates our culture. And we need to grapple with the distance between our espoused values and our lived experiences.”

The Commons held a meeting Tuesday, in which members of the USD community had a discussion about the hate crime. Some students expressed shock at the situation given that the university promotes a culture of diversity, tolerance, and acceptance. They also were surprised by the university’s response, given that there were only two emails addressing the situation. 

Wheeler will be addressing the situation at the Associated Student Government meeting on Thursday at 12:15 p.m. in Solomon Hall. A candlelight vigil will also be held that night. 

Luke Garrett and Althea Ulin contributed reporting.