Purdue takes steps to avoid hate crimes

By Kelly Kingen
Summer Reporter

Many college campuses around the nation are melting pots for racial, ethnic, and sexual diversity, making them susceptible to hate crimes and hate incidences.

The incident that happened at Indiana University almost a year ago may still be fresh in the minds of some individuals. In July of 1999, many people were shocked when Benjamin Smith, a former IU student and a member of a hate group called the Hate World Church of the Creator, went on a shooting spree killing a Korean student outside a Bloomington church.

Fortunately, Purdue has not recently experienced a hate crime like the IU incident, but like many other universities, the Purdue campus has seen bias motivated incidences over the years.

In December of 1998, for example, the phrase "Gays should be shot" was chalked onto campus sidewalks, and certain groups of students have been subjected to the hateful epithets of others.

Rob Mate, assistant dean of students and advisor for the LesBiGay Network, said there is a difference between hate crimes and hate or bias incidences.

Hate incidents are acts of discrimination that are committed against a person or property because of color, race or sexual orientation, but are not illegal. Hate crimes are harmful or violent acts committed against a person or property for the same reason, but are illegal.

Barry Schreier, licensed psychologist and coordinator of training for Counseling and Psychological Services, said Purdue is lagging behind other Big Ten universities in addressing the issue of diversity. He does, however, see the university starting to take more of an active interest in addressing the issue.

"I think at best, Purdue tolerates diversity. If Purdue is truly going to step up to the line of other Big Ten universities they need to pro-actively encourage diversity," said Schreier.

Tom Robinson, vice president for student services, said, "Purdue generally, has a very good, very positive environment, but we can do better — we can always be better."

The definition of a hate crime is still in its infancy and slowly evolving, and, as of yet, Indiana does not have a state statute that defines what a bias crime is.

Without a state statute that defines what a hate crime is, it is difficult for Purdue and the state to determine what acts do and do not fall in to this category.

Gov. Frank O'Bannon signed a bill in March that vaguely defined what a bias crime was. The bill went into effect on July 1 and it also required law enforcement agencies to submit reports of bias crimes to the state repository and required employees to attend diversity training.

Linda Stump, chief of police for the Purdue Police Department, said these new changes will not affect their process, and the police department had been practicing these new requirements for a number of years.

We have a culturally diverse police force and our employees have been attending diversity training for several years, Stump added.

In June, Stump spoke at the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in American Higher Education, which targeted how to resolve racial and ethnic conflict.

The Purdue Police Department, along with the University, is taking a pro-active, zero tolerance stance against bias motivated crimes and bias motivated incidences, said Stump.

Mate said, "Purdue is one of many schools in this state and the nation willing to take a hard look at this phenomenon from the campus-, community-, and state-wide levels."

In May, Purdue and other universities from across the state participated in a conference that addressed the issue of hate crimes.

Stump said the conference was a positive experience. "It was really a forum to sit down and to communicate with other campuses around Indiana. It definitely gave us a good perspective about what others are doing around the state and our process here," said Stump.

There is also a collaboration within the University that is working to address the issue of hate crime incidences, Robinson said.

We want Purdue to be a safe campus for all of its members, he added.

Purdue has organized this group to review incidents, on a small and large scale, that may be bias motivated and strive to help any victims recover from their experience, Mate said.

"Through proper investigation, adjudication, and victim support, we hope to best address this growing concern," said Mate.

This fall Mate is also offering a class to students called Hate and Violence, IDIS 490B. The class addresses causes and solutions to violence in the society, and there is already a substantial waiting list for the class, said Mate.

"I'm confident this course will prove itself to be beneficial to our campus and community and provide individuals with a sense of confidence that something can actually be done," said Mate.