Bucknell University, a private college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, is hiring a private law firm to investigate a recent incident in which an on-campus residence for LGBTQ+ students was reportedly terrorized by a former fraternity. The investigation will also look into the actions (or lack thereof) of the university’s Public Safety Department, who were allegedly negligent in responding to the incident.
The incident came to light when Tyler Luong, the resident advisor of Fran’s House, wrote an open letter to Bucknell president John Bravman claiming that he had been studying in the inclusive dormitory when it was suddenly attacked by a group of frat brothers. On the evening of the incident, he was alerted to the situation when he received a text saying: “Nobody come in or out right now. Don’t open any doors. Lock windows.”
Luong was urged to come to the bathroom at the behest of his residents, where he found a student holding the window closed “while a bunch of silhouettes stood menacingly on the other side.” Those silhouettes were a group of nearly 20 former members of the Tau Kappa Epsilon house, which was removed from Bucknell’s campus two years prior for disciplinary violations, including using dog shock collars on members among other abuses, according to a campus report.
The fraternity had previously resided in the dorm currently occupied by Fran’s House. According to Luong’s letter, they demanded to gain access to their former home, chanting: “Let us in! This isn’t your home! This is our home!”
The former TKE members allegedly banged on the windows and doors of the house, swung a metal bar at a flag pole that displayed the organization’s Pride flag, urinated on the porch, and even flashed a member of the house. As the New York Times reports, witnesses saw at least 8 men climbing up to the roof.
Luong contacted the university’s Public Safety department, and the group began to retreat.
“I wanted to stay inside and lock myself in my room,” he wrote. “However, as the Residential Advisor, I chose to show my residents that I will protect them no matter what. With my legs shaking with adrenaline, I stood there ready to lay my physical safety aside to protect my residents.”
Luong wrote that he was “so relieved” to see the group walk away — that is, until four men turned back, leading him to contact Public Safety again. When the officers finally arrived after a long delay, Luong says that they “laughed at the situation” and “bonded with our offenders, reminiscing about their college days and calling them handsome young men.”
Luong says the responding officers did not speak to him or check on any of the residents of the house. In fact, they “promised to talk to the chief of public safety” to get the former frat brothers “access to our house when finals week was over.”
This led the residents of Fran’s House to issue a statement requesting that Tower House, the on-campus building in which it is located, be established as the permanent site for Bucknell’s on-campus LGBTQ+ community, while also asking for the house to be made ADA accessible. The group also expressed a desire for accountability for the offenders, along with the Public Safety officers.
“What happened to this house is abhorrent,” the statement reads. “Appropriate actions must be taken by the Bucknell Administration to ensure nothing like this will ever happen again.”
Bucknell University issued a response last week in which they condemned the events at Fran’s House and stated their “unequivocal support for all LGBTQ Bucknellians.” The letter says that “appropriate consequences for the students’ behavior will be swiftly determined and implemented” and promises to “implement corrective and disciplinary measures as appropriate” for the involved Public Safety officers as well.
“We cannot erase the ugliness and subsequent trauma of last night’s transgression against the students of Fran’s House and, implicitly, many others, but we can commit to addressing it in a way that protects LGBTQ Bucknellians and better ensures their safety in the future,” the letter reads.
The university’s LGBTQ office issued a statement on Facebook commending Fran’s House community for its bravery in the face of the horrific incident, which took place during finals week.
“While it should never have been tested in this way, the Fran’s House community has and continues to show courage and support for one another,” the office stated. “Past, present and future, they are a source of PRIDE for our campus.”
LGBTQ+ college students across the country have already been facing unique challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, as previously reported by them. Nearly a third of LGBTQ+ students reported experiencing housing disruptions during the crisis, where only 17% of non-LGBTQ+ students reported the same, making secure housing a crucial need for LGBTQ+ students.
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