In today’s Voice news section, I wrote about how the homophobic crimes and sexual crimes against students at Georgetown has begun to affect—and possibly damage—how outsiders view Georgetown.

One particularly big affect of these crimes is that Walter Schubert, shown right, who is son and brother to three Georgetown graduates and a national figure in LGBT rights movements, is demanding a meeting with President DeGioia to share ideas he has to make Georgetown safer for marginalized students. So far, he has sent two letters to try to secure that meeting:

Dear Dr. DeGioia:

It is the intention of this letter to convey to you my deep concern at what appears to be continuing harassment of, and in some cases violent physical assault of LGBT students at Georgetown University. Despite recent positive actions by the University, it is my strong belief that the current policies and procedures intended to safeguard LGBT students on and immediately off campus remain woefully ineffective.

It may seem odd to you that I am writing this letter, as I am not a graduate of Georgetown University. However, as the son of a John Carroll Award recipient—Walter B. Schubert (1965 C’51)—the brother of two graduates of the School of Nursing: Patricia Schubert (‘84) and Margaret Schubert Sullivan (‘80), and a friend to countless Hoyas, I feel a sense of loyalty to my community, to my father, and sisters that I must speak up, as I can no longer ignore these heinous acts. Homophobia is a national problem, but as evidenced by recent events, it appears that homophobia is also a serious problem that requires urgent and revitalized attention at Georgetown University.

In speaking with Erik Smulson, your Chief of Staff, a few weeks ago, I was informed the three most recent incidents of harassment and physical assault occurring the last week of October, which put two gay students in the hospital, happened “off campus.” I have great difficulty accepting what appears to be an “off campus” defense. Many students live “off-campus” in the immediate vicinity of campus boundaries, and I don’t believe that absolves the University from responsibility to protect GU Students. It is simply irresponsible for such a prestigious, Jesuit institution to ‘ho hum’ such hateful acts that occur only inches from its front gates.

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Update 10:37: 12 rooms have standing water in them and 23 rooms are “affected” by the water. President John DeGioia and Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson have joined students in Sellinger Lounge where Student Affairs has provided students with ice cream and pizza. Olson said students would have to leave rooms for a “few days, at most,” and that the University is bringing in high-intensity cleaners.

Update 8:58: At an informational meeting in Sellinger, Vice President of University Safety Rocco DelMonaco said that it will take the University 60 to 90 minutes to do an “inventory” of the dorm. Some students will be allowed back into the dorm tonight. Those whose floors were affected by flooding could either stay with a friend or be assigned a place to stay by housing services.

Update 8:31: An RA said that some of the water flooding the third floor had seeped down to the second floor. RAs collected phone numbers from students at an informational meeting in Sellinger Lounge and will contact students to tell them where they can stay tonight.

Update 8:19: The post below now includes information from the D.C. Fire Department and EMS hotline.

Update 7:57: An anonymous RA said that New South will not reopen for a few hours and that some students may have to sleep elsewhere, possibly in the ICC.

Sometime before 7:00 p.m. this evening, a fire broke out in an empty dormitory room on the third floor of New South.

A recorded message on the D.C. Fire Department and EMS hotline said that fire fighters were dispatched just before 7:00 p.m. When they responded to the scene, they evacuated the building and found that the fire had been effectively controlled by the sprinkler system. The fire appears to have been accidental. There were no injuries and only “minimal damage” to a laptop and some other items, the recording said.

According to Kelley Kidd, who said that the fire started in her room, she was sitting in her friend’s nearby dormitory when they “heard a big bang” and then a fire alarm coming from another room. The floor’s Resident Assistant found her to tell her that the alarm was coming from her room. Kidd and her friend opened the door and could see a lot of smoke, she said.

“There was a fire on my desk, about that high and that wide,” Kidd said, motioning that the fire was about two feet tall. “It looked like some books were on fire and it looked like it was beside my laptop.” (Full disclosure: This semester, Kidd wrote a weekly feature for Vox Populi.)

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Georgetown students and administrators conducted a panel in the ICC Auditorium about Georgetown’s response to hate crimes last Thursday.

Several administrators attended the panel, included Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson and Vice President for University Safety Rocco DelMonaco. While there was little information about the crimes, the forum was full of information about safety at Georgetown.

DEFINING HATE CRIMES: The moderator pressed Olson to explain why Public Safety Alerts typically say “bias-related incident” instead of “hate crime.” Olson said Georgetown uses a legalistic definition of hate crime that only certain crimes qualify under.

When GUSA Speaker Adam Talbot (COL ‘12) asked Olson about the GUSA Senate’s bill to change the way hate crimes are treated under the Student Code of Conduct, Olson said the Office of Student Conduct would consider the legislation, but declined to say whether it would be adopted.

STUDENT PATROLS: In meetings after the hate crimes, GU Pride and other students have talked about organizing a group of students patrol campus at night, presumably to prevent hate crimes. DelMonaco pointed students towards other student-run safety groups like the Students Safety Advisory Board and APO’s shuttle service; Olson seemed less than enthusiastic about the idea.

“We need to make sure that if we’re putting students out in a patrol function, that those students are going to be safe,” Olson said.

More about security cameras on campus, arming DPS and Solidarity’s spat with Rocco after the jump!

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