What happened
On October 13, 2022, an individual reported that in a window of a Chapel Glen residence hall room, there were yellow post-it notes spelling an offensive and sexualizing message about women. When reported, Housing and Residential Education staff were able to identify the room and remove the post-it notes. A week later, Housing and Residential Education staff noticed what appeared to be an inflatable female “sex doll” in another window in the Kahlert Village building. Again, HRE staff identified the room and removed the item from the window.
What is being done
The incidents have been reported to the university’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (OEO/AA) the Housing and Residential Education and Office of the Dean of Students Conduct teams, and the Racist and Bias Incident Response Team.
Because the involved individuals are student residents, Housing and Residential Education made contact with them discussed the impact of the behavior, policies prohibiting outward facing window messaging, and expectations moving forward. Additionally, HRE will increase training and education/programming to residents on the topic.
What to do
Be vigilant and speak up. If you see messages displayed in residence hall windows, regardless of the content or nature of the message, report it to a nearby official.
Stopping this type of behavior takes collective action, and bystander intervention efforts are one way of combatting such conduct that causes real harm. To learn more about how to incorporate bystander intervention into your toolkit, check out the information here: https://wellness.utah.edu/workshops-training/#bystander.
If you are interested in learning more about the variety of resources the U offers to support diversity and inclusion, please visit the Office of the Dean of Students in the Union Building, Room 270, deanofstudents@utah.edu, 801-581-7066, or the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the Park Building, Room 208, or https://diversity.utah.edu/our-team/. To make a report of a racist or bias incident, visit the public reporting form.
The U is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion
Acts like this demean women and cause harm to students’ and other community members’ sense of belonging. We are still striving to ensure that all our staff, students, trainees, faculty and other community members are able to find a place of safety and belonging as a part of our campus community, especially in our residence halls, and have the space to explore, express and celebrate their various identities.
We will continue to name the biased acts, investigate, provide education, and when appropriate, hold the perpetrators of these harmful acts accountable when they are identified. Additionally, we will continue efforts that uplift and celebrate our communities and enhance a sense of belonging on our campus.
Support and resources
If you have been harmed by this or other incidents, counseling and support services are available from several entities on campus:
If you have questions or concerns, please contact Brian Jay Nicholls, Special Assistant to the Chief Safety Officer, at RBIresponse@utah.edu.