INVESTIGATION GOING ON AT THE COLLEGE OF IDAHO.
THE 4-YEAR INSTITUTION
IN CALDWELL IS THE
OLDEST PRIVATE LIBERAL
ARTS SCHOOL IN THE GEM
STATE.
AND SINCE 1891...IT'S
BEEN SMACK IN THE
MIDDLE OF THE
CONSERVATIVE ENCLAVE
OF CANYON COUNTY.
I KNOW...THE LIBERAL IN
LIBERAL ARTS HAS TO DO
WITH THE COURSES OF
STUDY...AND IS NOT
MEANT TO CHARACTERIZE
THE POLITICAL LEANINGS
ON CAMPUS.
BUT ONE WOULD THINK A
PRIVATE COLLEGE
CAMPUS...A HOME OF
HIGHER LEARNING TO
ONLY ABOUT A
THOUSAND
STUDENTS...WOULD BE A
SAFE SPACE, CUT OFF
FROM ULTRA-
CONSERVATIVE
DEMONSTRATIONS OF
HATE.
THAT'S NOT THE
CASE...FOR THE COLLEGE
OF IDAHO.
AT LEAST UP TO NOW
THOSE FEELINGS HAVE
NOT BEEN SO FLAGRANTLY
UP FRONT.
THEN ABOUT MIDNIGHT
LAST NIGHT CALDWELL
POLICE WERE CALLED TO
CAMPUS TO INVESTIGATE
A CASE OF VANDALISM.
ON MONDAY EVENING
STUDENTS AND MEMBERS
OF
OF THE
OF THE COYOTE COMMUNITY CELEBRATED PRIDE MONTH ON
CAMPUS.
COMING TOGETHER AND
HANGING FLAGS TO
SHOW SUPPORT FOR
THOSE L-G-B-T-Q
STUDENTS AND STAFF.
IT WAS THE FIRST
SCHOOL-WIDE, SCHOOL-
SANCTIONED
FUNCTION...AND IT WAS A
DECENT
TURNOUT...CONSIDERING
DECENT TURNOUT...CONSIDERING SCHOOL IS OUT.
THOSE BANNERS HUNG
FOR A LITTLE MORE THAN
24 HOURS...BEFORE
SOMEONE NOTICED WHAT
WAS LEFT ON THE QUAD
LATE TUESDAY NIGHT.
FOUR OF THE FLAGS HAD
BEEN TORN DOWN...SPRAY
PAINTED...AND LAID OUT
ON THE
SIDEWALK...ALONGSIDE
THE MESSAGE..."NOT IN
MY TOWN!"
IT WAS A SENTIMENT THE
SCHOOL SAID THIS
AFTERNOON...WOULD NOT
BE TOLERATED.
FROM CO-PRESIDENTS
DOUG BRIGHAM AND JIM
EVERETT SAID...
"WE LIVE, WORK, STUDY
AND PLAY HERE. WE ARE
MORE COMMITTED THAN
EVER TO MAKING OUR
CAMPUS A SAFE PLACE
FOR ALL. IT IS A SAFE
PLACE IN WHICH
EVERYONE MUST FEEL
WELCOME, WHERE WE
VALUE THE OPPORTUNITY
TO LEARN FROM ONE
ANOTHER AND FROM
DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES,
CULTURES AND LIVED
EXPERIENCES. WE ARE
YOTES AND WE ARE A
PACK THAT STANDS AND
WORKS TOGETHER. THERE
IS WORK TO BE DONE AND
WE WILL CONTINUE TO
ENGAGE IN THAT WORK
EVERY DAY.
AND FROM THE
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OF
THE ASSOCIATED
THE ASSOCIATED
STUDENTS
STUDENTS OF C-OF-I, "THIS ACT OF HATE IS ATROCIOUS AND HOLDS
NO PLACE HERE ON OUR
CAMPUS. IN THIS TIME OF
TROUBLE AND SORROW,
THERE IS A SILVER LINING.
WE HAVE LEARNED THAT
JUST BEING AN 'ALLY' IS
NOT ENOUGH TO PROTECT
OUR LGBTQ+
COMMUNITY. IT IS OUR
RESPONSIBILITY TO
ENSURE THAT SAFETY IS
PARAMOUNT WITHIN OUR
COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO
THAT WE ARE BECOMING
BETTER STEWARDS OF
OUR COMMUNITY.
THE CALDWELL POLICE
ARE INVESTIGATING IT AS
A HATE CRIME.
AND THE SCHOOL IS LEFT
WITH THE CLEANUP...AND
SOME CHOICES TO MAKE
WHEN IT COMES TO HOW
THIS WON'T LEAVE A
MORE PERMANENT MARK
ON THEIR COMMUNITY.
THE COLLEGE OF IDAHO
SENT OUT A STATEMENT
ABOUT LAST NIGHT'S
INCIDENT THIS
AFTERNOON.
IT INCLUDED THIS FROM
CO-PRESIDENTS DOUG
BRIGHAM AND JIM
EVERETT.
"WE LIVE, WORK, STUDY
AND PLAY HERE. WE ARE
MORE COMMITTED THAN
EVER TO MAKING OUR
CAMPUS A SAFE PLACE
FOR ALL. IT IS A SAFE
PLACE IN WHICH
EVERYONE MUST FEEL
WELCOME, WHERE WE
VALUE THE OPPORTUNITY
TO LEARN FROM ONE
ANOTHER AND FROM
DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES,
CULTURES AND LIVED
EXPERIENCES. THERE IS
WORK TO BE DONE AND
WE WILL CONTINUE TO
ENGAGE IN THAT WORK
EVERY DAY."
AND FROM THE
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OF
THE ASSOCIATED
STUDENTS OF C-OF-I,
"THIS ACT OF HATE IS
ATROCIOUS AND HOLDS
NO PLACE HERE ON OUR
CAMPUS. IN THIS TIME OF
TROUBLE AND SORROW,
THERE IS A SILVER LINING.
WE HAVE LEARNED THAT
JUST BEING AN 'ALLY' IS
NOT ENOUGH TO PROTECT
OUR LGBTQ+
COMMUNITY. IT IS OUR
RESPONSIBILITY TO
ENSURE THAT SAFETY IS
PARAMOUNT WITHIN OUR
COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO
THAT WE ARE BECOMING
BETTER STEWARDS OF
OUR COMMUNITY."
SOME PEOPLE ON
CAMPUS WOULD SAY THIS
HATE-VANDALISM HAS
BEEN JUST UNDER THE
SURFACE OF THE COYOTE
COMMUNITY FOR YEARS.
SAGE CZELDER
GRADUATED LAST YEAR
FROM C-OF-I.
HER SENIOR THESIS WAS
ON THE EXPERIENCES AND
PERCEPTIONS OF THE L-
G-B-T-Q COMMUNITY AT
THE SCHOOL.
SHE SAYS THIS
HOMOPHOBIC SENTIMENT
WAS QUITE PREVALENT IN
MANY AREAS ACROSS
CAMPUS...ESPECIALLY IN
ATHLETICS AND RESIDENT
LIFE.
SHE SPENT 8 MONTHS
INTERVIEWING STUDENTS
AND SENDING OUT
SURVEYS.
AND BEING A MEMBER OF
THE L-G-B-T-Q
COMMUNITY
HERSELF...ABOUT THE
ONLY THING THAT
SURPRISED HER IN HER
RESEARCH...WAS HOW
MUCH PARTICIPATION SHE
GOT.
I WAS SURPRISED CAUSE I
GOT 200 RESPONSES...BUT
THE RESPONSE ANSWERS I
GOT WERE SUPER
SURPRISING...PRETTY
INCLUSIVE, DOING IT'S
BEST...THAT DISCONNECT
BETWEEN THE
COMMUNITIES
COMMUNITIES
SO
SO FOR
SO FOR THE FIRST TIME WHEN THE SCHOOL CELEBRATES PRIDE
MONTH...DOES IT SHOCK
YOU TO SEE WHAT
SOMEBODY DID?
IT DOESN'T SHOCK ME AT
ALL...UNDERLYING
BUBBLING OF
HOMOPHOBIA..HATRED
TOWARDS THE
COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY
WHAT
WHAT CAN
WHAT CAN THE SCHOOL, YOU HOPE, THAT THEY TAKE FROM THIS?
I WOULD HOPE THAT
THEY PUT SOME THINGS
IN WRITING, I HOPE THAT
THEY PUT THEIR MONEY
WHERE THEIR MOUTH IS...
KNOWN FOR BEING THE
MOST DIVERS 12 ACRES IN
IDAHO...BE
TRANSPARENT...HOW ARE
THEY GOING TO MAKE
ATHLETICS AND RES
LIFE...MORE INCLUSIVE DAY
TO DAY AS WELL.
I
I GUESS
I GUESS AS TERRIBLE AS THIS LOOKS THIS COULD TURN OUT TO BE A
POSITIVE THING FOR THE
SCHOOL COULDN'T IT?
YES ONE OF THE
RESPONSES I GOT IN MY
THESIS...AS
DISAPPOINTING AS THIS
IS...I HOPE IT MAKES THE
SCHOOL...REALLY TAKE A
STAND AGAINST
HOMOPHOBIA
HOMOPHOBIA
SAGE
SAGE TOLD
SAGE TOLD US THE OTHER REASON SHE'S NOT REALLY SURPRISED TO SEE
THIS ON CAMPUS IS THE
CURRENT POLITICAL
CLIMATE...WHICH RIGHT
NOW LENDS ITSELF TO
LETTING HATRED BE AN
ACCEPTABLE EXPRESSION.
SHE ALSO SAID HER
THESIS WAS SHARED WITH
THE SCHOOL AND
SEVERAL STAFF MEMBERS
HAD QUESTIONS AND
OFFERED TO HELP BUT SHE
HASN'T HEARD OF MUCH
HAPPENING IN THAT VEIN
SINCE SHE GRADUATED.
SHE AGREES...C-OF-I'S
POLICIES ARE INCLUSIVE
BUT DON'T SPECIFY THE
L-B-G-T-Q COMMUNITY
OR OTHER MINORITY
COMMUNITIES.
BUT AS YOU HEARD BY
THE STATEMENTS FROM
THE SCHOOL AND IT'S
ORGANIZATIONS...IT'S
TIME NOW TO BE NOT