Vandalism reported in Roosevelt Hall’s all-gender restroom

The all gender restroom in Roosevelt Hall was vandalized with the word “no.” // Connor Keough / The Hofstra Chronicle.

On Tuesday, Feb. 6, a gender-inclusive bathroom in Roosevelt Hall was vandalized. On the adjacent wall, “no” was written in black ink with a line pointing to the bathroom.

Students reported the act of vandalism to a professor, but Public Safety (PS) did not open an investigation into the case.

Hofstra is generally a diverse and welcoming community that has not reported any LGBTQ+ hate crimes in over three years.

A statement was released by PS stating, “Public Safety did not receive a report of an incident occurring in Roosevelt during the timeframe provided. As always, we encourage students and members of the Hofstra community to contact Public Safety to report any incidents. We take any allegations of hate or bias-related crimes very seriously and will investigate fully.”

Nick Lucchetto, a senior geography and global studies major, said, “While I hadn’t heard of this particular vandalized restroom, I know it would be one of several gender-inclusive restrooms in Roosevelt Hall that have been vandalized or misused yet are generally neglected.”

Since PS was unaware of the incident, an investigation was never opened. According to students, the lack of reports may be due to them being unaware of how to file a report.

Riley Campbell, a junior mass media studies major, said she learned how to file a report out of necessity. “I had a professor who made me extremely uncomfortable by saying some very offensive things to me based on my identity. That situation got so bad I had to file a report with the department chair.”

Cornell Craig, vice president of the Office of Equity and Inclusion, commented on this fear of some students. “If a student doesn’t feel comfortable making a report, we are happy to have a conversation with them to find the best help available,” Craig said.

According to Craig’s statement specifically regarding students who may be affected by the vandalism, “Transgender students should be made aware of resources we have available for them on campus. Not just resources to report bias incidents, but [also] emotional support.”

Craig also stated that his office is working with students to make signage of all-gender bathrooms more clear. “We’re looking into making a virtual map of campus that will have a filter to locate gender-inclusive bathrooms so students know where they can feel comfortable using the facilities,” Craig said. No details or time frame on that platform has been provided.

“DEI is an area at Hofstra where more progress could always be made ... A great inclusive policy is having gender-neutral restrooms. But a great inclusive action would be properly maintaining the gender-neutral restrooms. I think it’s incidents like this that show how Hofstra has only finished half the puzzle,” Lucchetto said.

Students who wish to make a report on a hate crime or discriminator incident can do so through Ethics Point, which can be found on the Hofstra portal or by emailing the Office of Equity and Inclusion.