Continued acts of hate towards the LGBTQ+ community have been committed recently across the nation, and Dickinson is no exception. 

The pride flag proudly displayed outside Landis House, home to The Office of Equity and Inclusivity, disappeared sometime between Friday, Feb. 16 and Monday, Feb. 19. Dickinson’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) is currently investigating the incident. 

When asked about the situation,Tommy Lee, director of LGBTQ+ Center, said, “We don’t have a definitive answer, but most signs point to intentional vandalism.”

Landis House has previously experienced burglary, but on a smaller scale within the past few years. Other groups on campus have also been targeted by hate crimes in the past, such as the Popel Shaw Center for Race and Ethnicity in 2021. Because of this and an increase in hate speech on campus, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) division will meet to address this problem. 

On the morning of Feb. 19, students noticed the flag’s absence and removed the flag pole from its place, since it was significantly bent and unable to be used further.

Doctor Katie Schweighofer, director of Women’s and Gender Resource Center and Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, said that the flag was secured to the pole with carabiners. The possibility that wind could explain the flag’s disappearance was ruled out.

A tree was taken down outside Landis House shortly before the flag’s disappearance, which was considered as an explanation for the flag’s absence, but the tree removal company would have notified Dickinson if any property was damaged while working, so that option was also ruled out. 

Schweighofer also said that the way that the flagpole was bent leaves her to believe that someone jumped and pulled the flag down. 

“It was disappointing that this happened, but it does not deter us from the work we’re doing,” Schweighofer said. 

“We want to be very clear that that’s not going to stop us from waving a flag outside of the building,” Lee said.

Schweighofer assures students that Landis House remains a safe space. 

“We live here; right here in this community. We know that this is a community that is supportive and loving,” Schweighofer said. “We’ll continue forward with the work. This doesn’t deter us in any way.”

Lee encourages students to use the reporting resources on camps, such as the Bias Education and Response Team or contact [email protected].

“We want to make sure we’re tracking what’s happening, but we are more focused on the resilience of the community,” Lee said.

“This house has had that pride flag for a really long time as a very clear statement, because it is important that a building on campus fly a pride flag. Lots of individuals will have those things in their offices, but this is an institutional building,” said Schweighofer, commenting on the importance of the flag’s presence. 

“I hear all the time from prospective students that seeing a [pride] flag on campus is a huge indicator of what’s to come of their experience. So, the absence of a flag is not something we would tolerate for long,” Lee said. 

A new, more inclusive flag that includes the intersex symbol now hangs outside Landis House.