On the morning of Sept. 14, at around 2 a.m., an individual was walking alone near Gunter Hall, on the campus of the University of Northern Colorado. It was a quiet, warm night. The afternoon of Sept. 15, the individual reported an assault to UNC Campus Police. They were injured but not hospitalized. On Sept. 16, Andy Feinstein, the president of the university, sent out an email informing students of the attack.
In the report, it was alleged that the individual was attacked on the basis of their sexuality. Three months later, the individual remains unidentified. No suspects have been found. No further information has been released to the public.
Directly after the attack, campus response was swift. Members of the university’s administration condemned the attack. Spectrum, the university’s LGBT+ student organization, organized a campaign for students to wear purple in solidarity with the school’s LGBT+ community and an LGBT+ focused self-defense class. Campus police sent out calls for any further information on the attack.
But already cracks were beginning to form. The majority of students who wore purple were asked to by their on-campus jobs, or already identified as part of the LGBT+ community. Students on the university’s meme Facebook group criticized Feinstein's use of language in his initial emailed statement. In Colorado’s penal code, incidents such as these are referred to as Bias-Related Attack, and Feinstein’s email reflected this. Students perceived this term as weak, and pushed for campus officials to call it a hate crime. In later emails, Feinstein did call it a hate crime.
But as information dried up, emails to campus soon became few and far between. In the three months since the attack, what has changed on-campus?
Brianne Hasui, a UNC student who identifies as part of the LGBT+ community, says not much. She runs a page on Instagram devoted to LGBT+ positivity, and hasn’t seen much of a change in engagement since the attack. She also hasn’t seen many changes in behavior from straight students. Only one thing has changed for her since the attack: her sense of security on campus.
“Sometimes I’ll forget my stuff in the University Center, and halfway through my walk back, I’ll be reminded that it’s dark out, and it might not be safe,” Hasui said.
The Campus Pride Index, an independent reviewing organization focused on LGBT+ rights, rates colleges and universities based on their responses to LGBT+ issues. Officials representing the universities graded fill out questionnaires on university policies. Overall, the University of Northern Colorado has a score of 4.5 out of five stars. The area in which the university was rated lowest was campus safety.
No information has been released by campus police since the first few weeks after the attack. Because there were no witnesses or security cameras in the area, no suspects have been found. The victim’s report lists a group of males in athletic clothing, and a white pickup truck in the area, but no further information has not been sent to students. It still isn’t known if the alleged perpetrators were UNC students, Greeley residents, or just visiting.
This lack of solid information creates a more fearful environment for people on campus. When other homophobic incidents occur, an already on-edge student body can begin theorizing about motivations. A few weeks after the attack was reported, posters advertising the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center’s Coming Out Week events were torn down, prompting speculation that the two events were connected. The lack of real information has made many students feel unsafe on campus.
Dennis Pumphrey, Chief of UNC Police, hears these concerns. While he hasn’t noticed an increased use of offerings like the police escort service, he’s also aware of the anxieties students have over their safety. However, he doesn’t see attacks like this as part of a pattern.
“As a bias-related crime, I think it’s still kind of a one-off on campus. I think the vast majority of students wouldn't do this,” Pumphrey said.
According to data released under the Clery Act, this was a unique event on campus in recent years. In 2016, 2017, and 2018, no hate crimes of any type were reported on any of UNC’s campuses. Compared with other schools in the region, Colorado State University has had two homophobic incidents in the past three years, and the University of Colorado has had three. CSU does not have a Campus Pride Index profile, but CU has been rated at five stars.
As a campus, UNC students are still divided, and there seems to be no path forward. Stephen Loveless, director of the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center, could not be reached for comment. A representative from Spectrum declined to comment. Students are left without leadership in a time of stress and fear, and there are still few answers available to anyone. Students, especially LGBT+ students, have been left reeling, and three months after the attack, nothing has changed.
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