An outside law firm hired by Bucknell University has interviewed more than 40 people in the investigation of a “horrific incident” on campus last week where a group of male students tried to break into a residence for LGBTQ students.
The investigation is also looking into the response by officers from Bucknell University’s Department of Public Safety while investigating the incident, university spokesman Mike Ferlazzo said. The university is located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia-based firm, Cozen O’Connor, has specialized expertise in investigating incidents on college and university campuses.
On May 13, Bucknell Public Safety officers were called to respond to one of the university’s affinity houses when an estimated 20 male students arrived outside the property, banged on windows and doors, flashed the residents, tried to climb through a window and urinated on the porch.
The university-owned Fran’s House is among several affinity house residences established at Bucknell linking like-minded students. Fran’s House — named for Fran McDaniel, the late director of Bucknell’s LGBT Office — is housing deemed LGBTQ+ friendly, inclusive and gender-neutral. It had once been home to the Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) fraternity chapter that was banned from campus in 2019.
Tyler Luong, the house’s resident advisor, wrote in a letter to Bucknell president John Bravman last week that public safety officers’ response was slow and that when officers arrived, they fraternized with the alleged perpetrators and failed to interview residents of Fran’s House. In the letter, Luong identified the students as members of the former TKE chapter at the university.
“I saw one of my residents holding down the window, while a bunch of silhouettes stood menacingly on the other side,” Luong wrote. “Can you possibly imagine seeing the fear that was in the eyes of my residents? Because it wasn’t imagination for me.”
“What would I do if they had managed to get into our home?”
Bravman, in a second letter sent to the campus community Thursday afternoon — a first message was sent out of the day after the incident — said there is “considerable pressure” to finish the investigation in a timely fashion because “many who appear to be involved are graduating seniors.”
Bucknell is in the midst of finals this week. Commencement is scheduled for Sunday.
“There is considerable pressure within the community to finish the investigation, and deliver appropriate responses, in the next few days,” Bravman wrote. “While I fully understand this sentiment, we have an obligation to be both thorough and fair in carrying out our processes. Ultimately, any consequences for conduct identified through those interviews will be determined by Bucknell, and we are also mindful of the relevant time frames.”
In addition to hiring the outside firm, Bravman said the university has also notified the Union County District Attorney’s office of the incident.
“Given the amount of information being collected and processed, and the delineated procedures and timelines that we will follow per the Student Handbook, it is not possible that every action step in response to this incident will be completed prior to Commencement as we work to ensure a thorough and fair investigation while determining our institutional responses,” Bravman said.
Public Safety officers responded to a call at Fran’s House May 13, when an estimated 20 male students arrived outside the property, banged on windows and doors, flashed the residents, tried to climb through a window and urinated on the porch.
Bravman said he met Monday with residents of Fran’s House.
“They expressed their appreciation for the solidarity and support shown by their peers and Bucknell employees. I am grateful for the way you have offered your concern and care,” he said. “As president, I apologized to Fran’s House residents for what happened to them, while in their home; here, I state that we must, as individuals and a community, do better. Quite simply, we must be allies to all, demonstrate the inclusivity and values that we claim to espouse, and hold accountable those whose behavior undermines these foundational principles of community. The lived experience of many at Bucknell — and this is not limited to students — is an important factor in understanding the impact of what took place last Thursday evening.”
‘Not an isolated incident’
Chase Gregory, assistant professor of English, and Bucknell student Jillie Santos helped organize a solidarity march on May 15 in support of residents of Fran’s House and the campus LGBTQ+ community as a whole. Gregory estimated 200 people attended. Their march passed fraternity houses and the president’s home.
Santos said she was upset but not surprised by the incident at Fran’s, saying that “harassment and exclusionary behavior from Greek life are normalized at Bucknell.” She was critical of the public safety department’s response, particularly in an academic year when police misconduct has been at the forefront of conversations about safety on campus.
“Solidarity marches and other collaborative events are incredibly powerful in communicating that we support one another and that we demand change. One of the call-and-responses chanted at the event was ‘Only Together, We Are Safe’ — this was certainly an important message to asseverate following the incident, which not only affirmed our collective support but confronted that, in this moment, we are not safe,” Santos said.
Gregory said there were three objectives: Show support for LGBTQ+ students, keep the incident in the public eye so it’s not ignored by university administration, and raise broader issues about sexual assault and Greek life.
“This kind of thing is a pattern at Bucknell. It’s not an isolated incident,” Gregory said. “Institutional memory at Bucknell seems to be quite short. We’re forcing people to look at it and not sweep it under the rug.”
Clare A. Sammells, associate professor of anthropology, mobilized faculty, staff and community members to keep watch on Fran’s House overnight Saturday and Sunday, May 15 and 16. More than 70 people signed up to cover a shift, Sammells said.
“Faculty were quite upset, and wondering how to best support our students in a way that made them feel safe and appreciated without imposing. I reached out to one of the students at Fran’s House and offered to arrange for faculty members to be present outside their house on Friday and Saturday. The idea was simply to be present and make the students feel safe. They accepted,” Sammells said.
