Letter To The Editor: Alumni Applaud University Reaction To Bias Incident At LGBTQ+ House

Dear Editor,

UD President Eric Spina’s response to the trashing of property at the Spectrum South Ally House exemplifies how Christian universities should respond to malicious activity of any kind against marginalized students:

“We condemn this act as incompatible with our [religion’s] values and our commitment to create an environment where all feel safe, supported, valued and respected. … And our commitment to community calls us to support each other, not tear each other down,” said University of Dayton President Eric Spina.

As alumni, some of us attended UD at a time when, just as we were discovering our own sexual orientation or gender identity, we were also realizing that we were not safe among roommates, friends, or faculty — who might harass us, “out” us, evict us, or sabotage our academic performance at any moment.

We are grateful to the University for making campus safer for all students — and for standing up to those who misuse faith to justify vandalism, mischaracterization, discrimination, ostracism, and denial of our constitutional freedoms.

And we are elated that LGBTQ students and their allies have places such as Spectrum where they can live safely and collaborate toward a healthier campus community for everyone.

With Flyer pride and UD spirit,

Paige N. Eppenstein Anderson ’02
Michael R. Airhart ’87
Jordan Barth ’09
Liz Carlin ’96
Matt Dunn ’91
Larry Glover-Meade ’00
Mary Harvan Gorgette ’91
Brian Halderman ’99
Allison Hemming ’89
Gregory Hyland ’04 ’12
Peter Kennedy ’03
Nathan Maenle ’87
Josh Moran ’12
Eric Pohlman ’04
Ashley Ready ’06
Bridget Reibeling ’10
Stephanie Rocafort ’02
Bill Ruffner ’10
Ish Ruiz ’07
Patrick Rumaker ’85
Patrick Rybarczyk ’92
Rachel Wagner ’96, ’00 

Cover photo courtesy of Chloé Massie-Costales