Making bullying unacceptable is the goal at the UW Madison. Along with participation in a national “Stop the Silence” effort, Dean of Students Lori Berquam is initiating a campus conversation on bullying, harassment and respect issues as they relate to LGBT students. “We hope here at UW Madison that at least we can raise the awareness,” said Berquam. “Our efforts are to actually build that awareness about bullying on our campus and recognizing that bullying is a form of hate crime, and in this case it’s a hate crime against LGBT folks. We believe in more of inclusive, welcoming environment for all.”
Are LGBT students being bullied on the UW campus? “We’ve had conversations with our LGBT Campus Center and the students who participate in the programs and events there, and they identified that they have been bullied, marginalized, ridiculed, whether it is on campus property or at off campus events,” Berquam said. And there’s also bullying on-line. “The concept of cyber-bullying has taken bullying to a different place, and is having an even more detrimental effect on our students and colleagues.”