Rankings, realities and varied experiences
Before Elon University students broke for Thanksgiving, they received an email from President Leo Lambert condemning several reports of homophobic slurs directed at members of the community. “It is understandable that this type of incident makes members of the LGBTQIA communities feel unsafe and unwelcome,” Lambert wrote in the email, “despite the good work of hundreds of people to support and value Elon’s LGBTQIA students and colleagues.” According to Leigh-Anne Royster, director of inclusive community well-being at Elon, the slurs Lambert referred to were directed at Elon students, and authorities have not been able to identify all perpetrators. All reported incidents were investigated by the police when possible and responded to through the Student Life Emergency Response system and/or the ongoing Bias and Harassment Response system.