Members of a panel hosted by the LGBT Campus Center Monday stressed the importance of reporting LGBT discrimination on campus and discussed the resources available to LGBT students who have experienced harassment.
According to Associate Dean of Students Kevin Helmkamp, there have been multiple reports of LGBT discrimination on Langdon Street, specifically around the large fraternity houses.
""Hopefully we can get on the front end, but Greek Life is a particular challenge in a lot of ways, especially due to the influence of alcohol,"" Helmkamp said.
In response to the reports of discrimination on Langdon Street and the surrounding areas Madison Police officer Grant Humerickhouse said, ""That shit's not gonna fly with me.""
However, Humerickhouse said that individuals must ""do their part"" and report harassment crimes if they want to see change.
""We can't do anything about things we don't know,"" Humerickhouse said.
Often students do not report discrimination in the dorms because they question the seriousness of each incidence, said Magpie Martinez, the diversity programs director in the Division of Housing.
""I think there's a lot of feelings among students … about ‘Should I even report that?'"" Martinez said.
Other panelists talked about programs in various departments at UW-Madison that work to combat LGBT stereotyping and violence.
University Health Services Director Sarah Van Orman presented the new ""Let's Talk"" program as an outlet for LGBT students to talk about personal issues.
Based off a program at Cornell University, ""Let's Talk"" provides drop-in counseling for students with professional counselors in various locations on campus. Students then may be referred to other health professionals if necessary.
However, even after crimes are reported, LGBT community members face problems in the legal system as well.
There is currently no official hate crime law in Wisconsin, which leads to an inappropriate response to LGBT discrimination and inaccurate harassment records, according to University of Wisconsin Police Department Sgt. Jerome VanNatta.
On the campus level, Helmkamp said UW-Madison administrators regard LGBT discrimination as ""community issues"" and they are working with experts in multiple departments to address them.
