African Americans were threatened by lynching at St. Lois University. A swastika was drawn on a bathroom wall near a Jewish studies center at University of Miami. A student commits suicide after his roommate tapes him having sex with his partner. Hate crimes such as these have been happening for years and the recent events that have taken place at Rutgers University have many thinking about all about hate crimes.
So what is a hate crime exactly? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary a hate crime is any of various crimes motivated by hostility to the victim as a member of a group (such as race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.); these are crimes that have been brought about due to bias and contempt. Hate crimes can include: bullying, harassment, abuse (verbal, mental, and physical), damage and defacing of property, and so on.
The tragedy at Rutgers has many people wondering, " Has this happened at my school? Could it ever happen?" At Frostburg State University, it would seem like hate crimes have yet to happen on this campus. Of those interviewed, no one had ever been a victim nor a participant in such a crime. Ashley Cooke, an Athletic Training major, said she had never been involved in either. Lindsey Peacher, a sophomore, says "No of course I've never been involved in a hate crime. That would be terrible." Danielle Sheally, another Early Childhood Education major, also felt strongly about this when answering when asked if she had ever been a victim of hate crime or participated in one, saying "No! Never!" Unfortunately however, this does not mean that hate crimes will have never happened here before, nor does it mean that they will not happen in the future.
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