Matthew Shepard
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By James C. Hurst The Matthew Shepard Tragedy /Management of a Crisis How the students and faculty of the University of Wyoming responded to the unfathomable—the brutal and hateful murder of one of their own. T WAS JUST A LITTLE BEFORE 8:00 P.M.on On Wednesday, October 7, at about 6:00 P.M., a Tuesday evening, October 6, 1998, when the Uni- UW student out for a mountain bike ride discovered Iversity of Wyoming Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,Trans- Matthew and summoned police to the scene. Matthew gendered Association (LGBTA) registered student was taken immediately to Ivinson Memorial Hospital in organization concluded its meeting in the Wyoming Laramie, but because of the severity of his injuries, he Union. Plans were being completed for Gay Awareness was immediately transferred to the hospital in Fort Week,October 12 to 16.After a cup of coffee with his Collins, Colorado, sixty miles south of Laramie. friends at a local restaurant, Matthew Shepard said About 10:00 P.M. that same night, I received a call goodnight and went to the Fireside Bar in Laramie on at my home from Father Roger Schmit, pastor of the his way home. There he met Aaron McKinney and Newman Center, reporting that he had learned of the Russell Henderson, who during their conversation led discovery of a badly beaten young man east of Laramie. him to believe they were gay.Matthew later left the bar He did not know whether the individual was a student with McKinney and Henderson, was taken to a loca- but thought I should be informed. Father Schmit has tion several miles east of Laramie, and was robbed, severely beaten, tied to a buck fence, and left in sub- James C. Hurst is vice president for student affairs at the freezing temperatures. University of Wyoming. 5 ABOUT CAMPUS / JULY–AUGUST 1999 The police reported that the crime appeared to be motivated by robbery, but they also observed that the victim was gay and that hate and bias might have been motivating factors as well. worked closely with the Division of Student Affairs in versity of Wyoming Police Department, the United a number of other crises and is a member of the uni- Campus Ministry,Intercollegiate Athletics, the Univer- versity’s Crisis Intervention Team.I immediately con- sity Counseling Center, University Relations, and a fac- tacted the university police for information and was told ulty member and dean reflecting the academic affiliation that they were well informed about the incident and of the student or students involved. Given the nature of that the victim was not a student registered at the Uni- the Matthew Shepard tragedy,we added to the team the versity of Wyoming. I called Father Schmit back to tell city manager, the mayor, the chief of the Laramie Police him that what he had heard was accurate and that the Department, the vice president for academic affairs, the victim, not a student, had been transported to the president and adviser of the LGBTA registered student Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins. organization, Matthew’s academic adviser, the pastor of On Thursday, October 8, the director of the Canterbury House (an organization of the Episcopalian Wyoming Union called to tell me that the victim was a Church, the Shepards’ religious affiliation), the director student and was probably mortally injured. Only with of the Wyoming Union and members of the Student the university president’s intervention were we able to get Activities Council, the president and vice president of an incident report from the Laramie Police Department. the Associated Students of the University of Wyoming It confirmed that the victim’s name was Matthew Shep- (ASUW), and the chair of the faculty senate.The presi- ard and that he was indeed enrolled at the University of dent of the university also joined the team for most of Wyoming. Matthew’s parents were in Saudi Arabia, the meetings. where Matthew’s father was employed in the oil indus- The Crisis Intervention Team had its initial meet- try.They had been informed and were arranging to fly ing that Thursday afternoon and met again on Friday to be with their son.The police reported that the crime morning, on Sunday from 11 A.M. to 4 P.M., and on appeared to be motivated by robbery, but they also every morning at 8:00 A.M. during the week of Octo- observed that the victim was gay and that hate and bias ber 12 to 16.Topics addressed by the team included might have been motivating factors as well.The news quickly spread throughout the university and the com- • management of the media that had munity,and calls from local, regional, and national net- descended on campus works and news services began to flood the area. Upon • communications within the academic and learning that Matthew was a student, I immediately Laramie communities, including rumor made arrangements to convene the university Crisis control Intervention Team at 4:00 P.M. that same day. • coordination of vigils and, after Monday, October 12, memorials for Matthew THE CRISIS INTERVENTION TEAM • appropriate use of already planned home- HE UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING Crisis coming events to acknowledge the tragedy TIntervention Team has demonstrated its usefulness repeatedly over the years in a variety of circumstances • involvement of students and the student having an impact on the entire campus community and association in the management of the crisis the community of Laramie.The team is chaired by the • role of faculty in classroom conversation vice president for student affairs and, according to the and university-wide faculty teach-ins nature of the crisis, may include representatives from Housing and Residence Life, Student Life, the Uni- • interactions with the Shepard family 6 ABOUT CAMPUS / JULY–AUGUST 1999 • Gay Awareness Week activities the event offered some remarks regarding the tragedy and observed several minutes of silence. It was a power- • national and international requests for ful and appropriate acknowledgment. information, requests for involvement, and, Also on that Friday, yellow armbands with green in some instances, threats circles began to appear—tied around arms and attached • coordination of efforts to learn essential to backpacks, to items of clothing, to light posts and lessons from the tragedy flagpoles.The armbands were the result of work by the members of the AAUW, the United Multicultural • involvement of the Laramie community in Council, and a variety of registered student organiza- events and interventions tions, who convened in the Multicultural Resource • initial planning for a memorial event for Center of the Wyoming Union to produce them.The the campus and community on Monday, symbolism became one of the most powerful and uni- October 19 fying forces of the entire tragedy.The yellow of the arm- bands recalled previous national tragedies—the hostage • acknowledgment of the grief and the desire crisis and the Oklahoma City bombing.The green cir- for involvement throughout the university cles echoed the international sign for peace. Student and the community of Laramie groups, of their own volition, went to local stores to purchase the material and then spent considerable time cutting out and constructing the armbands, often work- WYOMING UNION, LGBTA, AND ing through the night.When workers at Wal-Mart and STUDENT INVOLVEMENT K Mart stores discovered what students were buying the material for, they refused payment and insisted on assist- HE DIRECTOR of the Wyoming Union and ing in the effort by cutting the material to the appro- Tthe student activities staff turned over their main priate size.This is but one example of touching and offices and phones to the LGBTA leadership and mem- supportive community involvement.The armbands were bers to provide them with resources and enable them distributed to students as they passed through the to better provide assistance to the university and com- Wyoming Union, at vigils in the residence halls, and at munity in dealing with the tragedy. It was concluded other high-traffic locations across campus. early on that central involvement of LGBTA members At the Crisis Intervention Team meeting Friday not only would help them deal with their concern but morning, the representative from Intercollegiate Athlet- would be good for the university.The Student Activi- ics indicated that he would approach the football team ties Center became a focus of intense media attention, and the women’s volleyball team, who were both play- which lasted from October 9 to the final campus ing on Saturday, October 10, to assess team members’ memorial service on October 19. During the week, interest in wearing what was becoming the unifying every major TV network and dozens of newspaper and symbol for nonviolence—the yellow bands with green radio stations were present on campus from early circles. Members of both teams chose immediately and morning until late at night looking for stories to write unanimously to display the symbols prominently on and broadcast. their uniforms. It was entirely a student athlete gesture. On Friday afternoon, October 9, a joint press con- Under the president’s direction, the football game was ference was held on the steps of the city and county preceded by words acknowledging the tragedy that had building, focusing on the president of the university,the occurred and a period of silence, with Matthew’s pho- president and adviser of the LGBTA, the president of tograph displayed on the scoreboard.The moment was the AAUW,and the Albany County sheriff.At that press a powerful reminder and opportunity for participation conference the sheriff reported that two suspects were for all attending the homecoming athletic events.