Jireh Tan ‘11 was sitting in his Resident Assistant’s dorm room the week after Thanksgiving break when his RA passed him an envelope. In it was his door sign. On it, someone had written “die fag fag fag fag.”

“When I saw it my blood was chilled,” he said. “I felt really scared.”

Tan’s troubles began when one of his friends returned from Thanksgiving break to find the sign. Tan had previously put his door sign outside his friend’s room as a joke. It was not the only defiled item; someone had also scrawled “stupid fag” on a picture of Tan posted outside his friend’s room.

Tan’s friend removed the sign and gave it to their Resident Assistant (RA). The incident was then reported to the West Lagunita Court Resident Fellow (RF) Marvin Diogenes. Though Tan knew about the scribbling on his picture, he only learned about the death threat a week later, as his friend assumed that he already knew. He subsequently called the police.

“It’s the silences that are scary,” Tan said. “Every time people don’t speak up, it’s a loss for everyone. When you have such a thing happen to you, it’s really nothing more than an act of verbal terrorism. Coming out with this story removes the power from that person.”

West Lag staff members are currently in the process of setting up dorm discussion with Safe and Open Spaces at Stanford to discuss homophobic behavior.

But the Eucalipto resident’s troubles are far from over. According to Stanford Police Deputy Chris Cohendet, the incident is still under investigation.

Tan was not the only victim of hate graffiti just before Winter break. In Roble, indiscernible anti-Semitic remarks were scribbled on a wall in hall 3-C near where an egg had been thrown.

RA Kristin Squires ‘09 awoke at 4 a.m. on Dec. 2 to the sounds of residents talking in the hall. She found them attempting to remove the scribbled message.

“From the information we have pieced together, the egg vandal was a non-Roble resident, and the person who wrote the subsequent message on the wall was a non-Stanford student,” Squires said. “Also to the best of my knowledge, the remarks were random and not directed at a specific person.”

Squires informed her RFs about the incident, who subsequently called the police. The students on the hall ultimately worked to clean the egg off the wall, and Student Housing had to repaint the wall with the message written on it, costing the dorm about $100.

“Anti-Semitism is despicable,” Roble RF Kate Chesley wrote in an email to the dorm chat list following the incident. “Stanford’s greatest strength is its diversity and its commitment to open and mutually respectful dialogue in pursuit of knowledge. Scrawling hateful remarks anonymously on a residence hall wall is nothing more than ignorant cowardice. We and the staff have no tolerance for such acts. We hope you condemn them as well.”

Roble staff showed the film “School Ties,” which explores anti-Semitism, following the event.

“After the movie, the residents naturally began discussing the event, asking Jewish residents how they feel,” said Roble Cultural Awareness Associate Songya Kesler ‘08 in email to The Daily. “It appeared that everyone agreed that what had been written was hurtful and wrong, and they were glad to know that the offender was not a fellow Stanford student.”

University administrators have responded by condemning the two episodes. Vice Provost for Student Affairs Greg Boardman wrote an email to the student body on Dec. 4, condemning the two “acts of intolerance” and citing the University’s Statement of Nondiscriminatory Policy and the Fundamental Stanford.

“Behavior that maliciously and harmfully targets an individual or a group of individuals is not acceptable and has no place within the Stanford community,” he wrote. “The University is committed to principles of diversity and respect for individual and group differences which leave no room for destructive or discriminatory behavior.”

Associate Vice Provost Sally Dickson is currently conducting a review to evaluate current University protocol for responding to such acts. Boardman said that it is premature to discuss the results of her efforts.

But Tan was disappointed with the University’s reaction to his episode. He was frustrated that he was not immediately informed of the death threat, and in turn that he was not able to ask the police to come take a statement until a week later.

“They were telling me that they could offer me psychological help or they could move me temporarily from the dorm,” he said. “They suggested I call the police but they did not impress upon me the gravity of the situation.”

In fact, Diogenes called the police on Nov. 28 to inform them of the incident. Still, they did not come to the dorm until Tan asked.

“This is part of what Sally Dickson and her group are reviewing in relation to the acts of intolerance protocol,” Diogenes said in an email to The Daily. “I venture that the importance of clear and prompt communication will be emphasized.”

Boardman said the homophobic remarks were a matter of concern for a number of administrators and offices — Associate Dean Thom Massey, the Residence Deans, Dickson, Interim Director of Residential Education John Pearson, community center staff and the Freshman Dean’s office.

“There was continuing communication between Student Affairs staff and the affected student, and staff made a concerted effort to respond to the students’ concerns,” he wrote in an earlier email.

Despite his dissatisfaction with the University’s response, Tan encouraged peers to reveal acts of intolerance committed against them.

“I’m fortunate enough that I dealt with my issues of sexuality earlier in life,” Tan said. “I’m confident enough to not care what other people thing about me. How many other people think they will not be supported, they will not be heard?”