Following a mandatory meeting among four representatives from Residence Hall Programs and floor residents Thursday, many men in Holmes Hall agree the "straight" signs may not have been appropriate but say their reasons for hanging the signs have not changed.

"I think I feel less easy with the ambiguity of the signs now -- not less easy that I put them up," said one resident, "but I have more of a sense now that it wasn't the perfect approach to the matter."

One resident, who lives in a different wing of the floor, may be disciplined for ripping down and burning most of the signs early Thursday morning and replacing them with a black "X."

"I didn't want to see those things around any more. I thought they were offensive," he said Friday. The resident said he must report to the area coordinator for possible disciplinary action.

Pat Peterson, assistant director of Campus Life, said the student may be charged for the action because he has been identified. When a "Homophobia has no place at Penn State" poster is ripped down, the individual is referred to the Office of Conduct Standards if identified, she said.

The floor meeting, not prompted by the signs' removal, turned into more of a shouting match than a discussion, some members said.

"It surprised me that so many people got so violent and assumed so much about me and the meaning of a single word," one resident said.

"It's like in the Middle Ages, when people kept screaming 'witch' all the time," another said.

University representatives at the meeting included Gail Hurley, director of Residence Hall Programs; Jim Fay, coordinator for North and East Halls; Diane Resides, North Halls coordinator; and Karen Feldbaum, assistant director of Residence Hall Programs.

"People can misinterpret behaviors -- something you can do can be hurtful even though you don't intend it to be hurtful," said Feldbaum.

The University handles all incidents of intolerance or insensitivity differently, depending on the circumstances of each case, Peterson said.

In all instances, however, the University tries to communicate to people how their actions can affect the floor's living situation and community, she said.

In a recent revision of the Acts of Intolerance, the University decided enforcement cannot "impose disciplinary sanctions upon . . . expression when it is otherwise in compliance with University regulations."

In response to similar incidents, the Lesbian and Gay Student Alliance often organizes "Straight Talks" to educate people about gay men and lesbians, said Lora Nace, a member of LGSA.