Vice President for Student Affairs Bill Asbury had hoped to deliver a speech celebrating diversity last Friday.

Instead, as he stood at the podium at the National Coming Out Day rally, Asbury lamented the state of civility at Penn State.

"The events of the past few weeks suggest to me that this is a time to recognize that there is a very critical need for dialogue on civility," Asbury said.

"We have in our midst those who believe they can do and say anything as long as they do or say it anonymously or under the guise of free speech," he continued. "This has been a very disturbing semester and we are not halfway through it."

During the past two months, several unrelated reports of sexual assaults, rock throwing, racist letters, swastika graffiti and a stolen Coming Out Day banner have shaken the Penn State community.

The one commonality in each case is that the victims were apparently singled out because of their identities — female, black, Jewish or gay.

"From what I hear from students, there have been many more acts of incivility and overall acts of racism this semester," said Terrell Jones, vice provost for educational equity, in an interview Monday.

Jones himself was a target of a racial insult made by a student at a protest rally earlier this month.

Instead of speaking as scheduled at the Coming Out Day rally Friday, Jones was meeting with black students who were victims of anonymous racist letters.

The letters were mailed anonymously to four black community members, including the president of the Black Caucus, a Penn State trustee and a football player.

Recently, there have been several other conflicts on campus this semester over race, ethnicity and gender issues.

On Oct. 7, a group of men chased a group of women in downtown State College in a scuffle over a Coming Out Day banner, according to the State College Police Department.

The men apparently tore down the banner that had been attached to the University Gates. When confronted by the women who had put it up, the men chased them.

On the morning of Sept. 29, three students told police that two men threw rocks at them from the top of an eight-story dorm.

The three students, all black women, believe they were targeted because of their race.

About four weeks ago, someone drew graffiti on and around the door of a room in an East Halls dorm.

Police responded to the crime, but the students who live in the room said they don't believe the vandalism was aimed at them, since neither of them are Jewish.

On the morning of Sept. 10, six female students in an East Halls dorm reported being awakened by a man who entered their rooms and fondled them. Six other students said the man entered their rooms but didn't touch them.

Police arrested and charged a suspect, who is currently awaiting a trial.

Penn State Police Services supervisor Stewart Neff said yesterday there isn't any statistical data to show if these types of crimes are on the rise.

"I wouldn't say there's a trend or anything like that," Neff said.

But anecdotally, Neff said there seems to be more activity in a shorter period of time than most years.

"Little things are brought to our attention that perhaps at other times might not have been reported," Neff said.

Asbury talked about how all these reports add up in his speech Friday.

"Any of these instances taken by itself is of serious concern," Asbury said. "Together, they cause me to think its time the whole community step back and look at itself."

Collegian staff writer Alex Weininger contributed to this report.