This past semester, a College of the Liberal Arts staff member has been receiving hateful messages based on her sexuality.

In a university environment, a place that thrives on public discourse and new ideas, the fact that someone would stoop to such a low level as to leave threatening notes for a staff member is mind-boggling.

The perpetrator is a cowardly shell of a person who has no dignity or class in addressing a delicate issue in person.

No member of the Penn State community should ever have to face hate mail.

This is a horrible, hurtful attack on an individual for something that hurts no one.

Sexual preference is not a crime in any way, but the victim is being treated that way.

The victim should be entitled to a safe and comfortable workplace, not a threatening one. But the person who felt it necessary to leave such threatening notes is damaging that comfort, which was of course, probably the point.

And, if the person is caught, the university should take strong actions against the perpetrator.

Six university policies prohibiting acts of intolerance note that the harasser could receive serious sanctions, including expulsion or dismissal.

If the person who so slyly has threatened the comfort of one of Penn State's staff members has any dignity, he or she will reveal him or herself to the police and accept the consequences.

If this person does not confess, hopefully the police will be able to find him or her and bring him or her to justice.

Meanwhile, we ask that the university try to continue to foster an open and accepting environment.

Hatred, unfortunately, will never die. Students of all races and sexual preferences will undoubtedly face prejudice from their peers or acquaintances.

However, the university can do its best to foster acceptance. By letting this horrible event be known, the college is in fact doing a service to the community.

While the events that have transpired have no doubt been horrible and hurtful to the victim, knowledge of these events will let the university community know that these horrible prejudices still exist.

And out of that, we ask for more dialogue, so that maybe, eventually, this will never again be an issue.