Last edited: December 19, 2004


Letter: BYU Crackdown

Salt Lake Tribune, April 18, 2001
P. O. Box 867, Salt Lake City, UT 84110
Fax: 801-257-8950
Email: letters@sltrib.com

As a Brigham Young University alumnus, I read with great disappointment the recent story of the expulsion of two gay BYU students (Tribune, March 29). I take issue with BYU official Kerri Jenkins’ statement: "There are no sting operations. No one is going out and asking students their sexual orientation. It’s not something they ask when they apply to the university." She was referring to news stories in the ‘60s and ‘70s about campus police spot-checking gay dance clubs for license plates of BYU students, or posing as gay men and soliciting sexual favors from male students.

I can’t vouch for the ‘60s or ‘70s, but in the ‘90s such patrolling and intimidation definitely occurred. A friend was actively solicited on campus by an undercover BYU policeman and then turned in to the administration, which threatened him with expulsion. For an official today to deny that such entrapment schemes take place is truly disingenuous. I hope BYU will take steps to end these practices and concentrate on making the campus life of all its students more rewarding.

— Troy Barber, Oakland, Calif.


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