After last week's incident, students have stepped up efforts to create an atmosphere free of discrimination and bigotry.

Members of both the Mather House Council and individual House residents had drafted a pledge earlier this year in response to the previous acts of homophobia.

Over 300 House residents signed the Mather House Creed, which stresses inclusiveness and the need for compassion and unity in the house community and is now posted in the house's dining hall.

"It was meant to be a statement on how we should permanently live, a formulation of the values of this community," Naddaff said. "That has not changed."

"Mather students and staff went to great lengths to make a strong statement about what constitutes acceptable behavior in our community," Kyriell added. "To be honest, I think we all thought it was over."

The latest incident has caused students to once again speak out against acts of homophobia on campus.

David B. Orr '01, a member of the Undergraduate Council as well as the joint Student-Faculty Safety Committee, has been working to bring the incident to the attention of the campus, meeting with several University officials over the weekend.

"We talked about the different ways that the university can eliminate homophobia on campus," Orr said. "We want to make sure students feel safe and are safe."

Orr also spearheaded an initiative to pass a resolution expressing the council's dedication to the principles of non-discrimination. The council's Anti-Homophobia Task Force met yesterday and drafted a resolution titled "A Commitment to Unity, Safety, and Respect in the Harvard Community" which was endorsed unanimously at last night's council meeting.

"We commit to acting in a manner which allows all Harvard students, gay and straight, to live honestly and openly without fear," the text reads.

The next step, Orr said, is to reach out to the whole campus community.

"The main goal is to initiate dialogue on campus, especially with religious and conservative groups," Orr said. "I think that all Harvard students can agree that no student should fear violence or bigotry."

Other students are less optimistic. "We've tried posters, rallies, everything, and nothing seems to be working," said Michael A. Hill '00, co-chair of the BGLTSA. "Right now, we are completely at a loss."