When BGSU parent Valerie Cumming opened her email on Nov. 7, she found an email from the university’s president, Rodney Rogers, waiting for her.

A few days earlier, Cumming created the “Bowling Green Parents and Allies” Facebook group in the days following the election after reports of harassment emerged both online on campuses across the country.

An anonymous Falcon parent wrote in a separate Facebook group, “BGSU – Parents and Families,” that their daughter, who was wearing a Taylor Swift sweatshirt, had been harassed on campus by a group of boys who surrounded her, yelling, as the parent described it. “My daughter was corn[er]ed by a group of male students who proceeded to scream at her while walking across campus this morning. Why you may ask? All because she had a Taylor Swift sweatshirt on. The boys were screaming at her telling her to ‘get over it, she lost.’ She was by herself walking to class.”

Comments from concerned BGSU parents came in almost immediately, and Cumming was propelled to create her “Parents and Allies” group in response.

Mentions of the phrases “your body, my choice” and “get back in the kitchen” on X grew by 4,600% between 48 to 72 hours after the election, according to data from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), due in part to posts like the one from far-right activist and white nationalist Nick Fuentes, who shared a post that read “Your body, my choice. Forever” and gained 98.1 million views.

Between Nov. 4 and 6, ISD researchers monitored social media platforms like X, TikTok, Facebook and Reddit, and they found a surge in derogatory, misogynistic narratives originating from “manosphere” and extremist communities. These narratives, which, according to ISD, were already prevalent online, soared after the election and have been linked to offline harassment targeting women, especially on high school and college campuses.

This surge in reports of offline harassment against women in schools across the nation seemingly stems from “manosphere” culture, which ISD defines as “a range of misogynistic communities that vary from anti-feminism to more explicit, violent rhetoric towards women.”

Cumming, worried about the safety of her own daughter who is a freshman on BGSU’s campus, reached out to President Rogers.

“By the time I woke up the next morning, I had a response from him. He offered to call my daughter,” Cumming said. “I was really impressed actually by how responsive they were. I thought that was pretty amazing.”

Rogers wasn’t the only university official to reach out to Cumming, though. Jeremy Zilmer, the Dean of Students and Senior Deputy Title IX Coordinator, spent about a half hour on the phone with Cumming.

Despite the quick response from university officials, officials from the office of the Dean of Students and BGSU’s Police Department say they have no official reports of any incidents like the one described in the Facebook group. Attempts to contact the parent who originally posted about the incident in the “Bowling Green Parents and Allies” Facebook group were unsuccessful, too.

Still, harassment like the experience shared on Facebook is prevalent on college campuses nationwide, as 42% of college students reported experiencing at least one sexually harassing behavior. And college students surveyed said they did not contact a campus program or resource because they believed the incident was “not serious enough,” according to a 2019 report from the Association of American Universities.

The formerly online “manosphere” phenomenon has spilled into real-world interactions. A 2024 article by the Associated Press describes how abusive threats and degrading language toward women has increased following the American presidential election.

That data aligns with the experience of BGSU students who experienced gender-based degrading language in the weeks following the election.

For Stephanie, a student at BGSU, what began as a casual night out with friends quickly turned into an unsettling confrontation just days after the election.

Stephanie, who requested her last name not be used, shared her experience at a local bar, where a lighthearted exchange soon developed into harassment and gendered insults.

The incident began when Stephanie attempted to order drinks at a bar. After exchanging polite banter with a man celebrating his birthday, his friend repeatedly pressured her to buy the man a drink.

When she declined, the friend’s demeanor shifted.

“He started calling me weird, like, ‘Don’t talk to her; she’s a weirdo,'” Stephanie said. Initially, she ignored the comments, but as the harassment persisted, she decided to stand her ground.

Stephanie snapped a photo of the man, showing him a typed message on her phone calling him weird in return. His response? Calling her a sexist and vulgar insult.

At that point, Stephanie’s friend stepped in to defend her, prompting the man to lash out further. Stephanie says he told her friend, “You’re a woman; you don’t even have rights anymore.”

The remark, delivered just days after the election, struck a nerve.

“It showed his insecurities,” Stephanie said. “He had to hit where it hurts, but it didn’t really hurt—it just showed how small he was.  He knows he was losing, so he had to pull out something that he has over us, which was ‘As a man, I have rights, and you don’t.’ That’s the most he could do to try and win the argument.”

The conflict ended when Stephanie alerted a bouncer, who removed the man from the bar.

The unnamed bouncer has since informed Stephanie the man is now banned from the location because of his remarks.

While his friends apologized for his behavior, the incident left a bad taste. “It’s not surprising at all,” Stephanie said, noting that she felt the timing—the weekend after the election results—likely contributed to the tensions.

To prevent experiences like that of Stephanie and her friend, several members of the BGSU community are stepping up to ensure all Falcons feel safe.

For students who feel unsafe, BGSU offers several resources, including the Center for Women and Gender Equity (CWGE), which promotes gender equity and a safe, inclusive community, and Gender Violence Prevention and Education Services (GVPES), which focuses on preventing gender-based violence and supporting survivors—both located in 280 Hayes Hall.

Cumming said her Facebook group is another way for Falcons and their families to have a space for BGSU parents and students to connect with others to share safety and well-being resources and tips.

“It’s open to any Bowling Green parent, or we’ve got some students on there as well who just had some of the same concerns and wanted to join to kind of maybe meet other families who are in a similar situation. It’s a safe and protected space for everyone,” said Cumming.

Still, Cumming said she’s experienced some of the political pushback on Facebook that many Falcons say they’ve received in person.

“I realized from those responses that absolutely there’s the need for parents to ask these kinds of questions without other parents yelling at them for it or being like ‘You’re bad-mouthing BG’ – We’re not at all. We’re making sure that our kids are safe,” Cumming said.

Students are also encouraged to report concerns through the University’s See it. Hear it. Report it. tool, which provides a confidential way to address incidents of misconduct. On this page, you can report several types of incidents, including student conduct concerns, Title IX and sexual harassment, hazing, campus climate concerns and harassment or discrimination.

Additionally, BGSU policies, such as the Code of Student Conduct and the non-discrimination in employment and education policy, are available on the university website and serve to support a safe and inclusive campus environment.

If you or someone you know is experiencing harassment, discrimination or any form of misconduct, BGSU encourages you to report concerns through the See it. Hear it. Report it. tool or to reach out directly to campus resources like CWGE or GVPES for support.