Student Settles With Scottish Rite Dormitory

The Scottish Rite Dormitory (Photo by Matthew Rutledge / CC BY-SA 2.0)

UT student Kaj Baker has reached a settlement with the private, all-women's Scottish Rite Dormitory. Last November, SRD administrators Mary Mazurek and Meshelle Bourne informed Baker, who identifies as queer, that she should would no longer be allowed to have guests due to her and her partner breaking visitor rules. While the nearly 100-year-old SRD has long had strict policies regarding male visitors (regardless of their sexuality or relationship status), the dorm had no such restrictions on female guests. Ultimately, Mazurek and Bourne told the UT freshman the ban stemmed from complaints from other residents feeling "uncomfortable" about Baker's sexual orientation.

In the months following the incident, Baker received pro bono legal representation from local attorney Lenore Shefman of the Shefman Law Group, which explained in an April 4 blog post why the firm took on the case: "Baker's story touched us as a queer-owned, woman-owned law firm with a long history in grassroots activism." In her own statement, emailed to the Chronicle April 26, Baker wrote, "The good news is that Scottish Rite Dormitory and I came to a peaceful resolution and have settled this matter. The specifics of the settlement are confidential, but I and my family and friends feel like it was a just outcome and look forward to a better future."

Baker later told the Chronicle she was able to secure a new residence this semester, but was unable to comment on whether SRD had revised its policies or if she filed a formal report with UT that would potentially have prompted a university investigation. "I had my father, my partner, community allies, and the media standing by my side through this trying and emotional time," she said.