The Indiana University Board of Aeons Bathroom Entrapment Scandal

In 1921, William Lowe Bryan, the tenth president of Indiana University, started the Board of Aeons. This group consisted of twelve undergraduate men who were chosen by the president based on leadership and scholarship, and their responsibility was to act as a bridge between the university administration and the student body.

The "Pink Scares" of the Cold War

During the late 1950’s, the Board of Aeons was under the direction of President Herman B Wells. Reflecting Cold War sensibilities, between 1955 and 1959 many members of the Board became concerned with homosexuality on campus. They occasionally discussed specific suspected homosexuals. For example, in a meeting on September 19, 1957, one regular board member, Bill Cast, told the Board that he had reason to believe that Leland S. McClung was a possible homosexual. The Board of Aeons assigned Cast to engage in further research on Mr. McClung’s sexual preference.

Bathroom Entrapment

For a handful of students and faculty at Indiana University, the Board’s concerns about homosexuality did not end with meeting gossip. On September 18, 1958, a Board member by the name of Barolay Cale reported “possible homosexual activities in the men’s restroom on the second floor of the main library”. He suspected men were soliciting other men for sex by leaving messages on the walls of the bathroom. After the meeting, Cale began observing usage patterns of the restroom, and later reported noting several men spending extended periods of time in the restroom. The Board of Aeons then decided that all the members would take turns operating a regular stake-out of the bathroom with hopes of getting first time offenders psychiatric treatment and expelling repeat offenders.

On October 16th, Cale decided to use cameras to document homosexual activity in the bathroom, with the intent to report the any participants to the IU Police Department. On October 23rd, he and another board member, Monroe, took the cameras to the bathroom. They constructed a trap door above the restroom and tested their system for taking photographs of men using the toilet stalls. Afterwards, they began taking pictures of men who they believed to be engaging in sex. At a later date, yet another board member by the name of Yaochim, expressed his belief that the pictures were being spread around campus.

On November 6th, Dean of Students Robert Shaffer and Dr. Wardell Pomeroy of the Kinsey Institute attended a Board of Aeons meeting to help sort out the “homosexuality problem on the campus”. The Dean decided that all staff involved in the bathroom sex scandal would be immediately fired, but the students involved would be dealt with on an individual basis. The Dean also decided that the bathroom would be locked to everybody except staff members with keys.

It appears that the bathroom observation ended at the end of 1959, possibly because previous members of the Board urged the current members to keep their activities more positive. Rumors from immediately following the event noted the departure of several students and at least one staff member soon after the conclusion of Clay’s bathroom entrapment scheme.

Minutes, 19 September 1957, Board of Aeons.

Minutes, 25 September, 1958, Board of Aeons.

Minutes, 2 October 1958, Board of Aeons.

Minutes, 12 October 1958, Board of Aeons.

Minutes, 16 October 1958, Board of Aeons.

Minutes, 23 October 1958, Board of Aeons.

Minutes, 30 October 1958, Board of Aeons.

Minutes, 6 November 1958, Board of Aeons.

Minutes, 11 December 1958, Board of Aeons