Anna M. Baldwin '00, a resident of Mather House and a member of the BGLTSA executive board, suggested that his resignation was, sadly, a partial victory for the vandals.

"Students are saddened by this," said. "He was well liked and an important part of the community. It's upsetting that such cowardly acts should force him out."

Mather House Co-Masters Leigh G. Haffrey '73 and Sandra A. Naddaff '75 said his decision was troubling although understandable.

"It is not the decision we as Masters would have chosen for him to make, and we are deeply saddened by it," Naddaff and Haffrey wrote. "All of us can understand, though, the stress Kyriell has felt in the wake of the various homophobic incidents targeting him this fall."

Muhammad became a Mather House tutor in the spring of 1998 after serving for three years as a yard proctor. Members of Muhammad's proctor group were not informed of his plans to resign before receiving the house-wide e-mail message, and were shocked by his resignation.

"Obviously, it's very unfortunate," Vera Keller '02 said. "In a way, it's a victory for those who committed the acts."

"We can't expect him to ruin his life, though," added Hana L. Takusagawa '02. "It's amazing that he has been able to deal with all of this for so long."