Maryland Bar's Hand Stamp Sparks Controversy

A hand stamp used by a bar in College Park, Md., was pulled after students protested that it condoned sexual assault.

The stamp applied by front door security at the popular Barking Dog Restaurant and Pub on Route 1 read “Shut up and take it.” Facebook images of the stamp touched off a controversy and a petition drive.

Josh Rather, of the Student Government Association, said the issue went beyond a hand stamp. The university community realizes that more student-involved sexual assaults -- many of them alcohol-fueled -- occur off campus rather than on campus.

The university recently amended its code of conduct to include assaults that occur off campus.

The Barking Dog's owner said that when he learned of the hand stamp he immediately terminated its use, had a talk with his employees about the seriousness of the matter and offered to host a sexual assault awareness fundraiser.

The Barking Dog has been widely credited with improving a property that had been cited frequently for alcohol violations over the years.