"Williams College roiled by report of rape; Students, alumni outraged, say case was mishandled" by Matt Rocheleau | Globe correspondent May 24, 2014
Allegations that administrators at Williams College mishandled a student’s report of being raped and subsequently harassed has sparked outcry among students, faculty, parents, and alumni, some of whom have vowed to withhold donations until changes are made.
Hundreds have signed a petition calling for action by the liberal arts school in Western Massachusetts. On Friday, the school’s president issued the latest in a series of statements assuring the community that it takes sexual assault seriously.
“This has gone off like a pack of fireworks in a pack of fireworks,” said Anne Lindsay Fetter, who graduated from Williams in 1985 and is vowing to withhold donations to the college. “I’ve never seen the alumni association so enraged over anything before.”
The uproar began when Lexie Brackenridge, a 19-year-old from Boston, wrote in a student newspaper column last week that she had been raped in October 2012 when she was a 17-year-old freshman.
Administrators, she wrote, persuaded her to not seek legal action against her alleged assailant, a 21-year-old student who played for the men’s hockey team. Instead, school officials had her file a complaint through the school’s judicial system, Brackenridge wrote.
During that three-month process, she said she was repeatedly harassed by other members of the hockey team.
“In one instance, they surrounded me, threw full beer cans at my head and chanted that I should have kept my mouth shut,” she wrote. “When I spoke to the deans about the incident, I was told that everyone was ‘exhausted’ from dealing with the case and that perhaps it would be better if we all just ‘took a little break.’ ”
She said her alleged assailant was ultimately found responsible for the act, and administrators suspended him for three semesters, a punishment she described as “a mere slap on the wrist.”
An attorney for the alleged assailant, who could not be reached Friday night, told WBUR previously that he denies the allegations against him.
Brackenridge has since transferred to Columbia University in New York, where she was a sophomore this year.
Brackenridge and her parents, who are Williams alumni, have launched a campaign to raise awareness about what happened and to try to stop it from occurring again. Hundreds of fellow students and alumni have backed the family’s demand that the school take steps to improve.
An online petition launched this week by Brackenridge calls on the school to change how it investigates sexual assault and disciplines offenders. It has collected more than 650 signatures.
“I was really blown away by the response I received,” Brackenridge said in a phone interview Friday, noting how classmates, alumni, friends, family, faculty, advocates and even strangers have expressed support.
“I was not expecting anything of this magnitude,” she said. “I’ve had so many people say I’m proud you came out and told your story.”
School officials, citing privacy laws, have said they cannot comment in detail about the case....
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Related: The Bolger in Obama's Pants
That would be found over at the frat house:
"Move to ban frats at Amherst College resisted" by Matt Rocheleau | Globe correspondent May 24, 2014
The crackdown comes amid heightened concerns about alcohol-fueled partying, hazing, and sexual violence at Amherst and campuses elsewhere.
Some students counter that Greek organizations offer invaluable positive experiences for members and the broader campus community and are no more susceptible to problems than other student groups. They also contend that the move signals an attack on student freedom that could set a dangerous precedent.
Fueling the outcry, critics say, is the fact that trustees passed the measure in early April but kept it quiet for a month, announcing it on the last day of classes before final exams, with almost no warning and little student input.
The collegiate version of a Slow Saturday!
“It’s triggered the biggest conversation about social life at Amherst I’ve seen in my four years here,” said Jasjaap Sidhu, a senior and member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.
Last week, the student government drafted a referendum demanding that the college reverse its decision. On a campus of about 1,800 students, more than 1,000 cast ballots, with 70 percent voting to support the referendum, said organizers.
“Prohibiting student participation in off-campus organizations is an unprecedented incursion on the liberties of Amherst College students and . . . continues a disturbing trend of disregarding the key stakeholder on critical matters of Amherst College student life: students,” the referendum said.
Students also decried the new policy at campus-wide forums that administrators hosted after the announcement. Fraternity members and supporters staged a small protest on campus, and some alumni are petitioning the school to reconsider.
But administrators are not budging.
“We respect the views of those who disagree with the board’s decision,” said Amherst spokeswoman Caroline Hanna. “The board and administration have also heard from many students and alumni who support the decision.”
An estimated 100 students participate in Greek life at Amherst, which was all male until 1975. In addition to Delta Kappa Epsilon, there are two other fraternities: Chi Psi, which also is affiliated with a national or international organization, and another group known as OT, which operates independently. There are no sororities.
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Starting July 1, students who violate the new rules will face sanctions including suspension or expulsion. Trustees also announced the college will work with students to create organizations that could serve as alternatives to Greek groups.
Over the years, a handful of other schools — including Middlebury and Bowdoin — have taken steps to replace Greek organizations, banning the groups altogether or forcing them to become co-ed.
After allegations of administrators downplaying reports of sexual assaults and fraternity members donning misogynistic T-shirts made national headlines two years ago, the college formed a Special Oversight Committee on Sexual Misconduct.
In a report last year, the committee said it did not find evidence that fraternity members have been disproportionately guilty of sexual assault. Nonetheless, the panel recommended that the college clarify its stance on Greek life. That recommendation led to the trustee review and the recent ban.
Earlier this month, the US Department of Education named Amherst on a list of 55 colleges that face federal investigations into their handling of sexual assault and harassment complaints.
Some say fraternity members are being unfairly targeted and stereotyped as predominantly rich, white men prone to wild partying. But supporters say almost half of all Greek members receive financial aid, many are nonwhite, and the majority get good grades and are active in extracurricular activities.
“It’s very unlikely that I would have joined a fraternity elsewhere, but we’ve created a unique group here because of how diverse Amherst College is,” said Sidhu, who belongs to Delta Kappa Epsilon. “It’s something that’s very positive and different from what Greek life is like elsewhere.”
Francis G. Couvares, a professor who opposes the ban, said fraternities and sororities have become scapegoats for problems on college campuses.
“I think it’s delusional to expect this will have an impact on drunkenness or sexual assault and all the problems supposedly associated with fraternities,” he said. “They’re complicated issues, and none of them can be resolved with some dramatic gesture.”
Others praised the school’s decision. Chloe McKenzie, a senior, said that she has been harassed by fraternity members and that the organizations breed misogyny and sexism.
“Why can’t you just have a group of friends who you throw parties with sometimes, without all the pledging and rushing and other rituals?” she asked. “I think getting rid of fraternities will not completely eradicate the problem, but it’s a first step.”
I'm opposed to all elitism, so....
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More fun:
Blarney Blowout Brutality
