Hassan Addresses Sexual Assault Issue
Principal Tom Hassan sent an email to the Academy community addressing the recent incidents of sexual assault reported on high school and college campuses across the country on October 6. Although not prompted by an incident at Exeter, Hassan hoped to give “much thought to what we can do on our own campus to make it as safe as possible and promote healthy relationships.”
In his email, Hassan reminded the community about Exeter’s policy on sexual assault and harassment, emphasizing the importance of safety and security. “Exeter has always worked hard to maintain a culture of respect for others,” Hassan wrote. “We do that by modeling good behavior, providing opportunities to discuss important issues both inside and out of the classroom, and outlining specific expectations we have of our interactions with each other through formal policies and discussions.”
Hassan continued to explain the measures Exeter has put forth both in the E Book. He cited proctors, student listeners, faculty and health center professionals as resources available for students concerned about or coping with sexual assault or harassment.
Hassan also mentioned that online harassment is just as pressing of an issue. There will be an assembly next week discussing online harassment and the dangers of inappropriate use of social media tools. He concluded the email by elaborating on the legal consequences of the perpetrator and potential for police investigation.
“We take sexual assault, harassment, and discrimination very seriously.”
Melissa Mischke, dean of students, echoed Hassan’s message of providing a safe and secure community at the Academy. “We take sexual assault, harassment, and discrimination very seriously,” Mischke said. “In the state of New Hampshire, there are some laws that require us to notify the police in certain circumstances such as...sexual assault. These are certain situations in which we can not manage directly. We must first call the Exeter Police Department.”
Exeter has heightened its awareness of sexual assault and harassment after the disturbing reports on other campuses. “Sexual assault is in the news right now. One of our own schools, St. Paul’s School, has had a major incident in a serious situation where there was legal action,” Mischke said. “Mostly it is happening on the collegiate level, but because this is the news and is hitting everybody on a regular basis, Mr. Hassan has written an email that basically he wanted to tell our families that we take it really seriously.”
Hassan wished to confirm to parents that the Academy is both aware of and responsive to the increasing cases of sexual assault among young adults. “I wanted to make clear that we take student conduct and safety seriously and this is an area in which we have a zero tolerance,” he said.
In the past, Exeter has received criticism for the ambiguity in its assault policies in the E book. “We are looking at if we have clear language in our handbook that articulates how to handle the situation both as the victim and the perpetrator,” Mischke continued. “We are in an awareness stage. Because what is going on at campuses and the criticism of how colleges are handling things, it is wise for independent and private schools like Exeter to look at the same issues and see if we have a framework in place to support victims or a place for someone to go if they want to make a report.”
According to Health Department Chair Carol Cahalane, the prep and lower health class program addresses the issue of sexual assault and educates students on how to handle an incident involving sexual assault. One aspect of the program explains who the school is required by law to talk to for each circumstance.
Cahalane also listed important organisations the school would be required to contact in case of a reported issue. “The police might need to be notified if it is a safe school law violation to allow them to do whatever investigation they need to do,” she said. “Also, the department of Youth and Family services in New Hampshire might need to be notified if the case involved someone under the age of eighteen.”
Yet despite Exeter’s attempts to raise more awareness on the procedure and consequences of sexual assault, some students still believed the majority of the campus is unaware of the severity of the problem. According to Fem Club co-head senior Helen Edwards, sexual assault and the concept of consent are both widely misunderstood on campus.
“Many people's general conception of rape is skewed and doesn't take into account psychological coercion,” she said. “Consent is more than a verbal yes. Consent confirms that both parties genuinely want to have sexual relations with each other. Consent is not a 20 minute argument convincing somebody to hook up, and then them saying yes out of “obligation,” despite the fact that they already refused on multiple occasions.”
Senior Gabrielle Snowden agreed, explaining how the processes regarding students involved in some sort of sexual assault are unclear. “That’s the biggest issue; no one really knows how to go about it,” she said. “There are New Hampshire laws in place that we cannot mess with so we don’t really have a say in how the school handles it because the school has to report it to the police and the police would do their own investigation. But besides that, what we can do as students is to press the administration and faculty to make the process more streamlined and clear in the E Book for students.”
On the other hand, Hassan made the message on the issue of sexual assault and harassment at Exeter very clear: there is no lenience on the issue. “Please be assured that we take very seriously our role in providing a safe environment for you, and assault and harassment of any kind will not be tolerated at this school,” Hassan concluded.