Deans and Students Discuss the Campus Sexual Assault Policy

On Oct. 29, Columbia University students, hoping to draw attention to the presence and dangers of sexual assault across college campuses, placed 28 mattresses in front of the home of university president Lee Bollinger. Student Emma Sulkowitz pledged to carry a mattress with her at all times until the perpetrator of her sexual assault experience left Columbia. Her actions inspired similar protest and support from around the country and the world.In November, Rolling Stone Magazine published an article entitled “A Rape on Campus” that detailed one student’s violent assault from a gang rape during a party at a fraternity house at the University of Virginia (UVA). The article generated waves of media attention, reached international news headlines and caused UVA to reassess their policy and greek culture.However, sexual assaults and the culture that surround them are not limited to college and post-graduate campuses. Many boarding schools have revisited their policies on sexual assault following the recent surge of awareness and focus on the issue. St. Paul’s School reported two cases this year, and an infamous case occurred at Milton Academy in 2005.Other schools, including Exeter, have also dealt with sexual assault cases in recent years. Any instance of sexual assault at the Academy is handled jointly by Exeter police and a state institution that specializes in these cases, according to Dean of Residential Life AJ Cosgrove. The Academy reserves the right to conduct its own after-the-fact investigation, and in instances where the perpetrator is known, PEA is within its power to remove that person from the Academy without trial or notice.

“I felt like they weren't looking out for me or my needs. And living with that feeling so far away from my family and friends, being at a new school, it made me feel like I didn't have any support at all. And that messes with you.”

“If we gain knowledge that a sexual assault has occurred, the student who perpetrated it would be unquestionably sent home,” Cosgrove said, citing the safety of the community as the primary priority of the Academy. In addition, New Hampshire law dictates that any teacher or faculty member who becomes aware of an assault through a conversation, paper or counseling session must report it to the proper authorities.“If a faculty member becomes aware that there was any kind of child abuse or sexual assault, they have a legal obligation to make a report,” Cosgrove said. “They have an obligation to notify the Dean’s office, because that’s not the kind of information that they can internalize. Even if there was only a suspicion, they must report it [when a student is under 18].”The situation at Exeter is especially complicated because the majority of students are minors, and if a student is under the age of 18, another host of laws and limitations exists. Health instructor and department chair Carol Cahalane said that this determines a distinct protocol that differs from those on college campuses.“If they are under 18, then I would have a responsibility to report that child abuse. That would mean that I would not be able to keep that information confidential,” Cahalane said. When the student is over 18 the rules of reporting differ significantly, and the course of action is determined at the student’s discretion. Though the decision to press charges is not up to the administration, Exeter would still offer counseling and health services to the victim, regardless of age.Once the case is turned over to the police, the school’s role of involvement, according to Cosgrove and Dean of Students Melissa Mischke, is only one of safety and support for the victim(s) and wider community as a whole.The Disciplinary Committee is not involved in the process beyond asking a perpetrator to leave the school. Any legal decisions are left to the police and investigators.“DC will not deal with crimes beyond a certain caliber, like sexual assault,” senior and DC member Emily Lemmerman said.Lemmerman also said that because there is no legal drinking and very little party life on campus similar to that of colleges and universities, sexual assault at Exeter is “even more inexcusable, and, at times, more malicious. Often, the decisions are made sober, which is especially troubling.”The deans work to maintain a relationship with the Exeter Police Department (EPD), and in a case of sexual assault, would involve certain personnel at EPD. In spite of efforts to define statutory rape in the E Book, the required reporting system for abuse and sexual assault is not clear to many students and is not currently outlined in the E Book.“That [reporting is required] should definitely be made clearer. Only statutory rape laws are in the E Book. It isn’t just statutory rape that happens here,” Lemmerman said. She has worked with other students this year to recommend changes to the E Book with administrators.In addition to creating a culture where sexual assault on campus is less likely to occur in the first place, Cahalane and her colleagues in the health department focus on addressing such incidents when they conduct their health classes. Part of the course is centered on making sure students know when information can stay confidential, and when it must be reported. “It’s not as if we are announcing the information to the world, but we have to bring in other confidential help,” Cahalane said.In a letter to students sent in October of 2014, Principal Tom Hassan addressed the issue and said that Exeter’s “policies are routinely reviewed and updated as necessary to reflect the changing needs of the community, and we are looking at them now to ensure we are being as clear as possible.” However, some students share Lemmerman’s views and think that more drastic change is needed to deal with the issue.“Exeter needs to step back and reevaluate its policy in light of recent events and changes at other school and universities,” senior Zoha Qamar said. “To assume sexual assault is not an issue at Exeter is false as well as offensive to past victims. It exists here, too.”Senior Helen Edwards, who worked with Lemmerman to discuss possible systemic changes, agreed. She suggested that the policy surrounding sexual relations at Exeter has to shift, stressing that the administration should “create an environment that at least acknowledges that people do have sex on campus, because that would be more conducive to reporting.”Exeter’s protocol for sexual assault, while straightforward, can sometimes increase the propensity for emotional and psychological trauma.Two former students in particular felt mistreated by Exeter’s administration during their cases, and have stated that their treatment at the hands of the Academy exacerbated the already taxing situation. The two girls requested to remain anonymous, and their names have been changed to Jane Doe and Jane Smith.Doe was assaulted during her senior year at Exeter, and in the days and weeks following, she was nearly catatonic. “I couldn’t go outside, I couldn’t leave my room. I was crying a lot, I was terrified of everything. I was so afraid that I would run into the person that did it,” Doe said.Doe refrained from filing any reports of her assault. “The process that you have to go through is terrible,” Doe said. “I would have had to present evidence, and testify about the incident while the perpetrator was present. It would have been incredibly arduous. And after getting in trouble with the administration before, I felt like they wouldn’t really believe me, or help me at all.”Doe said that she would have prefered to not speak about the incident with anyone let alone submit a report. “Even just telling anyone at all is so hard. And being raped makes you feel so powerless,” Doe said. “How can I think that I can do anything to this person who seems so powerful that he destroyed me entirely?”Jane Smith’s case, while different, echoes the same sentiments as Doe’s. Smith was assaulted during her first term at Exeter and sought help from a faculty member. Smith approached a teacher, and explained the assault without using names. “I didn’t want to get anyone in trouble or report anything,” Smith said. “I just wanted to help myself in terms of what I could say next time if I was put in a situation like that.”The faculty member followed the protocol detailed by the New Hampshire child abuse reporting laws and brought the information to the deans. While this was the technically correct course of action, Smith still felt that it could have been handled better.“I had no intention of taking it that far. The deans arrived minutes later and started asking me questions I didn’t want to answer, pressuring me for names when I didn’t want to talk,” she said. Smith understands the obligation of the faculty member to report the incident, but did not feel sufficiently supported by Exeter after the information was reported.“I felt as if the deans were completely insensitive about it all and went about the investigation in a manner that was unsettling to me,” Smith said. “Ultimately, I feel as if the school does what is best for it, rather than making the victim feel at ease.”Smith said that she felt unsafe during the investigation, because she wasn’t convinced of the administration’s concern for her well-being. “I felt like they weren't looking out for me or my needs. And living with that feeling so far away from my family and friends, being at a new school, it made me feel like I didn't have any support at all. And that messes with you.”