E Book Sees Summer Alterations, Additions
“The first step in order for there to be change in policy is to acknowledge that something has happened, and that it is a problem,” upper Carissa Chen said, and to Chen, the incorporation of a new statement addressing sexual assault into the 2015-2016 edition of the E Book—Exeter’s rule book—signified the Administration’s recognition, a “first step.” Along with sexual assault, the Administration also revised several sections in the E Book regarding various topics such as hazing, bullying and harassment.
In previous years, sexual assault was included under the “Sexual Intimacy” category, which defined what sexually intimate behavior was considered to be at the Academy and detailed potential responses. While this section still remains, the portion regarding sexual assault has now become its own subdivision in order to outline potential situations of assault and the respective campus and state law responses. The E Book also states that victims should “seek help immediately from a trusted adult in the Academy community,” listing multiple on-and-off campus resources for students who need help.
“If there is an issue that we want to dig into and address, we don’t touch on it once either in writing or in one assembly and then leave it.”
The new addition stemmed from conversations Principal Emeritus Tom Hassan and Dean of Students Melissa Mischke held with students last year on the topic of sexual assault. The two took notes on student suggestions and Mischke drafted the statement, which was reviewed and commented on by colleagues in the health center and by the Academy attorney. According to Mischke, the purpose of the new section is to “clarify to the community on what the expectation is for all of us and how we should handle and support a situation that has happened.”
Similarly, the hazing, harassment and bullying policy section was re-worded over the summer to clarify exact definitions. Mischke said that she hopes both sections will encourage students to “treat each other well.”
“We do not want anyone to be a victim of bullying or sexual assault on this campus,” she said. “As far as we are concerned, it is not tolerated behavior.”
Many students and faculty described the new statements as a necessity and were glad to see the Academy addressing the two topics, especially sexual assault. As a sensitive topic, cases of assault are typically difficult to define and discuss. Science instructor Erik Janicki hopes providing clarifications in the expectations of the community can help clear up misunderstandings and ease conversations on the topic.
“If having a policy articulated in the E Book helps avoid ambiguity about how this community defines and feels about sexual assault, then it seems necessary to me,” Janicki said. “Hopefully, it won’t be needed, but it's good to have there.”
Religion instructor Russell Weatherspoon agreed with Janicki. He said the school should make sure Exonians are clear on all rules at the beginning of the year to avoid potential incidents where students are caught off-guard. “[Highlighting] the laws and [making] it clear what is meant by abuse and meant by harassment is only in everybody’s best interest,” he said.
The new statement is especially relevant this year after a sexual assault case involving two students from St. Paul’s that shed light on the reality of rape cultures at boarding schools, and the importance of rules protecting students from uncomfortable situations. According to science instructor Townsley Chisholm, before the case, many New England boarding schools seemed to have the assumption that sexual assault was so obviously wrong, no statement was even necessary.
He described the St. Paul’s case as a potential “driving factor” for the new statement, a chance which he believes is clearly designed to stimulate discussion and clarity for the community.
However, while many students noted the changes were a step in the right direction, some emphasized the fact that they were only one step. Chen said the changes were an important way to help educate the campus, but recognized that the ultimate goal is to prevent all cases of hazing and assault before they happen—particularly, she would like to see more methods implemented that allow boys and girls to get out of uncomfortable situations.
Tez Clark ‘13, former Opinions editor, was also happy to hear of any sort of change, but expressed the need for faculty to be more “well-versed in the area of sexual assault and harassment.” Additionally, she said that Exeter’s faculty should work harder to create safe spaces for students to come forward by ensuring that faculty-student relationships are conducted in a professional manner.
“Asking students to come forward in the event of an assault is not particularly helpful if students are not comfortable with faculty members,” Clark said. “I can only hope that Exeter has begun to take seriously the concerns voiced by myself and other recent alumnae regarding sexual assault and sexual culture at the school.”
While not directly stemming from the E Book changes, discussions on both the topics of hazing and sexual assault have become more common in the past couple of years. Janicki emphasized the importance of maintaining these discussions, rather than focusing on the topic for a few weeks and then letting it fade into the background.
“This community is not a one-and-done type community,” Janicki said. “If there is an issue that we want to dig into and address, we don’t touch on it once either in writing or in one assembly and then leave it.”
Overall, students and faculty would like to see the changes help foster a more respectful atmosphere in the Exeter community, whether it be through further steps taken by the administration or encouraged discussions on the topics.
“Changes in Exeter culture are hard to predict, but I certainly hope that these changes and discussions about these issues will help make everyone much more aware, more respectful and more willing to speak up when something wrong is about to happen,” Chisholm said.