Students Take Action After Thursday Sit-In

In the weeks since the student sit-in protesting Phillips Exeter Academy’s history of mishandling sexual misconduct, Exonians have continued to share personal experiences and suggestions for the Academy’s reporting process.

Originally planned as a sit-in in Principal William Rawson’s office on Thursday, May 9, the meeting quickly evolved into a Q&A session between students and Rawson. The Academy’s reporting and investigation process as well as Rawson’s understanding and definitions of consent were among the topics addressed. Discussions continued in the Assembly Hall the following day, and many clubs dedicated their meetings to unpacking the sit-in.

Several student organizations, including Exonians Against Sexual Assault (EASA) and Martin Luther King Jr. Committee, have collected proposals from their members on ways to feasibly improve the reporting process, according to senior and EASA cohead Jane Collins.

Other groups put together videos featuring anonymous survivor stories and organized art galleries to raise awareness about the prevalence of sexual assault, both reported and unreported, on Exeter's campus. 

Seven students presented a list of demands to Rawson, Assistant Principal Karen Lassey and Director of Equity and Inclusion Stephanie Bramlett at a meeting on Wednesday, May 15. Requests outlined in their proposal included amending the definition of consent and implementing a zero-tolerance policy; that the Principal should undergo explicit sexual misconduct training, should the Principal’s Discretion policy remain; the creation of a council of Deans and Faculty, nominated and approved by students to decide disciplinary outcomes modeled after the current disciplinary process; the release of reporting statistics, including number of reports, fully realized investigations and the gender, grade and race of all parties involved; more clarity and agency for the involved students and the extension of Dean’s Leave to include continued emotional, not just physical, harm. 

Senior and Exonians Against Sexual Assault (EASA) co-head Grace Carroll elaborated on the reasoning behind many of these demands. “I’m really excited about these proposals largely because they’re incredibly concrete ideas and enactable policy changes that I think do a really good job of encapsulating the more qualitative angers, fears and injustices that people were speaking to at the sit-in,” she said. “The administration seems like they’re really willing to listen to us right now, and therefore, I know they can be impactful.”

Students met with Rawson again on Wednesday, May 22, to review a new draft of the Academy’s sexual misconduct policy, updated on May 19. In this meeting, participants agreed that the administration will be held accountable for sharing a detailed protocol with the student body and follow-up with students over the summer.

Senior Nkemjika Emenike described Principal’s Discretion, the principal’s authority to determine disciplinary action against students convicted of misconduct based on recommendations from deans, as her top priority ““We should have a committee doling out punishments instead of having one person, especially him being a white male,” she said.

Senior Sophie Bunnell added that she would like to see the administration make more deliberate efforts to foster change in the campus culture. “I hope to see not only major changes in the reporting and investigative processes but also fundamental changes in our campus culture around sexual assault and sexual misconduct,” she said. “I think that, as long as we continue this dialogue and hold those in positions of power accountable, we can maintain the same pushing force behind this issue that we currently have.”

Carroll described statistics as a good way for the broader Exeter community to hold the administration accountable. “I’m really enthusiastic about one proposal, which is for the Director of Student Wellbeing’s office to release yearly statistics about reporting and investigations and Exeter modeled after the Clery Act to show students, parents and the whole community what's really happening on campus,” she said. The Clery Act ensures that American universities release crime statistics to receive government funding. 

Senior and EASA cohead Jane Collins expressed appreciation for the great amount of support she has received from many demographics of the Exeter community. “There has also been an outpouring of support from alumni survivors and from anonymous survivors of campus,” Collins said. “I personally felt unbelievable support from faculty members. Students are choosing to respond in their own ways. Some with art to showcase solidarity. My history class is working on a letter to Principal Rawson based in our readings from this term.”

Lowers Audrey Yin and JaQ Lai have also joined the effort to change the narrative around sexual misconduct through a video released this Wednesday on the HapPEA Youtube channel. After the sit-in, Yin gathered anonymous anecdotes from student sexual assault survivors and worked with Lai to compile the excerpts in a video. 

Yin received 36 submissions for the video—a number that serves as a testimony to the prevalence of misconduct on campus. “I was surprised to see the volume of submissions,” she said. “To me, it was very telling of how grave this issue is, and I hope that the video communicates that sentiment to others as well.”

Lai hopes that the video will empower more students to share their stories. He added that the Academy should place emphasis on supporting students through their trauma, rather than fixating on legal or technical issues. “My hope for the video is simply that those who found the strength to share their stories with us feel that their voices are heard and those dealing with their own burdens find strength in that sharing,” Lai said. 

Senior Reina Matsumoto is confident in these student initiatives. “I am hopeful that the list of requests that the students involved have put together will take formation on this campus and that survivors will feel the support that they deserve, not just from other students but of the community as a whole,” she said.