Exonians Share Street Harassment Experiences; Town Relations Examined

By Anvi Bhate, Rishi Gurudevan, Selim Kim, and Andrew Yuan

Content Warning: mentions of harassment of students of color.

To many Exonians, downtown Exeter is a staple location to spend time with friends in its various shops and restaurants. To others, however, downtown is a dangerous place, where the simple fact of identity can provoke an attack on one’s personhood. This is the case for many Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, including both faculty and students. 

Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) Proctor and upper Lydia Osei explained why she never goes into town alone: “I would like to preface all my comments by saying that I have never— and I mean never— gone into town alone. I have always gone with a friend for the sake of my own safety, and the farthest off campus I have walked by myself was a two minute walk to The Green Bean where I was meeting with others,” Osei said. “My experience crossing the streets is always nerve-wracking, considering I have almost been run over a few times, but I always make sure to wait until cars stop for me.”

Osei continued, “Although usually the townspeople have been pretty nice to me, there have been a few instances that have made going into town uncomfortable,” she said. “While I, as far as I am concerned, have never been called any slurs on the path or been catcalled, several white, feminine presenting townspeople have made comments directed at my ‘unique’ hair— both derogatory and kind— and one white woman even went as far as to compare my box braids to a horse tail when in a ponytail.” 

“A woman once yelled at my friends and I and called us rude for walking off of the sidewalk to make space for her and her baby at Swasey— all of my friends were people of color as well,” Osei added. “One person yelled at me and another Black friend of mine to ‘go home’ when we were walking near Sea Dog [Restaurant]. I have [also] been followed inside of a church by a white woman while trying to attend a service.” 

While the school has attempted to address these incidents of verbal harassment, upper and OMA Proctor Val Whitten provided the most recent proposal with her OMA project. Whitten proposes to install cameras on Court and Front Street to identify the townspeople responsible for these incidents.

“The original idea came to me in the spring of 2021 when we had an increased number of incidents of harassment, both sexual and racial,” Whitten said. “These incidents came from [encounters with] town members as the Academy allowed students to walk past the streets and go into town.” 

Whitten elaborated on how the lack of possible concrete responses to such cases without evidence often puts pressure on victims. “[OMA] recommends trying to take a picture of the license plate or seeing if you can see the person,” Whitten said. “But right now the only option when this happens is to console the victim, unless the student is able to capture some sort of evidence in such a quick time.”

Dean of Multicultural Affairs Sherry Hernandez spoke to ways in which OMA tries to help the victim. “OMA offers individualized meetings with students who have received attacks on personhood, giving them agency about next steps to feel empowered,” Hernandez said.

“These include reporting incidents on their behalf to avoid re-traumatization to necessary parties, check-ins that are at the frequency that feels appropriate, planning with [the] dorm team— including proctors and student listeners about possible dorm conversation— and having supporting advisers or faculty,” Hernandez continued.

While Whitten agreed that the support OMA provides is very helpful, she noted other things that need to be addressed as well, including a lack of accountability for perpetrators.“In the back of [the victim’s] heads, they’re just upset and putting the burden on themselves that they should have captured [evidence of the harassment],” she added. 

“The only real way change has ever happened with any sort of issue like this is for there to be tangible action,” Whitten said. “If someone is willing to [harass students] and has probably done it multiple times, then they’re gonna do it again, no matter what you say.”

Whitten’s feelings on the subject also stem from her own personal experiences as a person of color in downtown Exeter. “[One time] I was walking in town late, coming back from Lexie’s, and this group of boys in a car were driving… I hear them slow down and start to talk amongst themselves because their windows open,” Whitten said, “It was so weird. They were just making random noises. They were screaming, trying to get my attention and to scare me. They honked the horn and it was just startling. I did fear that, depending on what I did, they might get out of the car. Would they continue to harass me?”

Whitten emphasized that harassment sometimes extends to on-campus settings. “Even if a student is trying to get from the North to the South side of campus, they can experience harassment. The fact that it could happen to them for walking on their own campus and nothing can be tangibly done about it is terrible,” Whitten said. 

“The best solution that I came up with was to put cameras up,” Whitten continued. “I talked to Dean Camilus, and he was surprised by my idea because somehow throughout all the conversations they have had about harassment on campus, putting up cameras never came up in a discussion.”

Whitten then communicated with Head of Campus Safety Paul Gravel, who told Whitten putting up cameras was within possibility. However, Gravel noted the many difficulties with installing cameras and the viability of cameras in the first place. “To prosecute anyone under ‘reckless conduct’ or ‘disorderly conduct,’ the police must be able to identify the person shouting the insults. Getting a license plate number is just the first step,” Gravel said.

“Identifying who shouted out is difficult unless the witness made note of all the information: description and sex of the person, clothing, vehicle make and color, driver or passenger, any identifying characteristics,” Gravel said. “Cameras are only as good as the lighting and location around them. It is very difficult to capture the occupants of a vehicle unless the camera is directly above the vehicle in perfect lighting.”

Gravel then directed the project to Exeter’s Town Manager Russell Dean, who responded that installing the cameras was not something the Police Department or Town Hall would be willing to do. When asked to elaborate on his brief response, Dean explained that the Police Department will not “advocate for any police-monitored surveillance cameras in Exeter.”

Meanwhile, Associate Dean of Multicultural Affairs Hadley Camilus expressed his support for Whitten’s project, elaborating on potential next steps: “I’ve been strategizing with Val about how to proceed given the current barriers. I talked to Val about raising awareness regarding this issue within this community, and the town of Exeter,” Camilus said. “I’ve also asked her to consider meeting with deans to brainstorm additional opportunities to educate students about how to support each other in town.”

Addressing his response to incidents like this as a part of the OMA team, Camilus explained that one of the most important things was to listen to the victims. “It sounds insignificant, but it’s not. I’m mindful of not asking students, for instance, if they did something to initiate the exchange,” Camilus said. “I take careful notes so that the student doesn’t have to rehash the incident again with another member of the administrative team. I also check back in with the students regularly to see how they’re doing in the aftermath, and to determine if additional support is needed.”

Camilus spoke about how his concern also increased due to incidents he has faced as a person of color in town. “In my first year here, while crossing Water Street, I had a couple of teens shout an expletive at me,” Camilus said. “I saw the car coming from up the hill and immediately had a feeling that something was about to go awry.”

“As the car zipped by behind me, I heard a disembodied voice shout something at me from the car. I didn’t hear what was said, exactly. An instructor who was in the vicinity heard what was shouted and told me when I asked. They shouted, ‘F*** you.’” 

The process for street harassment reporting is the same for both faculty and students. “Incidents of street harassment are brought to my attention occasionally, depending on the nature of the incident, but most are handled by Campus Safety directly with the Exeter Police Department and by other administrators to support students or employees who are involved,” Principal William Rawson said.

Dean of Students Russell Weatherspoon detailed the procedural response for when reports first come to the Dean of Students Office: “We first want Campus Safety to be aware. We want to know whether or not there’s sufficient information to be acted on. For instance, it is very helpful, if people are able to copy down a license plate number, or at least to get a good description. [Without] those two things, it’s hard to follow up, but we typically do pass reports along to the Exeter Police who are interested in then following up [with] the reporter,” Weatherspoon said. 

“My understanding is that there were approximately six reported student incidents last year, and two earlier this school year, but reported incidents may not tell the whole story,” Rawson acknowledged. “The training provided to student leaders in December organized by Dean [Christina] Breen was an important way to build awareness of the issue and help students deal with any incidents that occur. I think the increased campus safety presence at crosswalks also has been an important step and hopefully serves as a deterrent.”

Rawson supported Whitten’s proposal, citing further communication with the town government and police. “I expressed support for the proposal when it was brought to my attention. I am aware that Front and Court Streets are public roads, and we do not have authority to install security cameras. To my knowledge, the Town of Exeter has not used security cameras on other public roads. The issue is complex, and my understanding is that the Exeter Police have said they are not in favor of taking the proposed action.”

Rawson also characterized his relationship with the townspeople and the town government as a very positive one. “I personally have not had any negative experiences, and have met with the Chief of Police and Town Manager and have appeared before the Town Select Board on several occasions. The current Chief of Police published a very strong [opinion piece] on this subject [in the local paper] following a racial incident in the summer of 2018, and I wrote a letter to thank him.”

“We take any incident of street harassment seriously, especially identity-based incidents that threaten the sense of belonging and feeling of safety that all students and faculty should have. I support all efforts to prevent or respond to any such incidents,” Rawson said. “I also would like to see us continue to expand positive connections and build stronger relationships with the local community, as that also might make negative experiences less likely, and might act as a counterweight when negative experiences occur.”

Like Rawson, Weatherspoon has shared positive experiences with the Town Manager’s Office, and reflected on a specific incident in the 1990s. “There was a period of time when there actually were people in the area who were trying to recruit for the Ku Klux Klan. They went to the Exeter town office, asking if they could hold a meeting in the Town Hall. The Town Manager turned them down and the Chamber of Commerce in the town also had universal rejection of their attempt to recruit in the town. So, that would be one example of a time when the town recognized, not so much simply the needs of the Academy per se, but the need to make a clear stand against racist and separatist thought,” Weatherspoon said. 

Despite this, Weatherspoon has experienced negative incidents as a Black man in town. “My wife and I had children who attended the Exeter schools. ​​Every once in a while another kid made a racist remark,” Weatherspoon recalled. “Once in each of [my] first two years in Exeter a racial slur was yelled at me from a passing car.” 

“Back at that time, frankly, there weren’t as many Black people in the town as there are now. A few people acted as if having Black people among them was a new experience. They weren’t insulting, just curious. Once you go from being a stranger to people, and they get used to your presence and realize that you are in the town and involved in the life of the town… then, in our experience, they treat you differently, because they know you,” Weatherspoon said.

“The vast majority of people who we came in contact with, even in our opening year here, behaved exactly as you would expect people to behave: kindly, warmly, openly,” Weatherspoon continued. “The Academy draws students here from all over the country and around the world. They add a lot of diversity to the town’s daily life. Superficially, some may seem easy to spot because they’re BIPOC teenagers or they’re not familiar early in the year. Even so, if you’re a shopkeeper it must cheer your heart to see an Exeter student walk into your store and benefit your business. Like the police and the town officials, shopkeepers have time and again stepped up to offer Exonians help when they needed it or when asked.”

Senior Executive Assistant to the Exeter Town Manager Pam McElroy noted that the Town Manager’s office is always open to accepting proposals. “We are happy to receive correspondence from Phillips Exeter Academy students. Recently I received a couple of emails requesting information about certain town committees for class projects,” McElroy said. 

McElroy also shared the specific details that proposals such as Whitten’s goes through when received at the Town Manager’s office. “When a suggestion is received, the Town Manager requests further information from the Town Department and/or other Town associates that would best represent the suggestion. Once he receives the information, he corresponds back to the person who contacted him.”

“Ms. Whitten did send a suggestion to the Town Manager in Oct. 2021 with regard to cameras at the PEA crosswalks on Front and Court Streets. Town Manager Dean corresponded with the Exeter Police Department, received their response and replied to Ms. Whitten,” McElroy reported. “If there are further issues of PEA students being harassed, they should be guided to report incidents to the PEA Campus Safety Office and/or the Principal’s Office. The PEA Campus Safety Office and the Exeter Police Department work well together for the safety of the community. Exeter strives to be a safe, welcoming community of acceptance, kindness, and diversity.”

Though Exonians have encountered incidents of verbal harassment from passersby in-town, many townspeople, on the contrary, report that their experiences with Academy students have been generally positive. 

“[The students] have been great. You see them at Me and Ollie’s hanging out at a table or at Lexie’s getting burgers. They’re just like regular high school-aged kids doing the right thing: waiting in line for their turn, and throwing their trash away,” townsperson Rachael Gloss said. 

Townsperson Kelly Patrick shared similar sentiments. “I go to D2 Java, and sometimes I’ll see students there. I enjoy walking through campus on my way anywhere downtown and seeing the students walking, sitting, talking. So, that’s how I see and interact with students, and I have to say, everybody’s always very friendly. Because of where I live, I have to drive through campus and almost invariably when I stop, the person waves and because of the students, now when I’m walking, I wave to the cars that stop for me,” Patrick said.

Like Gloss and Patrick, townsperson David Kovar’s interactions with Academy students has been positive, and he notes that the rare negative interactions are often “mild and normal.” Kovar said, “The most common [interaction] was when I was in D^2 a lot. You would find the Academy students sitting here for five hours, and so if I was coming in here just for a half hour to get something to eat and work, there would be no place to sit. But that problem exists elsewhere too…So it’s not necessarily the age group or the people.”

Indeed, most of the minor, negative interactions the townspeople note do not go beyond complaints about the crosswalks connecting the North side with South. “Getting through Front Street or Court Street, depending on the time of day when everyone’s going to class, can be really hard. The only time I hear residents complain about the Academy kids is when there’s never a pause. They don’t let any cars go through during lunch and it just builds up. So when people are late as adults, and they’re like, ‘Oh my god, the Academy kids weren’t letting anyone cross today.’ That’s the only negative thing I hear which is just mostly said in a funny tone of voice,” Gloss said. 

As such, Gloss believes that the Town of Exeter is “a very safe town… I let my own 13-year-old wander around. I wouldn’t think that a high school aged kid couldn’t wander around Exeter safely. Pretty much all hours of the day or evening, it’s not a dangerous place at all. Maybe you need to watch out for crossing the street. Cars sometimes don’t stop at crosswalks. But besides that, everyone should be just fine. Especially as the Academy kids conduct themselves so well, I think it’s a safe place for everyone,” Gloss said. 

Kovar has also never explicitly witnessed severe, negative interactions between students and townspeople in-person. However, based on online interactions, he can see that certain “students could be at risk” in town. “I would like to believe that that town is safe. But, there have been incidents that I’ve seen on Facebook, that at least suggest that there are elements in the community that are discriminatory or acting poorly. The community doesn’t usually see any reporting about any sort of harassment of PEA students, but Stillwells Ice Cream was harassed a couple months ago in ways that were really awful. If it’s happening to that sort of establishment, I can see it happening to people of  different ethnic communities and/or political affiliations,“ Kovar explained. 

Patrick shared similar thoughts. “I would hope that Exeter is a safe town…I moved here from Indiana two years ago, and had never even heard of PEA…but it makes living here so much nicer because I really, really, really enjoy seeing all the different people. The diversity of the student population is what makes living here better for me. So I’m hoping that other people— ‘townies’—feel that way, too,” Patrick said. 

“I haven’t seen negative interactions with students and people in businesses, but, you know, I don’t often see many students in the businesses where I go. My hope is that there aren’t negative people, but unfortunately, there are negative people everywhere. I also hope that the students of color are not experiencing negative interactions, and that they’re as welcome as every student would be,” Patrick added.

In light of the pandemic, interactions with Academy students have been greatly limited. Many townspeople believe that this isolation perpetuates the preconceived notions of the Academy, and increases the likelihood of possible hostile interactions. 

“Prior to moving to New Hampshire, I really hadn’t been to New England at all. I assumed [Exeter] was going to only have very elitist white kids, so I have to say that I’m very happy that that’s not what I’m experiencing,” Patrick shared. “But, I’m sure that, especially these days with the political situation, negative interactions and feelings could be a little bit heightened with such preconceived notions, which really makes me sad…”

Kovar agreed. “To some extent, I mean, I have my own preconceived notions,” he said. “[Phillips Exeter] is a very high-end prep school with very few day students. [There is a] significant international predominantly wealthy population, in a fairly closed, competitive environment, because you’re all trying to get into a good [college]. All of those are essentially facts, though I’m probably off on some of them, and all of those shape a preconceived notion.” 

Kovar continued, “Without the opportunity to interact with [Academy students], I have to consciously work to try to open my perspective up and say, ‘Okay, these are individuals and they come from a wide range of backgrounds,’ but that’s a sort of challenge. For me, PEA is this community within another community, and most of what we see is the buildings and people traveling between them....There are barriers to overcoming those preconceived notions that are due to the nature of the way the school is structured. I think if there are more opportunities for the Exeter public to interact with the students, that would be helpful.”

Gloss, on the other hand, has interacted with Academy students before through the Exeter Social Service Organization (ESSO), and believes the pre-existing biases of Academy students to be quite positive. “I guess the only preconceived notions are that [the Academy kids] are really the best kids around…I’ve never seen anybody not behave themselves. They’re really role models, and they do a great job,” Gloss said. 

“I really think that ESSO is a great place for students to be ambassadors to the community. Almost all the families I know have participated in ESSO at some point or another. I think [it’s] a great bridge to the community for the Academy. I think that’s a good way for the Academy kids to meet the local kids and for the local families to meet the Academy kids, because many locals don’t go to the Academy often,” Gloss added. 

Going forward, Whitten and OMA hope to see a change in the way students are treated by fellow townspeople— as well as an increase in holding offenders accountable during incidents of verbal or emotional harassment. Whether these issues are a result of townspeoples’ preconceived notions and their lack of interactions with the students, or simply immature kids’ lack of exposure to BIPOC individuals, they believe that installing cameras on Court Street and Front Street will help prevent these crimes and ensure the burden does not fall on the victims. As additional solutions are brought to the table and evaluated, these incidents of harassment against BIPOC students and faculty continue to occur on a daily basis.