Solving Sexual Assault from the Bottom Up
Sexual assault at our school has evolved from a few issues to what many consider a rape culture. The current administration at Exeter has tried to propose solutions to this issue, but after trial and error, these solutions have failed. From covering up cases of sexual assault to forcing all students to attend the play SLUT, our community has not notably made a difference. And while change does not happen quickly, there are more productive and efficient ways to truly change the current climate at Exeter.
Teachers lack the ability to connect with students because they are not students themselves.
The administration has time and time again brushed the traumatic experiences our peers have had to endure under the rug. In the cases regarding Michaella and Mr. Schubart it seemed as if the greatest concern of the administration was not the well-being of the students, but the possibility that these incidents would be made public. Yet this past school year, three cases of sexual assault at Exeter have been made public. The cases involving Mr. Shubart, Mr. Lewis, and Michaella were reported by newspapers as large as the Boston Globe. The acknowledged mishandling of these issues has led to the administration making steps towards changing the climate at Exeter by hiring a Director of Student Safety and Well-being and hiring legal experts to review our policies. In an email sent to students in which all of this information was relayed, there was a section which claimed that there have been student generated and faculty driven initiatives to prevent sexual assault, although no actual program was listed. Even if there have been student generated, faculty driven programs on campus, that is not the best way to approach this issue.
It is true that teachers know the students at Exeter well. They understand what it’s like to be a teenager because they were one just like we are. They have the training to deal with students and the experience, as many of our teachers have been teaching for years. Yet there is one thing training and experience cannot provide: a genuine connection. Teachers lack the ability to connect with students because they are not students themselves. I know that even though I trust and listen to my teachers, if the conversation around sexual assault was being held with a friend of mine, I would share my opinions much more candidly and ask questions that might be embarrassing to ask a teacher. This is because fellow students can empathize about what it’s like to be me, living in 2016 at boarding school. This connection and understanding between students can be harnessed to create change. If we have student-generated and student-driven programs that do not have faculty intervening in the creative aspect of them, change will occur. A health teacher sitting in the classroom while there is an “open” discussion about consent will not do us good. It is when we are with the people like our friends when we feel comfortable asking any question; not with our teachers. If students of Exeter can start open forums led by friends or trusted peers who understand sexual frustrations, urges, and boundaries, change is bound to happen. Student-driven, student-generated programs are the answer.
MVMENT Mag is a new publication that was started over the summer by three students, two boys and one girl. This magazine is planned to come out online every term. The idea as stated on mvmentmag.com is, “MVMENT is an outlet through which survivors (of sexual harassment, sexual assault, rape, abuse and more) and their allies can describe their first-hand experiences and thoughts to the community.” This is the perfect example of an idea that has the ability to change the sexual climate at Exeter, to make it a better place. With all of the power the faculty have, they do not have the ability to transform our school into the place we want it to be. We, the students, are the problem, and we need to be the solution.