Silence in the Face of Allegations
By: Ellie Ana Sperantsas
Over the course of five days, Principal Rawson has sent two emails regarding sexual assault at the Academy, one on visiting scholar and Princeton professor Joshua Katz and the second on the Academy’s own English Instructor David Weber.
As a new student, I was unfamiliar with the desensitization the Academy’s community has leaned into that I now realize is apparent. I am disgusted.
Since these two emails, I have heard little more than silence from the community. Two emails detailing such egregious behavior in the span of less than a week is not normal. This, however, was not enough to pull our community out of silence.
There is yet to be a discussion by both the Academy and students. Likewise, classes have not paused to discuss. Sadder still, informal social conversations, often the most transparent lens into student opinion, only mentioned it in passing.
Two instances of sexual assault should be enough to spark a close examination of our culture as a school. We cannot allow this to be just another “Letter to the Community.”
Principal Rawson acknowledged in his email on February 15 that he regrets “the secondary harm this may cause for some of our community members” and offered the services of multiple on-campus resources including Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). This response is unacceptable for multiple reasons.
It addresses the issue but provides no plan for meaningful change moving forward. As a community, we have been lacking in how we handle the aftermath of sexual assault. Our community culture—our silence—allows for it.
Yes, nobody seriously affected by discussion of sexual assault should be forced to confront something so traumatic for them, but the rest of the community has no excuses.
The frequency of these allegations should not foster a norm of silence around the issue; it should be an opportunity to sit down and seriously contemplate what leads to so many allegations.
These emails should be an opportunity for us to hold the groups of people who are most likely to commit sexual misconduct accountable. We need preventative training for students and faculty, and this training must be consistent. It is unacceptable to discuss sexual assault only once or twice a year after that email enters our inboxes.
The knowledge that sexual misconduct is prevalent on campus should serve as an opportunity for us to create stronger support systems for everyone affected. It should be an opportunity for discussion.
We need to understand that it is not the victim's fault for getting assaulted, nor should it be their responsibility to speak up. We must create a stronger structure for those who have fallen victim to the sexual predators in our community. CAPS is not enough.
We need stronger, swiftter responses in the face of accusations. The Academy’s desire to keep allegations under the rug is not reason enough to prevent them from informing the community about allegations so serious. These allegations should be the first thing that comes up when you search the names of these sexual predators and the last thing they hear before they are asked to step down from their position.
We need rapid change against our culture of sexual assault. Normalizing discussion around sexual assault, and the insitutional flaws that lead to it, needs to become a cultural change, starting at a macro level. This change needs to persist until children 20 years from now no longer receive Letters to Our Community on a bi-weekly basis.
