Southwestern, It’s On Us: Petition for Change

To the campus community,

Many of you have questions pertaining to the student protests and the motivations behind those who organized it. There has been a general concern that the protesters are anti-fraternity. But – and I am speaking entirely for myself here – while I can’t fathom the relevance of one’s stance pertaining to fraternity houses when one is attempting to open dialogue about the essentially unchecked violence and misconduct that an unacceptable number of students on this campus have experienced, let me assure you: it is not the fraternities that we intend to destroy, but the rape culture that runs rampant through this campus. The following document outlines specific policies we would like to address and it can serve as a clarification of what we are truly fighting for here.

Southwestern University’s Sexual Misconduct Policy states the following:

“Southwestern University affirms the rights of its students to live, work, and learn in an atmosphere of mutual respect, free from the threat of sexual assault or any other form of sexual contact without mutual consent. Accordingly, any form of sexual misconduct will not be tolerated. The University is committed both to a campus-wide program of education and prevention, and to a timely and appropriate response to any reports of such activity.”

We are protesting the administration’s failure to abide by the rights guaranteed to us, the student body, causing a number of students to no longer feel like they have a safe place to live, work and learn. As the number of unnamed and unpunished perpetrators of sexual assault grows in quantity and confidence we are left with an unsafe environment for survivors in particular, as well as the campus community in general. Brief periods of suspension and bans from the fraternity houses and alcohol does next to nothing to actually protect students. The literature states that the University does not tolerate any form of sexual misconduct, yet the administration tolerates the rapists’ return.

We implore the administration to address the seriously falling standards that it’s continuing to test its weight on and to implement both current and supplemental policies that will address the maintenance of records, survivor resources, and sexual assault prevention. After a thorough reading of both Southwestern University’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report 2014 and Southwestern University’s Help for Sexual Assault/Sexual Misconduct booklet, it can be confidently said that the desires of the university and the desires of the students are the same; therefore, taking proactive and progressive steps to better implement the policies we already have in place will be central to moving forward. We have found immediate attention and action on behalf of the administration to be crucial for two essential reasons: first, to fulfill the requirements of Title IX and the Clergy Act and, second, to maintain the high standards expected of the students enrolled at this university, as stated in Southwestern University’s Student Code of Conduct:

“A student who enrolls at Southwestern University voluntarily becomes part of a community where respect for others is the norm. Rational, mature, honest behavior is expected. This voluntary entrance into the community implies acceptance by the student of University regulations.”

Southwestern’s integrity and dedication to its students are under active scrutiny by not only the current students on its campus but by those who have graduated as well. Collectively, we are disappointed. Student’s rights- as affirmed by the university- to live, work, and learn free from the threat of sexual assault are also guaranteed through another platform: Title IX. The 2011 Title IX Guidance “Dear Colleague Letter” (DCL) concentrates on the manner in which instances of sexual harassment and violence can create a hostile educational environment- severe enough to inhibit a student’s potential to succeed- for the entire campus as a whole. The potential environment discussed there thrives here. Too many students live here in fear; too many students live here in silence; too many students here live in solitude. That is not acceptable.

The first set of measures up for suggestion would help to directly alleviate those issues through means of prevention.

1. Southwestern University must adopt a more proactive approach to liberate the campus from sex discrimination. If you didn’t know before, let the past few days serve as your official notice: students on your campus are scared and they are angry. The elimination of any known discrimination, harassment or sexual violence should be among the top priorities of the administration.
2. Southwestern University, in conjunction with Student Congress, should create an office entirely dedicated to gender-based violence. Positions within the office should include a system’s advocate whose sole job is to walk students through the reporting process and assist them in obtaining any accommodations or measures for relief that they need, as well as a prevention specialist. Positions within the office should not include conflicts of interest.
3. To supplement the office for gender-based violence, Southwestern University should create a task group. At a minimum, the group should include high-level administrators, staff working on violence issues, health center professionals, campus security, local law enforcement, local rape crisis advocates, resident assistants (RAs), and survivors, with an emphasis on marginalized groups. The group should meet frequently to discuss current policies and procedures, their effectiveness, and any revisions that should be considered and implemented.

The students recognize that even with comprehensive and effective guidelines in place violations will still occur. Therefore, the bodies responsible for enforcing punishment must be held accountable for doing so. Confidentiality laws can increase the complexity in verifying that the punishments are proportional to the violations. To resolve this, and to offer students a higher degree of transparency, the University should publicly release aggregate statistics of the sanctions assigned to perpetrators. In addition to representing a shift toward better student-administration communication, it would help stifle the plight of serial rapists.

A few adjustments to Southwestern’s campus disciplinary process policies are also needed to address the disturbing statistics for repeat offenders.

1. Southwestern University must include in their policy that if a student accused of sexual misconduct voluntarily withdraws while a disciplinary complaint against them is pending, their transcript must be marked to indicate that.
2. Southwestern University must allow other victim(s) of the same perpetrator to testify at another survivor’s hearing. While speaking about sexual history is prohibited, a student’s history of sexual assault should be considered criminal history, not sexual history.
3. The accused must attend a mandated counseling assessment by a specific date and must follow all recommendation made, not excluding further treatment.

Lastly, Southwestern University must explicitly state in its policy that survivors are not limited in any way from discussing or publicizing the outcome of their complaint. Victims of sexual harassment and violence are silenced far too often; the University needs to take particular caution to refrain from making any further contributions to that. While survivors must adhere to FERPA requirements when discussing the happenings of their hearing, DCL states that they cannot be restricted from sharing the outcome. If the University feels the outcome of the case may garner unwanted public attention or warrant student outrage, perhaps the outcome should be reconsidered.

As stated in Southwestern University’s sexual misconduct booklet, reporting an attack can be an empowering and healing step to take, and can even protect others from falling victim to the same perpetrator. However, this can only remain true if the University is swift and fair in handling the report it has been given. It is our hope that dialogue with the goal of reaching an agreement as to which of these modifications and additions should be implemented and when can begin very soon so that our University can truly be a safe haven to those who so lovingly call it home.

Elise Gabriel (2)

Elise Gabriel, senior.

Should people be aware of the ways in which they are privileged?

“Most definitely. One of the most dangerous parts of privilege, white or otherwise, is the privilege of not knowing that you have it. To live without being aware of, or worse, denying one’s own privilege is to discount and discredit the experiences of those who don’t live with that same privilege. I’m aware that while I do my best to be sensitive to and respectful towards issues of race, as a white person, I still benefit from existing racism.

All too often I hear white people claim that race is an issue of the past. White privilege is the privilege of only having to see the progress that has been made, and not the work that still needs to be done. “Not being racist” doesn’t mean you don’t benefit from racism.

I often see privileged people become furious at the mere suggestion that they have privilege because they assume it means they don’t deserve the things they worked for. I’ve worked extremely hard for all of the things I’ve achieved- and I am proud of that- but I try to remain aware of the huge advantages that helped me along the way. There’s a fine line to walk between recognizing that while we all deserve to celebrate reaching the finish line, we didn’t all start the race in the same place.

Still, no matter how aware of my privilege I may be, there’s a limit to what I can do about it. I can’t change the socioeconomic gap correlated to race, I can’t make police officers stop giving differential treatment based upon race- no matter how much I wish that I could. What I can control are my attitudes and my actions. As a white person, other white people are far more likely to listen to me if I challenge their notions about race- despite the unfairness of my bias. I believe it’s wrong to speak about experiences that I haven’t had because my privilege protected me from them. But, by being aware of my privilege, I can contribute to a greater platform for those who are less privileged can be heard. Being aware of one’s own privilege is merely the first step.”

Who are we? The Stories of Southwestern

I remember walking across the train tracks. With every step I took my path became less clear and my comprehensive plan, set in stone in middle school, began to unravel. The seductive allure of rebellion infected, then dominated, my escalating panic. I simply couldn’t ignore the warm fluttering deep in my belly. Somehow – despite the heavy drag of my heart, which didn’t lift upon my decision – I let go of my pediatric dreams and opened myself instead to this bizarre crossbreed of social justice, journalism, political science, law, English, and Spanish that I’m in now.

Anyway, it took about 30 minutes of trying to explain anything about anything for rebellion’s allure to shrivel up and light itself on fire in a desperate attempt to free itself from misery. No matter how many times I rephrased; no matter how many different perspectives I tried to take on; no matter how many academic sources and studies I had to offer the conversation would end with me feeling as if I was speaking about one world, while they were hearing about another.

Then my trusty light bulb beamed with a beautifully simplistic thought: I was living in one world, while they were living in another. My socially constructed reality and their socially constructed reality were at odds, so for all intents and purposes I was speaking of an entirely different world.

I’ve shifted my approach. While facts can be disputed – not to say that they should be if they are indeed facts – experiences are unique to individuals: not one is like the other, not one can be explained nor understood by anyone who didn’t experience it.

Now I ask: what has been experienced here? What are our stories? What does it truly mean to Be Southwestern?