Assault Policy Forum Attracts Moderate Attendance

Author: Khairani Baroka

Strong opinions, pertinent questions and important issues arose at Monday's Community Forum on Middlebury College's current sexual assault policy. Twenty-three students and seven staff members gathered in the McCullough Social Space from 4:30 to 6 p.m. for the discussion led by the chair of the sexual assault policy working group, Associate Dean of Student Affairs Kathy Foley-Giorgio.

Those in attendance included the 10 members of the working group, who will use the suggestions from the forum to aid them in making a recommendation to the administration concerning potential changes to the policy, which has been generally perceived as inadequate

Students and staff members, each given a copy of the College's current sexual assault policy as well as a sheet detailing problem areas within the policy, brought up a broad range of interconnected issues that they felt needed addressing and/or clarification.

Such issues included confidentiality, particularly in relation to judicial hearings, and how to make the victim as comfortable as possible in the aftermath of the assault, considering friends and acquaintances may be involved in the incident.

The forum also focused on availability of help for victims and a need for increased safety. Students related incidents where they felt the College had responded inadequately or inappropriately, pointing to the difficulties in getting help in an emergency situation.

Kristen Gray '02 talked about someone who had brought forward a case of assault and was then cited for underage drinking. One student spoke about current conditions on campus, admitting that after the "lockdown" was implemented, she actually felt "a lot less safe, not being able to get into any building."

Suggestions for changes emphasized the need for more clarity, awareness of the issue and options for the victim that would make him or her more comfortable.

These included the creation of a concise online "cheat sheet" outlining resources for sexual assault victims. These would replace the posters currently hanging on residence hall bathroom walls. Many have said that these posters are "overwhelming."

"You're not going to remember all these phone numbers," said one student. Cooperation with WomenSafe in town and implementation of a program like Columbia University's SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners) were possibilities raised.

The suggestion of implementing a mandatory workshop on the prevention of and response to sexual assault during first-year orientation met some dissenting opinion, as did Senior Nahal Batmanghelidj's proposal for a 24-hour rape crisis center

Foley-Giorgio told those present that the immediate goal of the working group after the forum would be to summarize the main points raised during the gathering and to distribute this information to all those in attendance. The working group will then decide how to cooperate with other groups not represented at the forum. Overall, Foley-Giorgio said she was pleased with the forum's turnout.

Feminist Action at Middlebury (FAM) President Elizabeth Brookbank '04, also a member of the working group, said she had been looking forward to Monday's forum. She felt the working group was "obviously not completely representative of opinions [on campus]."

Brookbank said that the group's first meeting last Tuesday consisted of introductions of the members and a brief conversation about the committee's goals.

"I think that this committee isn't where it stops. There still needs to be pressure on the part of the student body on the administration to keep going past this committee, because all this committee is going to do is give a recommendation to the people who actually have the power to change things," she said.

She noted that two years ago, a similar committee on the sexual assault policy had been formed. The group made a recommendation to the College's lawyer and "just kind of disappeared."

Brookbank pointed out, however, "The difference this time is that there's been a lot more dialogue on campus in the student body about it."