Op-Ed Concerns regarding an assualt

Author: Connor Williams

As both a student at Middlebury College and a representative of Omega Alpha, I wish to express the membership of Omega Alpha's deepest regret and concern that a sexual assault occurred at a party we hosted last weekend. While it seems that no Tavern members were involved, this incident has still been a major concern to us. It's spoken about at house meetings, in our common room and in passing. First and foremost, I want to pass the entire membership's concerns, thoughts and best wishes to the victim of this assault.

Omega Alpha strives to foster a safe, enjoyable and care-free environment where students can socialize and take a break from the rigorous workload that results from attending Middlebury. When we fail to meet these aims, we take it very seriously and work hard to fix whatever went wrong, so that events we host in the future will be more successful. Needless to say, we were shocked to learn of the incident that happened at our party. As Secretary of Alumni Affairs for our organization, I'm the first point of contact for Alumni and current students studying abroad. In the hours following the announcement by public safety, my inbox practically exploded with e-mails from members expressing surprise and outrage that such an incident occurred at one of our parties.

In hopes to rectify this situation as best as we can, we've been fully cooperating with public safety and contributing all the information we have about the night of the party to them in hopes of aiding their investigation. We urge all students reading this to do the same. If you know anything, please contact public safety. It's my understanding that witnesses may remain anonymous if they wish, so please don't let concerns about privacy hold you back. What happened last Friday night was not, as I've heard some students saying in dining hall lines, "a girl that overreacted." It is a serious crime, and it's extremely important to make it clear that as a college community, we don't tolerate incidents like these.

Lastly, I would like to issue an invitation for anyone with concerns that this incident might have raised about Omega Alpha or the broader social house system to come and talk with us. As the rush period begins for all the social houses, it's our hope that people will explore the opportunities for friendship and community service that social houses provide. We'd hate for people to harbor fears or misunderstandings about Omega Alpha and what we do. If you have a friend that's a member, ask them if they've got a few minutes. They'll be more than happy to talk to you. If not, feel free to e-mail me at chwillia@middlebury.edu and I'll do my best to answer any questions you might have.

Connor Williams is a Sophomore History Major and Omega Alpha member from Rexford, NY