Two student groups have formed to examine how theCommittee on Standards handles sexual abuse cases, in particular the case ofEmily Stephens '97, who recently alleged the College mishandled her COS complaint of sexual abuse last year.
One of the student groups, led by Student Assembly President Rukmini Sichitiu '95 and several other students, formed Sunday what Yvonne Chiu '95 called a "coalition of concerned students." The coalition, which has noformal name, hasmet two other times, Chiu said.
In an interview yesterday with The Dartmouth, Sichitiu and Chiu '95, a coalition member, said the coalition would work to change the role the COS plays in cases of sexual abuse. Chiu said the coalition also supports Stephens' claim.
Former Assembly President Danielle Moore '95 said last night she and other women, some of whom were initially involved with the coalition, have formed a separate group to address the issue of sexual abuse.
Moore said her group, which held its first meeting last night, will gather information relating to Stephens' case and campus sexual abuse before proposing changes to the administration.
"I don't think [coalition members] are taking the time to inform themselves ... before taking the direction they are taking," Moore said.
Moore said after attending the initial meeting of the coalition, she chose to form her own group to address these issues.
The Coalition
According to Chiu, the main goal of the "coalition of concerned students" is COS reform.
"We're going to reform the COS," Chiu said. "We're just going to do it."
Sichitiu said the coalition has no formal leader and membership is restricted. But Chiu said the group encourages students to support the coalition by volunteering to aid in the pursuit of its goals.
Chiu and Sichitiu, both founding members of the group, said the members of the coalition are dissastified with the College's current procedures for handling sexual abuse and sexual assault cases.
"If individuals were more educated and informed on these issues, they may have been more able to address Emily's needs," Sichitiu said.
Sichitiu said the coalition wants to implement training programs for administrators similar to the programs taken by students to become Sexual Assault Peer Advisors.
The coalition is in the process of drafting a letter addressed to the entire campus that outlines its goals, Sichitiu said. She said the letters should appear in students' Hinman boxes by Friday or Saturday.
Chiu, who is the former editor in chief of The Dartmouth, said the coalition will draft several recommendations to change administrative policy.
Members of the coalition have already spoken with several administrators, Chiu said.
Dean of the College Lee Pelton "has expressed strong interest in what we have to say," Chiu said. She said the administration has already agreed that they want to hear the coalition's recommendations.
In an interview last night, Pelton said he has recently spoken with several students about the controversy surrounding Stephens' allegations, but he declined to mention specific names.
"I welcome input from all corners about how to improve what we're doing," Pelton said. "My sense is that the conversations I've had cleared up a number of misunderstandings and confusion about what actually occurred."
Pelton saidproposals to change the COS would be reviewed by either the Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment committee or an ad hoc committee. If the committee approved the resolutions, the COS would then vote on them, he said.
Chiu and Sichitiu said the coalition also supports Stephens' request that the College hold a COS hearing to address her complaints against another student whom she alleges sexually abused her.
Last week, Stephens alleged administrators misled her during the adjudication procedures last summer and pressured her to resolve her complaint through mediation rather than a COS hearing.
"We condemn the fact that some students use their money and social standing to intimidate students who are in a more vulnerable position," Chiu said.
In a column published in The Dartmouth last week, Stephens alleged that the other party threatened to file a lawsuit if she took the case to the COS. Stephens said she did not have the financial resources to fight a legal battle.
Chiu said the goal of the organization is not to threaten the administration. "We're not a lynching mob," she said.
Chiu said the coalition has already contacted several national media groups, including The New York Times. Sichitiu said the coalition may offer testimonies to newsorganizations if the administration is not cooperative and receptive.
Pelton said last night the threat of national media coverage does not concern him.
Yesterday afternoon, Chiu said Taikwan Chin '95, Kirsten Doolittle '96, Cassie Ehrenberg '96, David Gonzalez '95, Sichitiu, Rebecca Slisz '95, Stephens, John Strayer '96 and Claire Unis '95 are the other members of the coalition.
But last night Slisz, Strayer and Unis said they were no longer affiliated with the group. Chin, Doolittle, Ehrenberg and Gonzalez could not be reached for comment. Moore said Ehrenberg left the coalition to join her group.
Strayer said, "I've decided that I'm not going to be involved with the group in any official capacity."
He said he is in "support of the basic goals of the group" but "there are a lot of different ideas about what [the] ultimate goal should be among the group" and he disagrees with some of the specific plans of the coalition.
Unis declined to comment as to why she left the coalition.
Chiu said Oron Strauss '95, a senior editor of The Dartmouth Review, an off-campus conservative weekly, may or may not be part of the coalition. Strauss could not be reached for comment last night.
Moore's initiative
Moore, who attended two of the coalition's meetings and then quit, said yesterday she asked eight other women to meet with her last night to discuss the creation of another group also aimed at addressing the issue of sexual abuse on campus.
She said Grace Chionuma '96, Yun Chung '97, Ehrenberg , Zamira Ha '97, Unis and Shilyh Warren '96 met with her last night to discuss their goals. Unis and Warren both confirmed their membership in Moore's group. Chionuma, Chung and Ha could not be reached for comment.
Moore said her group's method is completely different from the coalition's method. She said she thought the coalition was not working properly to inform itself.
"We haven't determined what is wrong yet," Moore said. "We're approaching it as 'We don't know what is wrong.'"
She said members of her group plan to repeatedly meet with administrators and students over the next few weeks to compose a clear picture of the College's current policies for handling sexual abuse and the facts of Stephen's case.
Once they have compiled a lot ofinformation, the group will compose some proposals to take to the administration, Moore said.
She said writing letters or otherwise acting on this issue without thorough information is misguided.
The members of the other coalition are "trying to take this one issue and look at it in a vacuum," Moore said. "You can't look at things that simply or narrowly."
Moore said she thought certain members of the coalition were out for "justice."
Moore said her group will be closed to new members, except for the two women who were invited to last night's meeting but did not show. Moore did not release the names of those women.
