Two student groups that are trying to change how the College handles sexual assault cases have spent the past three weeks gathering information and speaking with administrators, and are both close to making recommendations.
Former Student Assembly President Danielle Moore '95, who is leading one of the groups, said her group is planning to release recommendations on how to improve the College's sexual assault policy by Monday.
A second group of students is still meeting with administrators and looking into the sexual assault policy, said Emily Stephens '97, who said she serves as the spokeswoman for the other group. Stephens said her group is "very, very close" to making recommendations to the administration.
The groups formed about three weeks ago in response to allegations made by Stephens that the College mishandled a sexual assault compliant she filed freshman year. She claimed administrators misled her during the adjudication procedures last summer and pressured her to resolve her complaint through mediation, rather than a COS hearing.
Moore said she dissolved her group a few days after it was formed and began working exclusively with Zamira Ha '97 and Claire Unis '95.
Some students have expressed dissatisfaction with politicking and infighting within the groups. Calling the groups "sketchy," Shilyh Warren '96, a former member of Moore's group, said she did not want to be involved in either of them.
"It just seemed to me it would be a last-minute effort," she said. "It seemed dangerous." Warren said people were fighting behind the scenes.
But Stephens said there is no conflict between the two groups. She said while her group and Moore's small group work separately, they are not rivals.
Time constraints, not interpersonal conflicts, contributed to people leaving, Unis said.
Moore's Group
Moore said her group will present recommendations on how to improve sexual assault policies to the administration by Monday.
Moore said she knows real change will take longer to implement than the two weeks she will remain on campus and she hopes others will follow up on the group's goals.
"We've tried to inform ourselves about the COS's process and mediation," Moore said. "We get into technical issues of how you treat sexual abuse cases."
Moore said they have met with several administrators already about their hopes to change College policy for the better. "I think they're very open," Moore said. "I think there's a desire to improve this process."
Unis said the three women have researched several areas of concern, such as the relationship between the COS process and mediation, the advising system and fairness for both plaintiffs and defendants. Moore said their work is an equal effort by three people and she does not see herself as the team's leader.
Stephens' group
"Right now, we're very much in the investigative stages," said Assembly President Rukmini Sichitiu '95, a member of the group.
Some of the group's proposals may include an examination of the mediation process and an analysis of the role legal prosecution plays in the College's policies, Stephens said.
Stephens said the COS should clarify mediation procedures by having clearer guidelines, or eliminating the option altogether.
She said the group may recommend that the College provide legal counsel for students who file COS complaints and thereafter face threats of litigation from the accused.
Stephens said the group may also call for an oversight committee to enforce COS decisions and mediation results, more complete training of administrators in matters of sexual assault and having all parties present on campus when COS hearings occur.
A long-term goal of the group is possibly divorcing the College from sexual assault investigations, Stephens said.
Stephens said the group would have a set of proposals by the end of the year. Sichitiu said they plan to present them to the Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Committee and Dean of the College Lee Pelton.
Three weeks ago, Stephens' group said it would distribute a letter to students, asking them to support Stephens and change COS procedure.
But the group never sent out any letter because its members felt the end of the year was too close and it would be better to recruit supportive students through their own personal contacts, Stephens said.
