The events in the last few weeks surrounding Emily Stephens '97 and her attempts to seek justice in a case of alleged sexual abuse have everybody talking and many students asking, "What the heck went wrong?"
This question is completely justified, but the most frustrating thing about this case is the fact that we will probably never know the answer. However, that does not mean the administration does not need to take a serious look at the way this and similar cases are handled.
To take either version of events -- Stephens's or the administration's -- at face value would be wrong. While Stephens's story raises some serious questions, some of her complaints have very legitimate explanations. To take one example, she complains about her "ruined" summer.
However, the administration has very defensible reasons for taking care of these matters as quickly as possible. It simply is not fair that the accused (accused, not necessarily guilty) party should have Committee on Standards charges hanging over his head for a more than a term. One would expect the woman involved to also want things out of the way as soon as possible. Even if she does not, the College has a responsibility to take care of these things quickly.
Yet there is at least equally good reason to question the administration's version of events. In the example just raised, we might question whether the reasoning behind speed was explained to Stephens before she decided to file her complaint in the spring rather than waiting until fall.
This, however, is a side debate. The crux of the issue lies in the events leading up to the decision to go to mediation. The debate around this question indicates that, at the very least, there was a misunderstanding between the College and Stephens as to the consequences of that decision. At the other extreme of the spectrum is the possibility that there were serious errors both in the structure of the system and the decisions of administrators.
We will probably never know what went on at that crucial juncture so we might instead look to the results of this debate and see what can be learned.
The undeniable result of this entire debacle is that women on this campus have even less reason now than ever before to come forward and report incidents of this nature.
The administration will never concede any guilt related to this specific incident, but it must be held accountable for this result. The rumor mill surrounding this situation has produced much speculation, but it has also revealed the fact that walking among us are a multitude of men who have never been held responsible for their sexual assaults.
Hopefully students currently working on this issue can help to support women as they come forward and succeed in an effort to reverse this trend.
But theirs cannot be the only effort. The administration, if it cannot admit that it did something wrong, must at the very least recognize that wherever the guilt is placed it is its own responsibility to deal with the fallout.
