In Friday's Verbum Ultimum ("To the Class of 2014," Oct. 1), The Dartmouth's Editorial Board stated that the Student and Presidential Committee on Sexual Assault (SPCSA) has done nothing to address the issue of sexual assault on campus. While there will always be more that our community can do to reduce the risk of sexual violence, I want to clarify that SPCSA has been working continuously with the administration on this issue since its inception last May.
This summer, the committee identified specific improvements to our response protocol and prevention measures. Revisions of the sexual assault website began in April, and a new site was launched in September to include information about consent, policy and resources. In addition, SPCSA contributed to the College's recommendation and implementation of "Sex Signals" orientation program to talk with first-years about issues of consent and sexual assault in the context of our campus. This year, SPCSA will assess peer institutions' prevention programs and emergency response protocol. We will also research the effectiveness of the programs we already have in place.
We hope that the writers of the anonymous email and anyone whom it affected know that there is a supportive group of administrators, advocates, and peers who are committed to seeing positive change at Dartmouth. As we continue our work, we look forward to engaging the entire community in our efforts.
