In light of the Department of Education's Title IX investigation, we urge all members of the Dartmouth community to take a closer look at the culture and policies surrounding sexual assault on campus. The July 15 recommendations released by the Student and Presidential Committee on Sexual Assault offer concrete suggestions, but require the entire community's engagement to succeed.
SPCSA cannot implement the policies they recommend alone, so we hope the administration is listening and prepared to take action. We need to bridge the gap between guidelines and tangible changes, and the administration could start by acknowledging the recommendations with an official response.
We are encouraged by the community's progress this year. Developing the Dartmouth Bystander Initiative was a collaborative effort that took into account input from students and Sexual Assault Awareness Program coordinators. The February Greek Leadership Council Sexual Misconduct Policy, which mandates that all members of Greek houses participate in two sexual assault education sessions while at the College, was another promising step. The College also moved SAAP's office to Robinson Hall, a more convenient location for students.
Given these initiatives, we are hopeful that SPCSA's recommendations will not fall on deaf ears. In particular, we applaud SPCSA's recommendation to educate faculty and leaders of off-campus programs on issues of sexual violence. The recommendation for faculty leading off-campus programs to participate in first responder training is an important step in increasing the safety of students studying abroad.
Training faculty members and first-year advisors is a promising start in creating a responsive culture and clarifying the sexual assault reporting guidelines for the institution.
We agree that the administration should support students who are trying to increase the number of female-dominated social spaces. However, the role that gender-segregated institutions play in sexual assault and rape culture should be evaluated by the entire campus community. In addition to treating the symptoms of sexual violence, we think it is important to look at the possible root causes and how they can be reduced.
Sadly, attendance at SPCSA's town hall meeting on Tuesday was extremely low. Faculty, staff and students from all parts of campus need to participate in order to enact change. And the College should reach out to alumni to solicit their help and input, whether it is through donations for sexual assault awareness programs or returning to share experiences. Sexual harassment at Dartmouth is not a problem that the Department of Education, the administration or SPCSA can solve on its own. Increased collaboration and coordination among these groups and the student body at large is necessary.
