Spurred by a suggestion in a November discussion about sexual assault at the College, two Grafton County attorneys have begun holding open office hours on a monthly basis at the College with the intent of answering legal questions students may have on a variety of topics. Organizers say that the program can be a good resource to students, but thus far there has been little student participation.
“We are certainly hoping that for some students, that gives them the opportunity to ask us questions that they may have,” Grafton County attorney Lara Saffo, one of the two Dartmouth liasons, said.
While Saffo stressed that the lawyers cannot give legal advice on a specific matter, she said they can talk about the legal process and show people pertinent laws, such as those about hazing, for example.
The goal of the program is to get a better pulse of what concerns students have and answer reasonable questions. In addition, the attorneys’ office is hoping to “take the mystery out of who we are” and “improve communication so we can increase public safety,” Saffo said.
On Nov. 23, 2014, the College hosted a panel discussion about sexual assault at Dartmouth attended by Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., College President Phil Hanlon, Hanover police Chief Charlie Dennis, Saffo, two students and numerous college officials.
The group talked about how different processes work for different sexual assault survivors, Saffo said.
Saffo said that one of the students present at this meeting said their peers did not know much about the office of the Grafton County attorneys. The group then spoke about ways to address this issue. The fact that the attorneys’ office is an hour away from Dartmouth’s campus separates students’ from their county attorneys as well, Saffo said.
One “piece of the puzzle” to solving this issue was for the attorneys to come to campus and be available to students.
Saffo and assistant county attorney Mariana Pastore have held office hours on mornings of the second Friday the month since February, although they could not come during May. But so far, no students have showed up to ask questions. Currently, the two hold these office hours in a conference room in Dick’s House that belongs to the judicial affairs office and Safety and Security. Saffo said they are happy to meet people in other places and come to student organizations.
Saffo says they have just now begun promoting this service, which is maybe why there have not been any students yet.
“We first wanted to work through the logistics of it, but now we’re ready” she said. “It certainly hasn’t been hidden, but now we are working on promotion.”
The day and time of the current office hours are a “stab in the dark,” Saffo said, that are potentially open to change.
“We want to see what the interest level is like and go from there,” she said.
Saffo also stressed that her advice was not just for sexual assault-related questions, although it would not surprise her if students bring procedural questions to her, she said.
The Grafton County attorneys are doing similar work at Plymouth State University, Saffo said, since they just opened a small office in Plymouth. She said, however, there has been a sexual assault resource team in Plymouth for a decade at this point with representation from the university. The office has worked more directly with students at Plymouth in the past through their criminal justice program and internships, making the relationship different from the nascent relationship with Dartmouth.
Dennis said the program is a great way to build relationships with the Dartmouth community and students. The Hanover Police Department has spoken with the College in the past about having a college liaison officer just assigned to Dartmouth who could provide a similar service. This is something, Dennis said, he would like to have a future dialogue about.
Former student and presidential committee on sexual assault chair Sophia Pedlow ’15, who was present at the November discussion, said that specifically for sexual assault cases, the attorneys will help to demystify the process and allow students to know their options for pursuing whatever course of action they want to.
A lack of information often inhibits students from pursuing their own type of justice, she said, whether that is going through the College process or understanding what the legal process in their state looks like.
“It can be hard to get the right information at the right time from the right person,” she said. “We are lucky enough to have an attorney who is very checked into the community, but also to sexual violence work so that students can understand better what the legal rules are.”
Of eight additional students interviewed for this story, three said that they would not use the resource themselves and two students said that they would.
“As someone who has thought about going to law school, yes, I’d find it useful,” Caitlin Flint ’16 said.
Other students, like Roshen John ’15, said that while they would not use the service personally, they still thought it was a good option for students to have.
“If I had a reason to use it, I definitely would,” Ziqin Yuan ’18 said. “A lot of students aren’t very informed about law in general. It sounds like a good resource to have.”
Yuan is a member of The Dartmouth opinion staff.
