raLL 1

Sllenclng and Sexual AssaulL aL Colby College

An Ponors 1hesls SubmlLLed Lo Lhe Colby College ueparLmenL of Women's
Cender, and SexuallLy SLudles





8y: PeaLher raLL



WaLervllle, Malne
Aprll 2011









raLL 2










lt ls oot folt tbot l soffeteJ so loteosely fot so looq. -colby 5exool Assoolt
5otvlvot


l beqoo to teollze tbot l owe lt to myself.to posb beyooJ tbe toqe ooJ ottlcolote
oo oqeoJo.my ooqet ooJ owoteoess most ttooslote loto tooqlble octloo.to be o
femlolst ls to jolo lo my slstetbooJ wltb womeo -kebecco wolket


ls lt best fot os to be slleot? wbot sboll we qolo by slleoce? wlll oot lofloeoce bove
ooy effect by ooJ by lf we Joot tty to ose lt oow? woot tbese cootemploteJ
cbooqes be sptooq oo os oqolo jost os tbls bos beeo? AoJ lf we seem oot to cote
oow wlll lt be expecteJ tbot we cote by ooJ by? 5boll we be qlveo ooy cbooce to
ose oot lofloeoce lf we Joot ottempt to Jo lt oow? ls lt tlqbt fot os to temolo slleot
ooJ tbos teolly osseot to tbe cbooqes? l ooJetstooJ lteslJeot 5moll lovltes
ctltlclsm ooJ osks tbe qltls to exptess tbelt oploloo oboot lt. nls tefeteoces to oot
moJesty ot woot of lt ote of tbe ootote of oo losolt . . . ooJ tbeo ote lt tlqbt fot os
to temolo slleot ooJ let tbe lmptessloo qo obtooJ tbot evetyboJy fovots tbls oew
ploo? -Moty low, colbys lltst lemole 5toJeot (1875)














raLL 3


AcknowledgmenLs:

l would have never been able Lo compleLe Lhls pro[ecL wlLhouL Lhe
help and supporL of my frlends, famlly and professors.
l wanL Lo Lhank Llsa Arellano, Pollls Crlffln, and LllzabeLh Leonard
for guldlng me Lhrough Lhls process and edlLlng counLless pages of
maLerlal. 1hey pushed me ln ways LhaL have noL only made me a beLLer
Lhlnker and wrlLer, buL also a beLLer person. l am very graLeful for Lhelr
hard work and encouragemenL LhroughouL Lhls pasL year. l also wanL
Lo Lhank Lhe Colby Women's, Cender, and SexuallLy SLudles
ueparLmenL and Lhe Colby Lngllsh ueparLmenL for glvlng me Lhe Lools
Lo Lake on a pro[ecL of Lhls scope.
lurLhermore, l wanL Lo Lhank my mom for encouraglng me Lo be a
femlnlsL slnce day one, my dad for Leachlng me Lhe lmporLance of
helplng oLhers, and my LrlpleL broLher and slsLer for belng my blggesL
cheerleaders Lhese pasL 23 years. WheLher my mom was llsLenlng Lo
me cry on Lhe phone afLer a Lough lnLervlew wlLh a sexual assaulL
survlvor, or my uad was maklng me Lea so l could sLay up laLe Lo meeL a
deadllne, my famlly was as much a parL of Lhls pro[ecL as l was and l am
eLernally graLeful for Lhelr love and supporL. As for my frlends, l musL
Lhank all of my glrlfrlends for glvlng me much needed wrlLlng breaks,
llsLenlng Lo my ranLs abouL sLrucLural sexlsm, and keeplng me sane.
1onl Morrlson sald LhaL lL ls sheer good forLune Lo mlss somebody long
before Lhey leave you." lf whaL she says ls Lrue, l am very forLunaLe
because l mlss all of you already.
llnally, l wanL Lo Lhank all of Lhe sexual assaulL survlvors l
lnLervlewed for Lhls pro[ecL. ?our bravery and reslllency lnsplres me.





raLL 4

MeLhods: Pow uld l CompleLe 1hls ro[ecL?

lo Jeolloq wltb opeo-sectet sttoctotes, lt ls ooly by beloq sbomeless oboot tlskloq tbe obvloos
tbot we boppeo loto tbe vlclolty of tbe ttoosfotmotlve -ve kosofsky 5eJqwlck

Introduct|on: Why I Undertook 1h|s ro[ect
l chose Lo Lake on Lhls pro[ecL for a number of reasons. As a senlor Women's, Cender,
and SexuallLy SLudles ma[or aL Colby l have spenL Lhe pasL four years analyzlng lssues of gender
oppresslon boLh lnslde and ouLslde of Lhe classroom. WheLher l was readlng bell hooks for lnLro
Lo Women's SLudles or deconsLrucLlng sexual double sLandards wlLh frlends on a Sunday
mornlng ln uana, my academlc llfe and my personal llfe have been greaLly lnLerLwlned.
ConsequenLly, my personal prlnclples have been largely shaped by femlnlsL academla and
reclprocally, my work as women's sLudles ma[or has been, ln parL, lnformed by my personal llfe.
Clven LhaL l have been evaluaLlng Colby and my relaLlonshlp Lo Lhe communlLy Lhrough a
femlnlsL lens for nearly as long as l have been here, lL only makes sense LhaL l would formally do
Lhe same for my senlor Lhesls.
l speclflcally chose Lo focus on lssues of sexual assaulL, whlch l deflne as sexual acLlvlLy
of any klnd LhaL does noL lnvolve Lhe oLher person's consenL, because l Lhlnk lL ls a huge
problem LhaL needs lmmedlaLe aLLenLlon. rofessor of crlmlnal [usLlce, 8oberL Panser deflnes
sexual assaulL as a blankeL Lerm LhaL refers Lo a number of sexually relaLed forms of
vlcLlmlzaLlon" and asserLs LhaL Lhe word covers sexual offenses LhaL lnvolve Louchlng or
peneLraLlon of a person's body wlLhouL consenL" (Panser 29). 1hroughouL hlsLory, many
culLures and legal sysLems have referred Lo all forms of sexual acLlvlLy wlLhouL consenL as rape,
whereas oLhers have dlfferenLlaLed beLween sexual assaulLs lnvolvlng peneLraLlon and Lhose
LhaL do noL by uslng rape" Lo refer Lo Lhose lnvolvlng peneLraLlon and sexual assaulL" Lo
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descrlbe lnsLances LhaL do noL lnvolve peneLraLlon. CurrenLly, boLh Malne SLaLe Law and Colby
College ollcy deflne use Lhe Lerm sexual assaulL" Lo deflne sexual conducL commonly known
as rape and any oLher sexual mlsconducL (lmporLanL lnformaLlon for Lhe Colby College
CommunlLy abouL Sexual AssaulL 8rochure, Malne SLaLuLes on Sexual AssaulL). 1aklng Lhese
deflnlLlons lnLo conslderaLlon, l argue LhaL sexual assaulL lncludes rape, forced sodomy, forced
oral sex, and any form of unwanLed sexual Louchlng.
AddlLlonally, l use Lhe Lerm sllenclng" Lo mean Lhe varlous serles of lnsLlLuLlonal
acLlons, pracLlces, and pollcles LhaL dlsmlss vlcLlms of sexual vlolence and cover up Lhe
prevalence of sexual vlolence aL Colby. Lxamples of sllenclng aL Colby lnclude Lhe
admlnlsLraLlon's pracLlce of noL lmmedlaLely noLlfylng Lhe sLudenL body when a sexual assaulL
has been reporLed Lo campus auLhorlLles, noL punlshlng perpeLraLors desplLe clear and
convlnclng evldence LhaL Lhey have commlLLed gender vlolence, and quesLlonlng Lhe LesLlmony
of women who brlng Lhelr cases forward. WlLhln Lhe Colby communlLy Lhe Lerm
admlnlsLraLlon" ls used raLher loosely. l deflne Lhe Lerm Lo mean Lhe resldenL and vlce
resldenL of Lhe college, Lhe mosL powerful ueans, and Lhe members of Lhe 8oard of 1rusLees.
l chose Lo wrlLe abouL sexual assaulL because lL relaLes Lo a pleLhora of oLher relaLed
lssues ln Lhe fleld of Women's, Cender, and SexuallLy SLudles. As a resulL, l am able Lo commenL
on a wlde range of femlnlsL Loplcs LhaL are lnLerLwlned wlLh sexual assaulL, lncludlng male
enLlLlemenL, homophobla, and lnsLlLuLlonal sexlsm. ConsequenLly, my Lhesls ls more of a
comptebeoslve evaluaLlon of sexual assaulL ooJ otbet foctots tbot coottlbote to tbe lssoe, whlch
ls Lhe Lype of dlscurslve pro[ecL l wanLed Lo do. llnally, l was moLlvaLed Lo focus on sexual
assaulL by my own experlences and Lhe experlences of my frlends. l Lhlnk LhaL we, as well as
raLL 6

many oLher members of Lhe college communlLy, have lnsLlncLually felL unseLLled abouL many
aspecLs of Lhe soclal culLure, parLlcularly as lL perLalns Lo gender and sexuallLy, buL had dlfflculLy
asserLlng why. l chose Lo do Lhls plece Lo explore and glve volce Lo Lhe reasons for Lhese
feellngs. Whlle l myself am noL a survlvor of sexual assaulL l do know many survlvors, and Lhe
anger l have felL whlle waLchlng Lhem grapple wlLh such vlolence and Lhe anger l conLlnue Lo
feel as a resulL of seelng conLlnuous gender vlolence boLh lnslde and ouLslde of Colby has
moLlvaLed me Lo do Lhls work. Above anyLhlng else, l chose Lo wrlLe Lhls Lhesls for Lhe survlvors
ln Lhe hopes LhaL by researchlng Lhe lssues and proposlng soluLlons l could prevenL fuLure Colby
sLudenLs from endurlng slmllar vlolaLlons.

Methodo|ogy: Co||ege Students as a Soc|a| Category
College, llke hlgh school, ls a Llme of exLreme ldenLlLy work for mosL lndlvlduals.
PlsLorlcally, college ls seen as a Llme of personal growLh, as many young adulLs begln Lo flgure
ouL Lhelr ldenLlLles, morals, values, and goals durlng Lhese years. opular culLure ofLen deplcLs
college as a reckless four years full of sex, alcohol, and llLLle personal responslblllLy. 1hls sorL of
free-for-all menLallLy Lowards college ls speclflcally seen ln popular movles such as Anlmal
Pouse" and songs llke l Love College," whlch boLh lllusLraLe college as a fuzzy perlod of beer
and sexual conquesLs. CfLenLlmes, college ls Lhe flrsL Llme LhaL many lndlvlduals have llved
away from Lhelr parenLs wlLh a group of peers. lor many, college ls a Llme of sexual freedom,
exploraLlon, and experlmenLaLlon. College, speclflcally Lhe flrsL year, ls also a Llme when
females are aL Lhe greaLesL rlsk for sexual assaulL. Accordlng Lo !ulle L. Samuels from Lhe
naLlonal lnsLlLuLe of !usLlce and !an M. Chalken from Lhe ulrecLor 8ureau of !usLlce SLaLlsLlcs,
women on college campuses are aL a greaLer rlsk for rape and oLher forms of sexual assaulL
raLL 7

Lhan women ln Lhe general populaLlons or ln a comparable age group" (8eeves Sanday 198).
Cne ln four college-aged women reporL experlences LhaL meeL Lhe legal deflnlLlons of rape or
aLLempLed rape and one ln flve women are raped durlng Lhelr college years (?oung). Accordlng
Lo research, Lhe Lyplcal scenarlo of sexual assaulL on college campus lncludes Lhe woman's
drlnklng aL a parLy (especlally a fraLernlLy parLy) and playlng drlnklng games, a slLuaLlon where
she has been glven a drlnk ln whlch Lhe alcohol has been dlsgulsed as punch" (8ohmer, arroL
20). ln my experlence, Lhls scene ls Lyplcal for a SaLurday nlghL aL Colby. Lven more Lroubllng ls
Lhe facL LhaL one ln Lwelve college men admlLLed Lo commlLLlng acLs LhaL meeL Lhe legal
deflnlLlons of rape and LhlrLy-flve percenL of men reporL some llkellhood LhaL Lhey would rape lf
Lhey could be assured LhaL Lhey would noL be caughL or punlshed (?oung). Clven Lhe ldenLlLy
work LhaL occurs durlng Lhe college years, speclflcally ln regards Lo gender and sexuallLy, and
Lhe greaLer rlsk LhaL many women face for sexual assaulL durlng Lhls Llme, l chose Lo focus on
college age sub[ecLs.
More speclflcally, l chose Lo sLudy my own college communlLy because as a senlor
female sLudenL of Lhe college, l have greaLer access Lo Lhe communlLy and more knowledge of
whaL queer LheorlsLs Lve Sedgwlck calls, lLs open secreL sLrucLures" (22). Sedgewlck's Lheory
abouL Lhe reglme of Lhe open secreL" polnLs Lo Lhe ways ln whlch conLradlcLory rules abouL
prlvacy and dlsclosure, publlc and prlvaLe, and awareness and lgnorance have molded Lhe way
we see and value knowledge (22). Whlle Sedgwlck prlmarlly uses Lhe meLaphor of Lhe open
secreL" Lo deplcL Lhe socleLal sLrucLures LhaL conLrlbuLe Lo Lhe closeLlng" and sllenclng of gay
and lesblan people LhroughouL hlsLory, l use her meLaphor of Lhe open secreL sLrucLure Lo
descrlbe Lhe ways ln whlch sllenclng and sexual assaulL aL Colby College ls also a reglme of
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open secreL sLrucLures" LhaL boLh sllences survlvors and keeps oLhers from becomlng educaLed
abouL Lhe lssue (22). Women's SLudles rofessor aL unlverslLy of llllnols urbana-Champalgn Crls
May deflnes Sedgewlck's open secreL as knowledge ln some sense known buL noL clrculaLed"
(Mayo). Applylng Lhls deflnlLlon Lo Colby, l conLend LhaL sexual assaulL aL Colby ls an open
secreL because alLhough sLudenLs ln some sense know LhaL lL occurs, speclflc knowledge
concernlng Lhe raLe, frequency, and Lypes of gender vlolence (Lypes meanlng Lhe varlous acLs
LhaL exlsL on Lhe specLrum of gender vlolence, lncludlng acqualnLance rape, sLranger rape,
sexual assaulL, sexual harassmenL, eLc.) LhaL occur ls noL wldely clrculaLed amongsL Lhe Colby
CommunlLy.
1he sLrucLures LhaL keep sexual assaulL an open secreL aL Colby are reflecLed ln Lhe
school's sllenclng of sexual assaulL vlcLlms and Lhe sllenclng of gender vlolence lLself, whlch, as l
sald before, ls seen ln Lhe school's pracLlce of noL lmmedlaLely noLlfylng Lhe sLudenL body
when a sexual assaulL has been reporLed Lo campus auLhorlLles, noL punlshlng perpeLraLors ln
cases where clear and convlnclng evldence suggesLs LhaL Lhey have commlLLed gender vlolence,
and quesLlonlng Lhe LesLlmony of women who brlng Lhelr cases forward. Sllenclng of gender
vlolence ls also seen ln Lhe school's pracLlce of noL punlshlng Lhose who commlL mlcro
aggresslons LhaL perpeLuaLe a sexlsL and mlsogynlsL envlronmenL where sexual assaulL ls more
llkely Lo occur. Some examples of Lhese mlcro aggresslons LhaL have occurred aL Colby ln [usL
Lhls pasL year lnclude Lhe verbal harassmenL of women aL parLles, Lhe use of mlsogynlsL and
sexlsL dlscourse on Lhe sporLs fleld, and Lhe raLlng of women on Lhe academlc quad.

Leve|s of Ana|ys|s
raLL 9

1o explore sexual assaulL, l looked aL my sub[ecLs' lndlvldual experlences, gendered and
sexual ldenLlLles aL Colby and Lhe lnvesLmenLs LhaL varlous Colby sLudenLs have ln such
ldenLlLles, and how boLh relaLe Lo lssues llke sexlsm and sexual assaulL. l also looked aL
lnsLlLuLlonal dlscourse whlch covers boLh Lhe Lype of language used as well ls whaL ls sald and
noL sald (WhaL can be Lalked abouL aL Colby and whaL ls sllenced?). l researched lnsLlLuLlonal
dlscourse by looklng aL old cbo arLlcles, readlng Lhrough Colby's webslLe, and Lalklng Lo Colby
communlLy members. Much of my analysls on lnsLlLuLlonal dlscourse comes from my own
experlence as a Colby sLudenL and Lhe dlscourse l have heard amongsL members of my
communlLy ln my four years here.
1he basls of my analysls mosLly comes from one-on-one lnLervlews wlLh sexual assaulL
survlvors aL Colby and concerned members of Lhe Colby communlLy, lncludlng my peers,
faculLy, and sLaff. l was also able Lo Lalk Lo a former Colby sLudenL who upon hearlng abouL my
Lhesls asked lf she could Lalk Lo me abouL her experlences, saylng LhaL she was boLhered by Lhe
sexlsL soclal scene" when she aLLended. aylng aLLenLlon Lo my peers' volces ln Lhese
lnLervlews enabled me Lo become more lnformed of Lhe lssue and analyze Lhe sLrucLures aL
work LhaL perpeLuaLe an envlronmenL LhaL dlsmlsses and sllences survlvors of sexual assaulL.
Whlle my lnLervlews cerLalnly conLrlbuLe Lo a large parL of my Lhesls, looklng aL sexual
assaulL wlLhouL seelng lL Lhrough Lhe lens of Lheory and scholarly work would lead Lo a much
Loo lndlvlduallzed analysls. uolng so would lgnore Lhe larger sLrucLures aL work LhaL perpeLuaLe
sexual vlolence aL Colby and on college campuses ln general. 1herefore, l lncorporaLe gender
Lheory and femlnlsL scholarshlp Lo look aL sexual assaulL aL Colby as lL relaLes Lo oLher lssues of
unlversal lnequallLy such as sexlsm, classlsm, paLrlarchy, eLc. Whlle my goal ls Lo promoLe pollcy
raLL 10

and culLural changes speclflcally aL Colby, l also wanL my plece Lo Lend Lo Lhe overarchlng lssues
LhaL conLrlbuLe Lo sexual assaulL ln all communlLles ouLslde of Colby by provldlng a model for
change LhaL can be applled Lo places oLher Lhan Lhe college lLself. 1herefore, l Lry Lo sLrlke a
balance ln my research beLween lndlvlduallsm and unlversallLy by applylng comprehenslve
Lheorles Lo speclflc Colby problems.
C.!. ascoe asserLs ln her eLhnography on hlgh school mascullnlLy LhaL aL Lhe level of
Lhe lnsLlLuLlon, schools are a prlmary lnsLlLuLlon for ldenLlLy formaLlon.Lhey play a parL ln
sLrucLurlng adolescenL selves Lhrough Lhe seLLlng up of lnsLlLuLlonal gender orders, or Lhe
LoLallLy of gender arrangemenLs ln a glven school-lncludlng relaLlon of power, labor, emoLlon,
and symbollsm" (ascoe 18). Slmllarly, l Lhlnk Lhe same Lheorles can be applled Lo college
lnsLlLuLlons llke Colby. !usL as lnsLlLuLlonal sLrucLures ln hlgh school, such as Lhe valorlzaLlon of
male-coded sporLs such as fooLball and Lhe relnforcemenL of heLeronormaLlvlLy aL school
evenLs llke prom, conLrlbuLe Lo Lhe formaLlon of ldenLlLy and gender orders ln hlgh school, l
Lhlnk LhaL Lhe same sorLs of lnsLlLuLlonal sLrucLures occur ln college and conLrlbuLe Lo gender
vlolence. lor example, lnsLlLuLlonal orderlng ls seen ln Lhe way Lhe college dealL wlLh a slLuaLlon
lnvolvlng homophoblc speech lasL semesLer. Cne SaLurday nlghL, a young man called anoLher
sLudenL a fag" ln Lhe sLudenL unlon, whlch under Lhe Malne Clvll 8lghLs AcL, ls agalnsL Lhe law
and ls consldered a haLe crlme (Malne Puman 8lghLs AcL).
Whlle l know abouL Lhe evenL because of my sLaLus as a women's sLudles ma[or and ally
Lo Lhe gay communlLy, very few oLhers know abouL lL. 1he facL LhaL Lhe lnsLlLuLlon dld noL
express publlc condemnaLlon of whaL happened, or even lnform Lhe sLudenLs of Lhe evenL,
exposes lnsLlLuLlonal sllenclng around lssues perLalnlng Lo Lhe gay communlLy, slnce Lhe
raLL 11

declslon Lo keep Lhe haLe crlme a secreL was a declslon made by Lhe lnsLlLuLlon. Such sllenclng
also suggesLs lnsLlLuLlonal dlsregard for Lhe gay communlLy, as well as oLher vlcLlms of haLe
crlmes. 1hls sorL of dlsregard conLrlbuLes Lo Lhe lnvlslblllLy of gay people and oLher survlvors of
haLe crlmes, and also conLrlbuLes Lo Lhe formaLlon of sLudenLs' ldenLlLles and Lhe orderlng of
gender aL Lhe college by creaLlng a hlerarchy beLween Lhose whose ldenLlLles are proLecLed and
Lhose who are noL. ln Lhe same veln, my Lhesls examlnes Lhe way Colby's lnsLlLuLlonal orderlng,
whlch lnvolves boLh Lhe formal (pollcles, offlclal announcemenLs, cbo arLlcles, dlsclpllnary
procedures) and lnformal (communlLy dlscourse, Lhe sLudenL soclal scene) ways Colby's
sLrucLurlng of gender, sexuallLles, and ldenLlLles relnforce an envlronmenL where sexual assaulL
noL only occurs, buL ls also sllenced.

kesearch S|te: My Co||ege
l conducLed fleldwork aL my own college, Colby College. Colby ls a prlvaLe llberal arLs
school LhaL was founded ln 1813 (A 8rlef PlsLory of Colby College). lL ls locaLed on Lop of a hlll ln
WaLervllle, Malne and ls preLLy lsolaLed from Lhe clLy of WaLervllle and 1 hour drlve from
orLland. 1hls palred wlLh Lhe facL LhaL 93 of Colby sLudenLs llve on campus, make Lhe school
Lhe slLe of boLh academlc and soclal llfe. Whlle Colby lLself ls locaLed ln a falrly poor area, Colby
sLudenLs Lhemselves are for Lhe mosL parL affluenL and prlvlleged, lllusLraLed by Lhe facL LhaL
Lhe school lLself cosLs $31, 990 buL only 60 of sLudenLs quallfy for flnanclal ald. CuL of 1, 823
sLudenLs, 46 are male and 34 are female, whlle 17 are mlnorlLy sLudenLs. 33 of sLudenLs
aLLended publlc school, 43 graduaLed from prlvaLe schools. 62 counLrles are represenLed ln
Lhe sLudenL body, as well as 43 u.S. sLaLes (Culck lacLs: Colby College roflle).
raLL 12

neverLheless, Colby has a preLLy homogeneous sLudenL body. Colby undersLands lLself
as conslsLlng of a whlLe, prlvlleged, heLerosexual, new Lnglander (Lhe runnlng [oke ls LhaL
everyone ls 20 mlnuLes ouLslde of 8osLon") populaLlon. Colby has a very physlcally flL sLudenL
body and mosL people wear brand name cloLhes llke !. Crew, 8alph Lauren, and Cap (accordlng
Lo urban ulcLlonary.com and College rowler.com). Whlle Lhere ls deflnlLely some varlance, Lhe
sLereoLyplcal Colby code of dress ls ouLdoorsy prep," wlLh LL 8ean booLs, buLLon downs, and
norLh face fleeces. Cn average, glrls are heLerosexual, very Lhln, have long halr, and dress falrly
conservaLlvely. MosL men elLher flL Lhe bro" or Lhe preppy" sLereoLype and homosexuallLy
amongsL men ls more closeLed Lhan lL ls amongsL women. Lven so, Lhe college populaLlon ls
exLremely heLeronormlLlve. Llke many colleges, Colby has a preLLy acLlve drlnklng and parLy
scene and soclal llfe malnly revolves around Lhe consumpLlon of alcohol, buL Lhere are many
sLudenLs who do noL parLlclpaLe ln lL Loo. 1he mosL popular ma[ors are economlcs, blology, and
governmenL and Colby ls known Lo produce fuLure Wall SLreeL workers (accordlng Lo urban
ulcLlonary.com).
l make noLe of Lhe fashlon, popular ma[ors, and fuLure career paLhs of Colby klds Lo
lllusLraLe Lhe affluence and prlvllege of Colby sLudenLs and deplcL Lhe Lype of educaLlon many
choose Lo pursue durlng Lhelr Llme here. 1he naLure of Lhe ma[orlLy of Colby sLudenLs'
educaLlon ls lmporLanL Lo conslder when looklng aL lssues of sexual assaulL and rape because lL
somewhaL reveals peoples' undersLandlng of lssues concernlng sexual assaulL and rape. lf Lhe
ma[orlLy of sLudenLs are economlcs, blology, and governmenL ma[ors--all ma[ors whlch arguably
rarely deconsLrucL lssues of gender, sexuallLy, and soclal lnequallLy perLalnlng Lo race, class,
eLc.-Lhen Lhere are fewer people on campus who are able Lo undersLand sLrucLural
raLL 13

oppresslon. Such an undersLandlng ls cruclal Lo deconsLrucLlng lssues llke rape and sexual
assaulL because lf one cannoL deconsLrucL Lhe lssues, one cannoL undersLand Lhelr rooL causes,
and consequenLly, one cannoL adequaLely address problems relaLed Lo sexual assaulL. 1hls ls
noL Lo say LhaL economlcs, blology, and governmenL ma[ors do noL undersLand oppresslon and
lssues of soclal [usLlce because Lo do so would lgnore Lhe nuances of Lhe sLudenLs' educaLlons
and erroneously reduce Lhem Lo mere ma[ors. Powever, l Lhlnk LhaL lL falr Lo say LhaL Lhls
sLaLlsLlc, [uxLaposed wlLh Lhe facL LhaL Lhere are currenLly only flfLeen sLudenLs ln my women's
sLudles senlor cohorL exposes Lhe Lype of sLudenL body l am observlng. 1hls ls Lo say LhaL Lhe
ma[orlLy of Lhe sLudenL body has very llLLle Lralnlng when lL comes Lo evaluaLlng Lhe nuances of
gender, sexuallLy, and oppresslon.
1haL belng sald, Lo place blame on Colby for Lhls problem would noL be falr due Lo Lhe
facL LhaL Colby cannoL predlcL whaL ma[ors lLs sLudenL wlll choose. 8aLher Lhan blame Colby for
lLs lack of women's sLudles ma[ors, we musL look aL Lhe varlous ways ln whlch Lhe sexlsm and
mlsogyny LhaL exlsLs ln our culLure ofLen deLers people from pursulng women's sLudles degrees.
Such sexlsm ls seen ln Lhe varlous sLereoLypes applled Lo sLudenLs ln Lhe women's sLudles fleld,
lncludlng, ball-basher," man haLer," and femlnazl." 1hese sLereoLypes noL only serve Lo
relnforce Lhe sexlsL and mlsogynlsL bellefs LhaL deLer sLudenLs from becomlng women's sLudles
ma[ors, buL also relnforce rape culLure by perpeLuaLlng an envlronmenL LhaL ls hosLlle Lo
women and Lhe sLudy of women's experlences. Whlle Colby cerLalnly cannoL conLrol Lhe affecLs
Lhe greaLer culLure has on lLs sLudenLs, lL can work Lo counLeracL Lhese affecLs by creaLlng an
envlronmenL where mlsogyny ls noL LoleraLed and where acLs of sexlsm are punlshed. 1he
college could furLher counLeracL Lhe effecLs of Lhe greaLer culLure and aLLracL more women's
raLL 14

sLudles sLudenLs by celebraLlng and promoLlng Lhe women's sLudles deparLmenL, glvlng lL
adequaLe fundlng, and keeplng Lhe deparLmenL sufflclenLly sLaffed.

kesearch: now I Conducted My Study
l gaLhered daLa uslng Lhe quallLaLlve meLhod of eLhnographlc research, whlch lnvolves
Lhe researcher comlng lnLo conLacL wlLh Lhe research sub[ecLs ln Lhelr naLural seLLlng Lo answer
quesLlons lnvolvlng how Lhe sub[ecLs make sense of Lhelr llves. l spenL flve monLhs lnLervlewlng
sLudenLs, frlends, faculLy, and communlLy members on Lhelr LhoughLs on sexual assaulL Lhe
Colby culLure. l formally lnLervlewed 11 sexual assaulL survlvors and had roughly LwenLy-flve
lnformal lnLervlews wlLh oLher concerned sLudenLs and members of Lhe Colby communlLy. l
also meL wlLh several faculLy members, as well Lhe Pead of Counsellng Servlces, aLrlcla
newman, and Senlor AssoclaLe uean of SLudenLs, aul !ohnsLon. l meL wlLh aLLl because ln her
role as head of counsellng servlces, she sees sLudenL sexual assaulL survlvors and ls well-Lralned
ln Lhe area of sexual assaulL Lrauma. Moreover, she ls noL a mandaLed reporLer, so she sees
many survlvors who do noL carry Lhelr case Lo Lhe uean, and consequenLly, such cases do noL
geL recorded ln Lhe college sLaLlsLlcs under Lhe Clery AcL, whlch ls a federal sLaLuLe LhaL requlres
all federally funded colleges and unlverslLles Lo keep and dlsclose lnformaLlon on crlme on or
near Lhelr campuses (8ohmer, arroL 169). 1hls makes newman a cenLral slLe of knowledge
slnce she has Lalked Lo survlvors who are noL represenLed ln Lhe Colby sLaLlsLlcs or ln my
lnLervlews. 1herefore, Lalklng Lo her allowed me Lo gage [usL how sllenced survlvors are on Lhls
campus (she Lold me LhaL Lhe vasL ma[orlLy" of people she sees do noL reporL). l meL wlLh uean
!ohnsLon because he ls ln charge of school dlsclpllnary processes and ls usually Lhe flrsL
offlclal" person people reporL Lo ln cases of sexual assaulL, meanlng LhaL he ls Lhe flrsL person
raLL 13

who has Lhe power Lo help Lhe survlvor press charges, schedule a dlsclpllnary hearlng, or Lalk Lo
deLecLlves.
lL ls worLh noLlng LhaL l chose Lo lnLervlew people who l LhoughL would help me
deLermlne Lhe weokoesses ln Colby's meLhods of prevenLlng and handllng sexual assaulL cases,
noL lLs sLrengLh. Whlle Lhere are cerLalnly people l could have lnLervlewed, lncludlng Lhose who
l quoLe from 1be cbo, who would have counLered my argumenL by llsLlng Lhe sLrong polnLs ln
Colby's pollcles of prevenLlng and deallng wlLh sexual assaulL, my pro[ecL ls focused on Lhe
problems, and Lherefore, l only lnLervlewed people who could help me see Lhese lssues.
Moreover, because my pro[ecL was only a year long pro[ecL, l was forced Lo narrow Lhe focus of
my lnLervlews and research and Lherefore, was noL able Lo Lalk Lo everyone who could have
poLenLlally glven me valuable lnslghL.
8ecause of Lhe senslLlve naLure of sexual assaulL, l dld noL overLly seek ouL lndlvlduals
Lo lnLervlew. l also felL llke lL would have been lnvaslve and lnsenslLlve of me Lo overLly sollclL
sexual assaulL survlvors. uue Lo Colby's odd culLure of everyone-knowlng-everyLhlng-abouL-
everyone, l knew LhaL Lhere are several sexual assaulL survlvors on campus. l also knew Lhls
merely based on Lhe sLaLlsLlc LhaL one ln flve women are raped durlng Lhelr college years
(?oung). Aware of Lhese facLs, l approached my research havlng falLh LhaL people would Lalk Lo
me lf Lhey were wllllng and comforLable.
l posLed a message on Lhe Colby ulgesL back ln SepLember asklng for people Lo conLacL
me lf Lhey were lnLeresLed ln dlscusslng lssues of sexual assaulL and hook up culLure" aL Colby
and several dld respond. Powever, mosL of Lhe people l lnLervlewed approached me
Lhemselves afLer hearlng abouL my work from me or afLer dlscusslng lL wlLh oLher sLudenLs. l
raLL 16

Lhlnk Lhe facL LhaL word abouL my pro[ecL spread so qulckly relnforces Lhe necesslLy and
lmporLance of lL, as well as Lhe problem of sllenclng on campus, parLlcularly wlLh lssues of
sexual assaulL. eople here noL only have sLorles Lo Lell, buL also have a need Lo Lell Lhem. lor
me, Lhls need was qulLe overwhelmlng and saddenlng aL Lhe same Llme. l was overwhelmed aL
Lhe response buL also sad LhaL for some, our meeLlng was Lhe flrsL Llme Lhey had Lalked abouL
Lhelr experlence wlLh anoLher Colby sLudenL. Many felL LhaL Lhelr frlends, famllles, and parenLs
would noL undersLand and mosL feared belng [udged and blamed for whaL had happened Lo
Lhem, whlch l Lhlnk speaks Lo Lhe degree of shame LhaL accompanles sexual assaulL. 1hls
shame, whlch usually lnvolves Lhe vlcLlm elLher blamlng herself for drlnklng or for golng ouL
volunLarlly wlLh her assallanL," or oLhers blamlng Lhe vlcLlm for asklng for lL," ls rooLed ln Lhe
sexlsL and mlsogynlsL assumpLlon LhaL women are responslble for proLecLlng Lhemselves from
sexual assaulL (8ohmer arroL 13). Such an assumpLlon suggesLs LhaL any woman who ls
sexually assaulLed should be Lo blame for leLLlng lL happen" by drlnklng, fllrLlng, or even
wearlng sklnny [eans (ln 2010, lLaly acqulLLed a man of rape charges because Lhe woman he
raped was wearlng sklnny [eans. 1he sklnny [eans defense" has also been used Lo acqulL raplsLs
ln AusLralla and SouLh korea).
1hose l lnLervlewed who had Laken Lhelr cases Lo Lhe admlnlsLraLlon and had losL felL
llke Lhelr experlences had been lnvalldaLed and consequenLly, had noL dlscussed Lhem wlLh
anyone slnce. Cne woman sald, AfLer l losL Lhe case l [usL sLarLed convlnclng myself LhaL lL
dldn'L happen.l Lrled Lhlnklng LhaL Lhe admlnlsLraLlon was rlghL, LhaL lL dld noL
happen.hearlng Lhem say LhaL, l knew no one would belleve me..l have Lrled puLLlng lL behlnd
me."
raLL 17

SlgnlflcanLly, several people soughL me ouL noL for lnLervlews, buL Lo Lalk abouL lssues of
gender and sexuallLy. Cne woman approached me Lo dlscuss her sexuallLy and how Lo conducL
an egallLarlan relaLlonshlp." A few people [usL wanLed Lo venL Lhelr frusLraLlons Lowards Lhe
hook up scene. lnLeresLlngly, approxlmaLely Lhree people approached me asklng me Lo
deLermlne wheLher Lhey had been sexually assaulLed. 1he conversaLlon would usually begln
wlLh Lhem saylng, l do noL Lhlnk l was sexually assaulLed, buL Lhls Lhlng happened Lhls one
Llme.." and Lhen Lhey would proceed Lo deplcL a scene LhaL was clearly sexual assaulL (forclble
oral sex, forclble flngerlng, unwelcome groplng, eLc).
AL varlous Llmes durlng my research sLudenLs would approach me and ask me [usL whaL
Lhe deflnlLlon of consenL ls. 1hese sLudenLs were usually men. A few women approached me
asklng me how Lo make and communlcaLe sexual boundarles wlLh a parLner, noLlng LhaL Lhey
had Lrouble flndlng Lhelr volce" ln sexual slLuaLlons. l Lhlnk Lhe facL LhaL people approached
me wlLh Lhese quesLlons and concerns abouL sexuallLy, daLlng, and consenL aparL from my
lnLervlews suggesL LhaL sLudenLs need Lo have someone Lo Lalk Lo abouL Lhese lssues and
currenLly do noL. l also Lhlnk lL suggesLs Lhe need for more educaLlon surroundlng gender and
sexuallLy, slnce clearly, people need lL.
lor Lhe mosL parL, my formal lnLervlews Look place ln Lhe Spa, whlch ls essenLlally Lhe
sLudenL unlon. l gave my lnLervlewees a cholce ln where Lo meeL me, and offered Lo meeL Lhem
ln Lhelr room or a place Lhey were more comforLable. l chose Lo glve my sub[ecLs Lhls opLlon ln
order Lo sLress Lhelr conLrol of Lhe slLuaLlon. l have found (and read) LhaL many sexual assaulL
survlvors, afLer Lhelr aLLack, feel as Lhough Lhey have very llLLle agency ln many areas of Lhelr
llfe because such agency was Laken away from Lhem durlng Lhelr assaulL. 8y glvlng my
raLL 18

lnLervlewees a cholce, l aLLempLed Lo sLress Lhelr personal agency ln Lhe lnLervlew. Moreover,
undersLandlng Lhe prlvaLe, palnful, and emoLlonal naLure of sexual assaulL, l wanLed Lo be sure
LhaL my sub[ecLs were comforLable Lalklng Lo me and were able Lo cry (or scream) ln prlvaLe lf
Lhey needed Lo.
uesplLe belng glven opLlons Lo meeL elsewhere, mosL chose Lo meeL me ln Lhe Spa for
coffee. 1he lnLervlews usually lasLed beLween 43 mlnuLes and Lwo hours. l Lyped quoLes from
my sub[ecLs. 1o creaLe a safe envlronmenL where Lhe lnLervlewees felL comforLable, l seL up Lhe
sesslons llke more of a conversaLlon Lhan an offlclal lnLervlew sesslon and dld noL come wlLh a
scrlpL or a seL of LargeLed quesLlon. l usually sLarLed ouL by asklng Lhem lf Lhey had a sLory Lhey
would be comforLable sharlng and lf Lhey dld noL, Lhey could [usL Lalk Lo me abouL Lhelr feellngs
perLalnlng Lo gender, sexuallLy, and Lhe soclal culLure aL Colby. Surprlslngly, many opened up Lo
me and Lold me very personal sLorles abouL sexual vlolence, sexlsm, and personal frusLraLlons
perLalnlng Lo gender relaLlons aL Colby. AL Lhe end of Lhe sesslons l would ask my sub[ecLs whaL
Lhey Lhlnk lndlvldual sLudenLs and college should do Lo prevenL sexual assaulL on campus, and
we would bralnsLorm a llsL LogeLher based off of Lhelr personal sLorles. A few crled, buL mosL of
my lnLervlewees were angry and frusLraLed.
Clven Lhe lmporLance of maklng my sub[ecLs feel comforLable Lalklng Lo me and openlng
up, l Lrled my besL make Lhe lnLervlews lnformal and almed Lo have Lhe sesslons feel llke more
of a chaL wlLh a close frlend Lhan a sLudenL researcher. l made sure Lo llsLen lnLenLly, clarlfy
quoLes, and valldaLe my sub[ecLs' feellngs by glvlng sympaLheLlc and encouraglng feedback.
8ecause l am a member of Lhe Colby communlLy, and slgnlflcanLly, qulLe a sLereoLyplcal-looklng
one (l am whlLe, heLerosexual, have long blonde halr, dress preppy, and parLlclpaLe ln Lhe soclal
raLL 19

scene), l Lhlnk my sub[ecLs were able Lo LrusL me more Lhan Lhey would an ouLslde researcher.
1hey saw me as on Lhelr level, whlch l Lhlnk helped my lnLervlewees feel more comforLable
openlng up Lo me and belng honesL wlLh me abouL Lhelr experlences. My sLaLus as a normaLlve-
looklng Colby sLudenL also helped me conducL my lnformal lnLervlews, whlch occurred
anywhere from ln Lhe pub, Lo local bars, dorm rooms, aparLmenLs, and school dances. uurlng
Lhese sesslons l would ofLen [usL llsLen Lo whoever wanLed Lo Lalk Lo me and made menLal
noLes Lo wrlLe cerLaln blg ldeas down when l goL home Lo my compuLer. ln addlLlon Lo helplng
my lnLervlewees relaLe Lo me, my sLaLus as a sLereoLyplcal Colby sLudenL" allowed me access
Lo a loL of arenas of research LhaL would noL have been avallable Lo me oLherwlse.
lor lnsLance, l was lnvlLed Lo Lhe annual WlnLer lraL lormal and oLher allegedly
excluslve off-campus parLles, because of my prlvllege as a heLerosexual senlor glrl who
somewhaL flL Lhe Colby mold." AL Lhese evenLs, l acLed as boLh a parLlclpanL and an observer,
paylng close aLLenLlon Lo lssues of gender and sexuallLy, speclflcally ln Lhe conLexL of Lhe
drlnklng and hook up scene. AL one polnL when l anLlclpaLed Lhe nlghL Lo be especlally Lelllng, l
hld a noLebook ln by bra and Look noLes ln Lhe baLhroom on whaL l saw. AL Lhese evenLs, l Lrled
my besL Lo acL normal," so as noL Lo appear llke l was acLually dolng research. l feared LhaL lf
people knew l was analyzlng Lhe scene from a femlnlsL lens, Lhey would freak ouL and elLher a)
klck me ouL of Lhe parLy or b) change Lhelr behavlor Lo falsely conform Lo whaL Lhey percelved l
LhoughL was accepLable." 8oLh of Lhese scenarlos would have ma[orly lnhlblLed my research,
slnce l would noL have been able Lo geL a reallsLlc sense of Lhe soclal scene. AcLlng normal" for
me malnly lncluded soclallzlng, drlnklng, and danclng wlLh frlends, whlch was normal anyways,
slnce l had already been a parL of soclal scene before beglnnlng my research.
raLL 20

lL ls worLh noLlng LhaL mosL people l Lalked Lo dld know LhaL l am a femlnlsL and a
women's sLudles ma[or. 8y Lhe end of Lhe semesLer many more were aware of my pro[ecL. 1hls
may or may noL have conLrlbuLed Lo people approachlng me or noL approachlng me. l Lhlnk LhaL
many females were more comforLable approachlng me knowlng LhaL l was a women's sLudles
ma[or researchlng sexual assaulL because Lhey assumed LhaL l had a cerLaln degree of
undersLandlng and empaLhy Lowards Lhelr sLorles. ln Lhls respecL, my ldenLlLy as Lhe women's
sLudles ma[or and femlnlsL" helped me. Cn Lhe conLrary, l Lhlnk LhaL my sLaLus as a women's
sLudles ma[or and femlnlsL someLlmes deLerred men from Lalklng Lo me because Lhey were
worrled l would yell aL Lhem, blame Lhem, or seL my bra on flre. 1hls ls noL Lo say LhaL no men
Lalked Lo me because many dld. Powever, l know LhaL oLhers dld noL because, havlng a
sLereoLyplcal ldea of whaL a women's sLudles ma[or and femlnlsL ls, Lhey LhoughL l would
lrraLlonally lash ouL and [udge Lhem. ln Lhese cases, my ldenLlLy on Lhe Colby campus boLh
helped and hlndered my research and Lherefore, affecLed Lhe scope of my pro[ecL.
Crgan|zat|on of 1hes|s
art Cne: Methods: 1hls secLlons serves Lo ouLllne why l underLook Lhls pro[ecL, my
meLhodology and levels of analysls, a summary of my research slLe, lnformaLlon on how l
conducLed Lhe sLudy, and an ouLllne of Lhe organlzaLlonal sLrucLure of Lhe paper.
art 1wo: A n|story of Sexua| Assau|t at Co|by Co||ege: ln order Lo ground my research
and recommendaLlons ln hlsLorlcal evldence, l wlll chronlcle pasL sexual assaulL cases broughL
up by and agalnsL Colby sLudenLs. l wlll deplcL Lhe naLure of each accusaLlon, Lhe sLeps Lhe
College Look place Lo deal wlLh Lhe lssue, Lhe resulL of each case, and my own analysls of Lhe
resulLs.
raLL 21

ln addlLlon Lo chronlcllng Lhe sexual assaulL cases heard aL Colby College, l wlll also
descrlbe any pollcy or culLural changes LhaL have Laken LhroughouL Lhe college's hlsLory, as well
as any acLlvlsm LhaL has occurred around lssues of sexual assaulL aL Lhe college.
art 1hree: Informa| ract|ces 1hls secLlon wlll puL my lnLervlews wlLh Lhe Colby
CommunlLy ln conversaLlon wlLh scholarshlp regardlng sexual assaulL and rape ln order Lo
ouLllne Colby's problems wlLh sexual assaulL and supporL my crlLlclsms. 1hls secLlon ls meanL Lo
ouLllne Lhe lssues lnherenL ln Colby culLure and deplcL how some of lLs lnformal pracLlces
perpeLuaLe a mlsogynlsL culLure where sexual assaulL occurs. 8ased upon my lnLervlews, l
found Lhe Lheme of Male LnLlLlemenL and lemale ulsempowermenL" Lo be conslsLenLly
prevalenL ln almosL every LesLlmony and Lherefore, chose Lo focus on Lhls lssue.
l found research LhaL explalns and expands upon Lhe Lheme of Male LnLlLlemenL and
lemale ulsempowermenL," provldlng an academlc conLexL for my lnLervlewee's commenLs and
observaLlons. lor lnsLance, many of Lhe females l lnLervlewed hypoLheslzed LhaL feellngs of
male enLlLlemenL and Colby's paLrlarchal soclal culLure conLrlbuLe Lo an envlronmenL LhaL
permlLs sexual assaulL. ln order Lo ground Lhelr commenLs ln academla, l used maLerlal from
Mlchael klmmel's CoylooJ Lo supporL my lnLervlewees' polnLs wlLh an academlc source.
ulscusslng Colby ln relaLlon Lo klmmel also puLs Colby culLure ln dlalogue wlLh research LhaL
demonsLraLes how Colby ls emblemaLlc of larger socloculLural paLLerns. ueflnlng Colby culLure
as represenLaLlve of larger socloculLural paLLerns allows me Lo laLer poslL revlslons Lo Colby.
AlLhough Lhese are noL speclflcally caLered Lo Colby, Lhey apply Lo Lhe socloculLural paLLerns
LhaL are prevalenL aL Colby, and Lherefore, are relevanL revlslons. Moreover, uslng research LhaL
helps me represenL Colby culLure as symbollc of larger socloculLural sysLems helps make my
raLL 22

pro[ecL more dlscurslve and appllcable Lo communlLles oLher Lhan Colby, whlch ls lmporLanL Lo
me slnce l wanL oLher schools Lo be able Lo use my work Lo lmprove Lhelr own culLures and
pollcles.
ln addlLlon Lo employlng research Lo valldaLe my lnLervlewees' clalms, l also use Lhe
research Lo deflne and provlde examples of how paLrlarchy operaLes and ls made manlfesL aL
Colby. AddlLlonally, l furLher analyze and expand upon Lhe Lhemes sLaLed above, whlch helps
me see how each Lheme ls relaLed Lo a hosL of oLher lssues. 8y ldenLlfylng Lhese relaLlonshlps, l
am beLLer able Lo propose suggesLlons.
art Iour: Iorma| Structures: ln addlLlon Lo Lhe Lheme of Male LnLlLlemenL and lemale
ulsempowermenL," l also found Lhe Lhemes of lneffecLlve ollcles and lnadequaLe SupporL
SysLems" Lo be conslsLenL ln almosL all of my lnLervlews. 1hls secLlon dlscusses Lhe weaknesses
ln Colby's formal meLhods of respondlng Lo sexual assaulL, whlch ls speclflcally seen ln lLs lack of
effecLlve pollcles and sufflclenL supporL sysLems for survlvors.
art Iour: Suggest|on: 8ulldlng off of my work done ln Lhe prevlous Lwo secLlons, l wlll
recommend suggesLlons for changes ln culLure and pollcy by focuslng speclflcally on flndlng
soluLlons Lo Lhe Lhemes of Male LnLlLlemenL and lemale ulsempowermenL" and lneffecLlve
ollcles and lnadequaLe SupporL SysLems."1hls secLlon wlll lnclude qulLe a blL of Lheory, buL
lnsLead of uslng Lhese secondary sources Lo explaln and elaboraLe on my Lhemes, l wlll use
Lhem Lo a) suggesL programs and pollcles LhaL fosLer dlalogue abouL sexuallLy and sexual
pracLlce on campus b) provlde ldeas Lo beLLer supporL vlcLlms of sexual assaulL. And c) revlse
campus culLure so lL ls noL mlsogynlsL, sexlsL, homophoblc, eLc. l also plan on uslng Lhe research
Lo suggesL soluLlon Lo Lhemes. lor example, ln addlLlon Lo deplcLlng and analyzlng Lhe
raLL 23

parLlculars of male enLlLlemenL, klmmel poses sLraLegles on how Lo break down Lhe sysLem of
enLlLlemenL, whlch l wlll use ln my suggesLlons secLlon. l formaL Lhls secLlon ln llsL form, wlLh
lnformaLlon on why l am recommendlng Lhe parLlcular change and how l see Lhe revlslon belng
carrled ouL by Lhe college.

















raLL 24

A PlsLory of Sexual AssaulL aL Colby College: WhaL 1ypes of Sexual AssaulL Cases
Pave Cccurred aL Colby? WhaL Pave We uone Lo Address Sexual AssaulL?

l chose Lo ground my work ln hlsLorlcal evldence because l do noL Lhlnk l could suggesL
revlslons Lo college culLure and pollcy and ask Lhe college Lo move fotwotJ, wlLhouL aL flrsL
lookloq bock. Looklng back allows us Lo see boLh how far we have come and how far we have
Lo go, whlch ls lmporLanL Lrylng Lo map ouL a plan for progress. uue Lo Lhe senslLlve and
sllenced naLure of sexual assaulL, mosL all of my research ln Lhls secLlon comes from old cbo
arLlcles, slnce Lhls ls one of Lhe few sources l could flnd LhaL dlscussed sexual assaulL aL Colby.
1be cbo ls Lhe sLudenL newspaper and has been publlshed weekly by Colby sLudenLs slnce
1877. Larl SmlLh's Moyflowet nlll. A nlstoty of colby colleqe was very helpful ln lLs dlscusslon of
Lhe college's overall hlsLory. Alyson LlndqulsL's 2003 Senlor Ponors 1hesls, ltom Apotby to
Acceptooce. A nlstoty of koclsm ooJ 5exlsm ot colby colleqe, was also helpful, parLlcularly ln lLs
dlscusslon of Lhe way Colby has hlsLorlcally dealL wlLh lssues of gender and sexuallLy. l dld
manage Lo gaLher some hlsLorlcal lnformaLlon from a few of my lnLervlewees, one belng a long-
Lerm Lenured professor who had served on Lhe !udlclal 8oard and Lhe oLher belng an alumnl
and women's acLlvlsL ln Lhe communlLy who was very open Lo reflecLlng on her Llme aL Colby.
8ecause Lhls research deals wlLh boLh sexual assaulL and Lhe culLural sllenclng around
Lhe lssue, l wanL Lo emphaslze LhaL lL ls cruclal as a reader Lo Lake noLe of boLh whaL ls wrlLLen
and whaL ls noL wrlLLen. 8ased upon my lnLervlews wlLh survlvors, sLudenLs, and faculLy, and
accordlng Lo sLaLlsLlcs and llLeraLure on sexual assaulL, people rarely ever reporL. 1haL belng
sald, whaL l have been able Lo gaLher ls only a small fracLlon of Lhe overall hlsLory of sexual
raLL 23

assaulL aL Colby. 1haL belng sald, l encourage you as a reader Lo Lake noLlce boLh of whaL ls
wrlLLen and Lo also lmaglne Lhe sLorles LhaL have noL been wrlLLen because Lhey surely exlsL.

Co|by Co||ege: A 8r|ef n|story
Accordlng Lo Colby's webslLe, Colby was founded ln 1813 and was orlglnally called Lhe
Malne LlLerary and 1heologlcal lnsLlLuLlon. lL was esLabllshed based on Lhe defense of rellglous
freedoms ln a Llme when such rlghLs were ofLen conLesLed" and has hlsLorlcally been regarded
as one of Lhe mosL llberal colleges ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes" (LlndqulsL). AfLer Malne separaLed from
MassachuseLLs ln 1820, Lhe new Malne SLaLe LeglslaLure granLed Colby Lhe rlghL Lo glve ouL
degrees and Lhe school was renamed WaLervllle College (A 8rlef PlsLory of Colby College).
uurlng Lhe Clvll War, Colby's enrollmenL decreased due Lo lLs all-male populaLlon leavlng
Lo flghL for Lhe unlon Army and consequenLly, Lhe school almosL closed. When a naLlve Malner
and 8osLon MerchanL, Cardner Colby, donaLed funds Lo keep Lhe school runnlng, Lhe 8oard of
1rusLees named Lhe school afLer hlm and Lhe school Lhen became Colby College. ln 1932, Lhe
college moved from lLs cramped downLown slLe Lo aLop Mayflower Plll where lL sLands Loday.
ln 1871, when Lhe college welcomed Mary Low, Colby became Lhe flrsL school ln Lhe
norLheasL and Lhe LwelfLh ln Lhe enLlre naLlon Lo admlL a woman lnLo an all-male college. Mary
Low graduaLed as valedlcLorlan of her class ln 1873 and has a dorm named afLer her on campus.
ln addlLlon Lo havlng progresslve pollcles Lowards women, Colby has also had progresslve
pollcles Lowards raclal mlnorlLles. Colby Alum ('03) Alysln LlnqulsL polnLs Lhls ouL ln Lhe
lnLroducLlon Lo her own senlor Lhesls, ltom Apotby to Acceptooce. A nlstoty of koclsm ooJ
5exlsm ot colby colleqe. She explalns LhaL ln 1887, nearly a decade befote Lhe unlLed SLaLes
Supreme CourL declared sLaLe-sancLloned segregaLlon of blacks and whlLes, lncludlng
raLL 26

educaLlonal lnsLlLuLlons, Lo be legal, Adam Slmpson Creen became Lhe flrsL Afrlcan-Amerlcan Lo
graduaLe from Colby. !usL LhlrLeen years laLer, Marlon 1homson Csborne became Lhe flrsL
Afrlcan-Amerlcan women Lo recelve a degree from Lhe college" (LlndqulsL 9). 1hese facLs are
even more remarkable glven Lhe facL LhaL Lhese mllesLones aL Colby College occurred nearly a
cenLury before such lnLegraLlon became a reallLy aL oLher colleges and cerLalnly long before Lhe
unlLed SLaLes CovernmenL lLself recognlzed Lhe value and [usLlce of raclal dlverslLy ln
educaLlon" (LlndqulsL 9).
l deplcL Colby's early progresslve moves Lo lnsLlLuLlonally combaL sexlsm and raclsm ln
order Lo lllusLraLe how llberal Lhe school was when lL flrsL began, and Lo glve Lhe reader a base
for Lhe Lype of envlronmenL Colby hlsLorlcally seL ouL Lo be. 8elng so progresslve lnlLlally,
parLlcularly ln regards Lo rellglous freedoms and women's and black's rlghLs Lo educaLlon, one
may suggesL LhaL Lhere was an lnsLlLuLlonal emphasls on lssues of soclal [usLlce from Lhe
beglnnlng. Such an emphasls was ln facL a maln LeneL of Lhe college when lL was founded.
8ecause lssues of sexlsm and raclsm are dlrecLly relaLed Lo sexual assaulL slnce sexual assaulL ls
rooLed ln boLh Lhese forms of oppresslon, lL seems odd Lo me LhaL almosL 200 years afLer our
college was found upon Lhe prlnclples of soclal [usLlce, members of our Colby communlLy are
sLlll perpeLuaLlng an envlronmenL where sexlsm (ln Lhe form of sexual assaulL) occurs. 1hls ls
noL Lo say LhaL every member of Lhe Colby communlLy perpeLuaLes Lhls envlronmenL. 1here are
many wonderful people aL Colby who work very hard Lo counLeracL Lhe sexlsm and mlsogyny
LhaL plague Colby and Lhe world. Powever, lL ls Lo say LhaL as a communlLy we are sLlll worklng
Lowards creaLlng a cllmaLe LhaL ls free of gender oppresslon.

raLL 27

Inc|dents and Act|v|sm:
1970's
ln laLe CcLober of 1979 Lhe SLudenL AssoclaLlon and Women's Croup sponsored an open
campus forum on safeLy" (Macfarlane). Whlle Lhe word sexual assaulL" was noL expllclLly
sLaLed ln Lhe arLlcle on Lhe evenL, Lhe dlscusslon polnLs, whlch lnclude Lhe need for beLLer
llghLlng on campus, Lhe recenL lnsLallmenL of newer and beLLer locks on Lhe doors of older
dorms, and Lhe need for beLLer locker room securlLy ln Lhe women's locker room, lmplles LhaL
Lhe dlscusslon was focused largely around lssues of sexual assaulL and vlolence agalnsL women.
SlgnlflcanLly, ln Lhe fall of 1979, Lhe Women's SecurlLy 1ask lorce was formed. 1hls group's [ob
was Lo revlew Lhe securlLy of Colby women, as well as promoLe safeLy amongsL Colby women.
1hls group was responslble for posLlng slgns such as Lhe one aLLached below:

raLL 28

Whlle Lhe forum on safeLy" and Lhe formaLlon of Lhe Women's SecurlLy 1ask force was
cerLalnly a good flrsL sLep ln combaLlng sexual vlolence agalnsL women aL Colby, l Lhlnk LhaL lL ls
problemaLlc LhaL boLh 1be cbo arLlcle l clLed for Lhls secLlon and Lhe safeLy slgn aLLached above
fall Lo use Lhe word sexual assaulL." 8y coverLly hlnLlng aL Lhe prevalence of sexual assaulL on
campus by warnlng women Lo use Lhe locker room when oLhers are presenL" and learn self-
defense Lechnlques," Lhe wrlLers hlnLs LhaL sexual assaulL occurs on campus buL does noL
expllclLly saylng LhaL lL does. 1hls vague aLLempL aL ralslng awareness abouL sexual assaulL
undercuLs Lhe sLudenLs' acLlvlsm by leavlng room for oLher lnLerpreLaLlons of Lhelr message ln
Lurn, leave Lhe poLenLlal for people Lo lgnore LhaL sexual assaulL happens aL Colby. Whlle Lhls
does noL seem Lo look llke a form of sllenclng ln Lhe sLrlcLesL form, uslng amblguous language Lo
descrlbe sexual assaulL can be lnLerpreLed as a form of sllenclng, slnce vague language clouds
Lhe deflnlLlon of Lhe Lerm ln a way LhaL boLh reduces sexual assaulL and allows oLhers Lo lgnore
lLs exlsLence. ln Lhls sense, Lhe lndeflnlLe language used Lo descrlbe sexual assaulL somewhaL
covers up Lhe lssue. 1he use of amblguous language Lo deplcL sexual assaulL was noL unlque Lo
1be cbo or Colby sLudenLs because rape dld noL become a ma[or naLlonal and worldwlde
concern unLll Lhe women's movemenL of Lhe early 1970's, and Lherefore, people dld noL know
how Lo Lalk abouL lL. ln facL, Lhe phrase daLe rape" dld noL even exlsL unLll 1976 when Susan
8rownmlller colned Lhe Lerm ln her famous hlsLorlcal LreaLlse on rape, Aqolost Oot wlll
(8ohmer, arroL 8). Clven Lhese facL, lL ls worLh conslderlng Lhe posslblllLy LhaL maybe Lhe
wrlLers of Lhe arLlcle elLher dld noL know Lhe Lerm sexual assaulL" or were noL allowed Lo use
Lhe phrase aL Lhe Llme of Lhe arLlcle's publlcaLlon (1979). 8ecause many people dld noL know
Lhe proper Lermlnology for sexual assaulL or were noL allowed Lo use lL, rape and sexual assaulL
raLL 29

were ofLen referred Lo ln cloudy language, noL because people wanLed Lo sllence lL buL because
Lhey dld noL have any oLher cholce.

1980's
1he flrsL Llme Lhe word sexual assaulL" was wrlLLen abouL ln 1be cbo was Lhe CcLober 16
Lh

lssue of 1980. SlgnlflcanLly, Lhe word was used ln a young woman's LesLlmony of her
assaulL:
raLL 30


When 1be cbo publlshed Lhe anonymous woman's leLLer, Lhe paper elLher chose or
was posslbly forced Lo lnserL a response from Lhe uean of SLudenLs, Larl SmlLh, who responded,
lf you can ldenLlfy anyone who does such Lhlngs, leL me know and l wlll show you how fasL Lhe
SLudenL !udlclal 8oard and Lhe uean's Cfflce can work." Whlle l do noL doubL LhaL Mr. SmlLh
was deeply concerned for Lhe woman and deLermlned Lo lnvesLlgaLe Lhe lssue furLher, Lhe
power of hls sLaLemenL and (posslble) acLlons ln addresslng Lhe case ls losL ln Lhe lack of
publlclzed follow-Lhrough. l could flnd no furLher dlscusslon of Lhe case ln my research, whlch
leads me Lo belleve LhaL elLher a) 1he case was noL lnvesLlgaLed or b) lf Lhe case was
lnvesLlgaLed, lL was handled prlvaLely and ln Lhe case LhaL Lhe offenders were dlsclpllned, Lhe
dlsclpllne occurred under a shroud of secrecy. 1hls ls problemaLlc because regardless of
wheLher or noL an lnvesLlgaLlon occurred or sLudenLs were found ln vlolaLlon of Lhe school
dlsclpllnary code, lL ls lmporLanL LhaL Lhe admlnlsLraLlon, whlch l deflne as Lhe mosL powerful
raLL 31

ueans and Lhe 8oard of 1rusLees, leL Lhe sLudenL body know whaL efforLs Lhey are maklng Lo
proLecL, help, and supporL sLudenLs. Moreover, by noL maklng clear whaL sLeps Lhey are Laklng
Lo lnvesLlgaLe Lhe case, Lhe admlnlsLraLlon looks as Lhough Lhey are noL dolng anyLhlng abouL
Lhe assaulL and Lherefore, do noL care abouL Lhe lssue of sexual assaulL. 1hls lack of
Lransparency ls dangerous because lL suggesLs Lo sLudenLs LhaL rape and sexual assaulL are
LoleraLed aL Colby, whlch makes survlvors feel unsafe and poLenLlal raplsLs feel llke Lhey could
geL away wlLh Lhe crlme.
AfLer Lhe assaulL, Colby Lrled Lo ralse awareness abouL sexual assaulL Lhrough educaLlon.
Cn !anuary 31
sL
of 1980 abouL flfLy Colby sLudenLs aLLended a shorL fllm serles LlLled,
AcqualnLance 8ape revenLlon" (Calne, 8eale). AL Lhe concluslon of Lhe fllm, sLudenLs
dlscussed lssues of forced sexual relaLlons" and how Lhey affecL llfe aL Colby. 1he fllm was
broughL Lo Colby by !ane Schwarz, healLh assoclaLe aL Lhe PealLh CenLer. She ls quoLed ln 1be
cbo saylng LhaL her professlonal experlence aL Colby has shown her LhaL Lhere ls a real need
for awareness of Lhe lssue among boLh men and women." AL Lhe evenL, boLh Schwarz and
!anlce SelLzlnger, AssoclaLe uean of SLudenLs, were careful ln decllnlng Lo glve any acLual
esLlmaLes of Lhe occurrence of forced sexual relaLlons aL Colby," whlch l Lhlnk ls lronlc glven Lhe
quoLe by Schwarz LhaL suggesLs Lhe hlgh prevalence of sexual assaulL on Lhe Colby campus. 1he
[uxLaposlLlon beLween Lhelr refusal Lo dlsclose offlclal sexual assaulL sLaLlsLlcs Lo Colby sLudenLs,
palred wlLh Lhe apparenL knowledge LhaL Schwarz had of Lhe sLaLlsLlcs, demonsLraLes an
lnsLlLuLlonal and sLrucLural pracLlce of sllenclng. 8ecause a consclous cholce was made Lo noL
lnform sLudenLs of Lhe raLe aL whlch sexual assaulL occurs on Lhelr campus, Lhls lnsLance can be
seen as a form of sllenclng.
raLL 32

ln analyzlng Lhls slLuaLlon, lL ls lmporLanL Lo noL blame Schwarz or kassman for sllenclng
Lhe lssue of sexual slnce Lhelr acLlons exlsL ln a larger framework of sLrucLural pracLlce. 1he
lnsLlLuLlonal and sLrucLural pracLlce of sllenclng lssues of gender vlolence exlsLs aL Colby and Lhe
World. ConsequenLly, raLher Lhan blame lndlvlduals lL ls lmporLanL for us Lo analyze how Lhese
sLrucLures shape peoples' acLlons and whaL we can do Lo break down Lhese oppresslve sysLems
so LhaL Lhey do noL make Lhemselves manlfesL ln Lhe cholces of lndlvlduals.
A sLudenL named Mary Clenn furLher speaks Lo Lhe admlnlsLraLlon's sllenclng of sexual
assaulL, asserLlng LhaL such sllenclng proLecLs raplsLs ln her arLlcle, ParassmenL: no Laughlng
MaLLer." ln Lhe arLlcle, she polnLs Lhe way ln whlch dlscusslon of sexual acLlvlLy ls usually
swepL under Lhe rug," slnce lL ls consldered a prlvaLe" maLLer aL Lhe college, and suggesLs LhaL
such sllenclng allows sexual assaulL. She wrlLes, 8uL whaL abouL Lhe recenLly publlclzed Lrend
of men assaulLlng women ln Lhelr own rooms? Shall we sweep Lhls lssue underneaLh Lhe rug
and noL dlscuss such personal maLLers?" 1he admlnlsLraLlon seems Lo Lhlnk so." Clenn ouLllnes
Lhe problems wlLh Lhe way sexual assaulL ls handled aL Lhe school, clLlng, LhaL Lhe
admlnlsLraLlon handles sexual assaulL as a dlrLy [oke..punlLlve acLlon (lf Lhere ls any) ls noL
publlclzed, Lhe ldenLlLles of Lhe crlmlnal has been kepL secreL." She suggesLs LhaL Lhe college
proLecLs raplsLs, by saylng, uo noL mar a young man's record because of some lusLful
lndlscreLlon." Clenn closes her arLlcle ouLllnlng Lhe Colby's Women's Croup's demands of Lhe
admlnlsLraLlon:
1) We demand Lhe names of Lhose found gullLy of sexual assaulL be publlclzed, lf
sufflclenL punlshmenL ls noL meLed ouL, Lhen we wlll Lake Lhe case Lo Lhe WaLervllle auLhorlLles.
raLL 33

2) We demand LhaL Lhe admlnlsLraLlon Lake sexual harassmenL serlously, LhaL women's
safeLy ls LreaLed more dlrecLly Lhan a vehemenL leLLer Lo 1be cbo or absurd measures such as
puLLlng bars on women's wlndows.
3) We demand Lhe esLabllshmenL of a Women's CenLer, whlch would lnclude a hoL-llne
for women for assaulL counsellng and so LhaL all women would know Lhelr opLlons when a
crlme has been commlLLed agalnsL Lhem." lL ls lmporLanL Lo noLe LhaL currenLly, Lhe names of
sLudenLs found gullLy of sexual assaulL are noL formally publlshed and a Woman's CenLer has
yeL Lo be esLabllshed. Powever, sLudenLs and faculLy have recenLly proposed Lhe esLabllshmenL
of a Sexual and Cender ulverslLy 8esource CenLer, whlch would offer many of Lhe same servlces
LhaL a Women's CenLer offers.
ln uecember of 1981 lL was mandaLed LhaL SecurlLy sLarL publlshlng quarLerly lncldenLs
reporLs ln 1be cbo. ln Lhe pasL, sLaLlsLlcs of reporLed crlmes on campus were noL kepL
(Campbell). SLudenL !ennlfer !ullan lllusLraLes Lhe necesslLy of publlshlng Lhese sLaLlsLlcs ln her
arLlcle LlLled, Colby Women Should 8eware of lalse Sense of SecurlLy," whlch llsLs Lhe sexual
harassmenL and assaulL cases LhaL had occurred aL Colby LhaL pasL year, cases LhaL many
sLudenLs were noL aware of.
raLL 34



uesplLe Lhe lmprovemenL made ln maklng sLaLlsLlcs and lnsLances of sexual assaulL more
LransparenL, sLudenL were sLlll noL saLlsfled wlLh Lhe College's efforLs Lo become more open ,
and on Aprll 14
Lh
, 1983 an arLlcle LlLled, Campus Crlme: AdmlnlsLraLlon noL PonesL" appeared
ln Lhe Lcho. ln Lhe arLlcle, sLudenL Marc Carey accused Lhe admlnlsLraLlon of needlessly
endangerlng sLudenLs" by keeplng mum on lssues llke harassmenL, assaulL, and rape." Pe
beglns Lhe arLlcle by deplcLlng how sLudenLs and Lcho sLaff had Lo flghL Lo prlnL an arLlcle
descrlblng one sLudenL's drunken assaulL on anoLher sLudenL ouLslde of a fraLernlLy house. Lven
raLL 33

Lhough Lhe arLlcle was evenLually allowed Lo be prlnLed, Lhe auLhor noLes LhaL many facLs,
personal accounLs and dorm sLaff commenLs orlglnally glven were laLer reLracLed ot tbe tepoest
of tbe oJmlolsttotloo." 1he auLhor furLher explalns LhaL LhaL Lhe admlnlsLraLlon sLayed
compleLely mum on Lhe lssue, only malnLalnlng LhaL 'Lhey were addresslng Lhese problems.'"
ConsequenLly, Lcho readers recelved an exLremely waLered-down verslon of Lhe facLs," whlch
Carey conLends endangers sLudenLs" by forclng Lhem Lo Lake needless chances ouL of
lgnorance."
Carey furLher lllusLraLes oLher lnsLances where Lhe admlnlsLraLlon endangers sLudenLs"
by proLecL[lng] Lhe lmage of Lhe school" by polnLlng ouL how ln Lhe pasL four weeks, Lhere
have been four separaLe reporLed cases of harassmenL, sexual harassmenL, and peeplng 1oms
on campus..lLs [usL LhaL nobody knows abouL Lhem." Pe furLhers hls argumenL by deplcLlng
oLher varlous aLLacks, lncludlng how a faculLy person's spouse was aLLacked ln an unllghLed
parklng loL and how Lwo years before, a Colby woman was aLLacked and raped ln her dorm
room" durlng flnal exams. uesplLe Lhese evenLs Lhe admlnlsLraLlon refused Lo acL," and
concerned sLudenLs flnally had Lo go door Lo door and make people aware of Lhe slLuaLlon."
Carey closes hls arLlcle by reflecLlng on how Lhls sorL of pollcy encourages Lhe anclenL myLh
LhaL a vlcLlm's repuLaLlon needs Lo be proLecLed as lf lL were somehow hls/her faulL LhaL Lhe
lncldenL occurred. Pe asserLs LhaL Lhls aLLlLude ls noL only condescendlng, lL promoLes a
needless feellng of gullL for one who ls already under a greaL deal of emoLlonal sLress."
l lnclude Carey's arLlcle ln Lhls chapLer noL only because he names several lnsLances of
sexual assaulL buL also because hls analysls of Lhe admlnlsLraLlon's sllence and vlcLlm-blamlng"
raLL 36

resembles Lhe Lrends LhaL oLher sLudenLs llke Mary Clenn asserL, as well as Lhe Lrends LhaL l
have seen boLh ln my hlsLorlcal research and ln my research on currenL Colby culLure.
ShorLly afLer Carey's arLlcle ran ln 1be cbo, sLudenL's frusLraLlons wlLh Lhe admlnlsLraLlon's
sllenclng, speclflcally ln regards Lo sexually assaulL, came Lo a breaklng polnL, and a proLesL was
organlzed where sLudenLs charged Lhe admlnlsLraLlon wlLh coverlng up" lnsLances of assaulL,
sexual harassmenL, and rape (Moore). Crganlzers of Lhe demonsLraLlon accused Colby offlclals
of noL followlng a seL proLocol Lo deal wlLh sexual harassmenL and rape" and ouLllned Lhelr
complalnLs ln a leLLer dlsLrlbuLed Lo Lhe sLudenL body, whlch read, lor Lhe second Llme Lhls
semesLer, Lhls proLocol has noL been followed by Lhe admlnlsLraLlon. 1hls fallure endangers Lhe
Colby communlLy. 8ape and sexual assaulL occur everywhere, lncludlng aL Colby. Cur
admlnlsLraLlon wanLs Lo make Colby appear as a haven, and doesn'L Lake Lhe proLecLlon of our
safeLy serlously." 1he sLudenLs also suggesL ln Lhelr llsL of demands an offlclal wrlLLen proLocol,
a securlLy lnformaLlon pamphleL, a vlcLlm advocaLe, yearly Lralnlng for securlLy personnel ln
rape crlsls counsellng and sexual assaulL counsellng, and a more compleLe llghLlng sysLem."
ln response, ulrecLor of SecurlLy and SafeLy, eLer CheneverL called Lhe slLuaLlon a lack
of communlcaLlon raLher Lhan a cover up" and uean of SLudenLs !anlce SelLzlnger sald LhaL she
was she dlsLurbed" and offended" by Lhe accusaLlons made. SelLzlnger meL wlLh Lhe
demonsLraLlon organlzers and agreed Lo form a sLandlng safeLy commlLLee Lo beLLer educaLe
Lhe campus." SelLzlnger also promlsed LhaL a wrlLLen proLocol could be drawn up, blgger
leLLers would appear on safeLy advlsorles, a blue bulleLln board would be reserved ln every
dorm for offlclal noLlces, peer sexuallLy counselors would be avallable Lo sLudenLs, and Lhe
posslblllLy of beLLer llghLlng would be examlned" (Moore). 8ecause Lhese changes came afLer a
raLL 37

sLudenL proLesL, one can suggesL LhaL Colby's approach Lo sexual assaulL lnvolves addresslng
Lhe lssue only afLer recelvlng pressure from sLudenLs. 1hls reflecLs poorly on Lhe college, slnce
sLudenL should noL have Lo flghL for whaL l belleve Lo be baslc sexual assaulL prevenLlon and
supporL procedures. Moreover, Lhls scenarlo reveals whaL l see as cenLral Lo Colby's pracLlce of
handllng sexual assaulL, whlch lnvolves lgnorlng lssues of gender vlolence unLll sLudenLs place
so much pressure on Lhe college LhaL Lhey have Lo address lL.
1he flrsL assaulL reporLed afLer Lhe demonsLraLlon happened ln early CcLober of 1984
when a Colby woman was assaulLed by a group of flve Lo seven men durlng a parLy ln
Crossman. Accordlng Lo a sLaLemenL released Lo 1be cbo by Lhe vlcLlm's frlends," she wenL Lo
Lhe basemenL Lo check on Lhe keg and found Lhe men Lrylng Lo sLeal lL. When she Lold Lhem Lo
puL down Lhe keg, Lhey backed her lnLo a corner and, holdlng a brlck Lo her LhroaL, made
expllclL sexual suggesLlons. 1he woman screamed, buL could noL be heard upsLalrs because of
Lhe muslc. 1he men conLlnued Lo LhreaLen her, and began Lo sLrlp her from Lhe walsL down"
(8obblns). 1he assaulL sLopped when someone banged on Lhe basemenL door and Lhe aLLackers
fled. Accordlng Lo reporLs, no one from Colby was lnvolved, and members of Lhe unlon looLball
1eam, who were playlng Colby Lhe nexL day and sLaylng aL a local Poward !ohnsons, were
suspecLs ln Lhe case. 1he woman called securlLy roughly an hour afLer Lhe assaulL Look place
and wlLhln Lwo hours securlLy had puL posLers up warnlng Lhe campus of Lhe aLLack. uean
SelLzlnger, Colby looLball Coach Chrls 8aymond, and SecurlLy meL LhaL nlghL Lo dlscuss Lhe
lncldenL and requesLed LhaL unlon complle phoLos of Lhe Leam for Lhe survlvor Lo ldenLlfy. no
more was sald of Lhe case ln 1be cbo, so l do noL know how lL was seLLled.
raLL 38

ln a slmllarly mysLerlous case, ln uecember of 1983 1be cbo reporLed LhaL a case of
sexual assaulL lnvolvlng Lwo sLudenLs wlll go before Lhe dean's hearlng Lhls week"
(uauphlnals).1he assaulL occurred Lhe SaLurday before 1hanksglvlng break when a male sLudenL
aLLacked a woman ln one of Lhe resldenL halls of !ohnson or Chaplln Commons." 1he woman
reporLed Lhe lncldenL Lo Lhe uean of SLudenLs. SlgnlflcanLly, Lhe case was broughL Lo a dean's
hearlng, raLher Lhan Lhe sLandard [udlclal board hearlng because of Lhe senslLlve naLure of Lhe
case." l could noL flnd any lnformaLlon on Lhe resulLs of Lhe hearlng.
SLudenL acLlvlsm concernlng sexual assaulL conLlnued ln early 1989 when sLudenLs
formed Colby AgalnsL Sexual AssaulL," wlLh Lhe goal of ralslng awareness of sexual assaulL"
and provldlng supporL Lo survlvors (8reen). 1he group's founder, a female senlor, expressed
LhaL Lhe presence of an armed raplsL on campus" Lhe !anuary before shocked Lhem lnLo
acLlon." CASA conslsLed of LwenLy sLudenLs, mosLly women. ro[ecLs LhaL Lhe group proposed
lnclude Lhe lmplemenLaLlon of ouLdoor phones, handlng ouL whlsLles, lmprovlng Lhe llghLlng
around campus, dlsLrlbuLlng safeLy pamphleLs and maps of safe runnlng rouLes Lo flrsL years.
1haL same year, rofessor of Lngllsh Llsa Low echoed sLudenLs' concerns abouL sexlsm
and Lhe sllenclng of sexual assaulL aL Colby ln a leLLer Lo Lhe LdlLor. She expresses concern
abouL Lhe healLh cenLer, speclflcally complalnLs abouL lnapproprlaLe behavlor by a currenL
male physlclan," and Lhe lmpendlng deparLure of psychoLheraplsL !aneL lrgang and
consequenL depleLlon of Lhe women medlcal sLaff aL Colby." Low goes on Lo dlscuss her
dlscomforL wlLh a vldeo game ln Lhe spa LhaL deplcLs Lhe assaulL and lmplles Lhe rape of a
woman. She polnLs ouL Lhe sexlsL and degradlng chanLs LhaL sLudenLs shouL aL sporLlng evenLs
and Lhe offenslve descrlpLlons of women used by sLudenLs, sLaff, and faculLy members."
raLL 39

SlgnlflcanLly, Low says LhaL many sLudenLs do noL come forward wlLh sexual harassmenL
complalnLs because Lhere ls a fear LhaL Lhere wlll be no supporL..Lhere ls a fear abouL belng
harassed by Lhe sysLem as one was harassed orlglnally by Lhe perpeLraLor."
SLudenL and faculLy acLlvlsLs [olned forces ln May of 1989 when LhlrLeen faculLy
members and sevenLeen sLudenLs formed Lhe 1ask lorce on Sexlsm afLer gaLherlng Lo dlscuss
recenL lnsLances of sexual dlscrlmlnaLlon" (!ones, Sexlsm 1ask lorce ls CreaLed). 1he
commlsslon clrculaLed a peLlLlon around campus ouLllnlng Lhelr plans, whlch lncluded,
lnvesLlgaL[lng] and acL[lng] upon lssues of (sexlsL) mlsLreaLmenL ln Lhe realms of aLhleLlcs,
academlcs, healLh care, and soclal llfe aL Colby." 1he peLlLlon also deplcLs Lhe commlsslon's
goals, whlch lnclude Lhe hlrlng of a coordlnaLor for Women's servlces, Lhe appolnLmenL of a
Lenured woman Lo Lhe PealLh Advlsory CommlLLee, and worklng Lo ensure LhaL faculLy and
sLaff wlLh record of sexlsL verbal and physlcal assaulL be asked Lo leave Colby."
A week afLer Lhe 1ask lorce on Sexlsm was formed a group of flve women meL wlLh
resldenL CoLLer Lo volce Lhelr concerns abouL sexlsm aL Colby. 1hey Lhen held a meeLlng
LogeLher and marched from Lhe PealLh CenLer Lo Lhe llbrary sLeps, where Lhey deflned
sexlsm," ouLllned [Lhelr] demands," and opened up Lhe meeLlng for people Lo dlscuss Lhelr
percepLlons abouL sexlsm aL Colby" (Larly, Carlepy, Lockwood, Mead, 1ranchln). 1hey sLarLed
Lhe march aL Lhe PealLh CenLer because Lhe PealLh CenLer, namely Lhe alleged lnapproprlaLe
behavlor of ur. 8enneL, was one of Lhelr maln concerns. 1he group's flve demands are llsLed
below:
raLL 40




raLL 41


Accordlng Lo my research, Lhe formaLlon of an ongolng Commlsslon on Lhe SLaLus of
Women aL Colby was never formed and Lhe college never appeared Lo formally acknowledge
LhaL Lhe swlmmlng/rugby coach exhlblLed unaccepLable sexual behavlor. lemale faculLy
members were evenLually lnvlLed Lo slL on Lhe PealLh Advlsory 8oard, and l could noL flnd ouL
wheLher or noL a female was appolnLed Lo a poslLlon of power ln Lhe admlnlsLraLlve sLrucLure of
Lhe PealLh CenLer.
LvenLually Lhe proLocol for sexual assaulL was revlewed, buL lL was noL offlclally
modlfled unLll 8 years laLer. ln 1997 Lhe pamphleL, lmporLanL lnformaLlon for Lhe Colby College
CommunlLy abouL Sexual AssaulL" was released by Lhe Sexual AssaulL 1ask lorce.
SLudenLs' oplnlons on sexlsm aL Colby conLlnued Lo pour lnLo 1be cbo ln 1989. ln
Colby needs lemlnlsLs, Men and Women," sLudenL Clnda !ones polnLed Lo several lnsLances of
raLL 42

sexlsm on campus, noLlng LhaL one of Lhe men's lacrosse coaches refers Lo women as
'cracks,'.we have a docLor who makes women feel uncomforLable wlLh some of hls behavlor
(she suggesLs laLer ln Lhe arLlcle LhaL Lhe docLor klsses hls female paLlenLs), and when male
sLudenLs cheer on women's sporLs Leams, Lhelr shouLs are ofLen derogaLory sexual references."
She goes on Lo explaln LhaL women are so ofLen noLed for and [udged accordlng Lo Lhelr bodles
LhaL some baLhrooms on campus are known Lo be where women wlLh bullmla go Lo Lhrow up."
upon reflecLlng on Lhese lnsLances, !ones asserLs LhaL Lhe underlylng aLLlLudes behlnd
Lhese examples cerLalnly conLrlbuLe Lo Lhe greaLer frequency of sexual assaulL." ln order Lo
remedy Lhese aLLlLudes, she suggesLs LhaL more women should be offered admlnlsLraLlve
poslLlons boLh ln Lhe uean of SLudenL's offlce and on Lhe Lhlrd floor of LusLls."
1990's
Cn november 7
Lh
1990 MaLL Chaffee '93 was lndeflnlLely suspended for verbal sexual
abuse, physlcal assaulL of fellow sLudenLs, sexual assaulL of fellow sLudenLs, and LhreaLenlng
fellow sLudenLs" (Morrlson). 1he speclflc deLalls of Lhe assaulLs were noL revealed, however, lL
was menLloned LhaL Lhe lncldenL was seLLled before a dean's hearlng raLher Lhan a [udlclal
board hearlng. uurlng Lhe hearlng, several plalnLlffs and even Chaffee's roommaLe LesLlfled
agalnsL hlm. Cne anonymous woman was quoLed saylng, Pe [Chaffee] needs help. Pe hlLs on
varlous women and doesn'L know how Lo Lake no for an answer." AparL from lmmedlaLe and
lndeflnlLe suspenslon, Chaffee's senLence also lncluded alcohol and relaLlonshlp counsellng, and
permanenL dlsclpllnary probaLlon ln Lhe case he be allowed Lo reLurn Lo Colby.
unllke Lhe prevlous sexual assaulL cases l researched, Colby offlclals chose Lo lnform Lhe
sLudenL body of Lhe charges ooJ Lhe sancLlons Lhe perpeLraLor faced, whlch l Lhlnk was a huge
raLL 43

sLep ln Lhe rlghL dlrecLlon. 8y maklng clear boLh how and why Lhey were dlsclpllnlng Chaffee,
Lhe admlnlsLraLlon senL a message Lo sLudenLs LhaL sexlsL and vlolenL behavlor llke Lhe one
Chaffee exhlblLed would be punlshed aL Colby, and Lhus lndlcaLed (ln Lhls case aL leasL) LhaL
Lhey Lake verbal, physlcal, and sexual assaulL serlously. 1hls ls lmporLanL Lo Lhe developmenL of
a rape-free school because ofLenLlmes communlLy sLandards musL be seL and followed before
Lhe whole communlLy wlll adhere Lo Lhem. ln Lhls case, by emphaslzlng Lhe sLandard LhaL sexual
assaulL wlll noL be allowed wlLhouL punlshmenL, Lhe admlnlsLraLlon made lL clear LhaL sexual
assaulL ls agalnsL Colby's communlLy sLandards, and Lhus, defled Lhe sweep-lL-under-Lhe-rug
rape culLure LhaL seemed Lo characLerlze Colby's sLandards aL Lhe Llme.
ln uecember 1991 an arLlcle ln 1be cbo LlLled, Cne ln lour Women ALLacked" ouLllnes
sLaLlsLlcs concernlng daLe rape as Lhey relaLe Lo Colby (Colby Lcho SLaff). Accordlng Lo uean of
SLudenLs !oyce McheLres, Cne ln every four female sLudenLs aL Colby wlll experlence daLe
rape or aLLempLed daLe rape." ur. Cochran, a sLaff physlclan aL Lhe PealLh CenLer and chalr of
Lhe 8ape revenLlon CommlLLee aL Lhe unlverslLy of Malne aL larmlngLon added, l am noL sure
aL Colby lf lL ls one ln slx women, lf noL a worse flgure, llke one ln four." ur. Cochran goes on Lo
say LhaL accordlng Lo naLlonal sLudles, only one ln every LwenLy cases of daLe rape ls
reporLed." SlgnlflcanLly, ln Lhe arLlcle, McheLres acknowledges LhaL sllence ls a real problem,"
whlch, as l have sald before, speaks Lo Lhe general lssue concernlng sexual assaulL aL Colby and
ln Lhe world.
ln mld-uecember of 1991, CovernmenL rofessor Chlp Pauss sexually assaulLed vlslLlng
rofessor of PlsLory 8osaleen Salvo aL hls home ln vassolboro (Wood). Accordlng Lo a leLLer
senL Lo Lhe WaLervllle ollce by uean Larl SmlLh, Pauss had lnvlLed Salvo over Lo meeL hlm and
raLL 44

hls wlfe Lo dlscuss Lhe posslblllLy of Salvo waLchlng Lhelr house for Lhe monLh of !anuary. When
Salvo arrlved, Pauss was alone and drunk. Accordlng Lo 1be cbo sLory, whlch slgnlflcanLly, was
noL publlshed unLll slx mootbs oftet Salvo reporLed Lhe lncldenL, Pauss was noL ln conLrol" and
consequenLly, a brlef lncldenL" conLalnlng no vlolence" occurred. Salvo reporLed Lhe assaulL
Lo Lhe uean of laculLy 8oberL McArLhur Lhree monLhs laLer, and Pauss laLer admlLLed Lo Lhe
charges of lnapproprlaLe and unwanLed sexual Louchlng." ln response, Lhe WaLervllle ollce
ueparLmenL was noLlfled. SlgnlflcanLly, resldenL 8lll CoLLer dld noL punlsh Pauss, buL lnsLead
wroLe hlm a leLLer ouLllnlng whaL Lhe repercusslons would be lf a slmllar lncldenL were Lo
happen agaln, whlch 1be cbo quoLed:
lf Lhere ls any recurrence of Lhls sorL of behavlor Loward any Colby employee or Colby
sLudenL, your poslLlon as a Lenured professor of CovernmenL wlll lmmedlaLely be
LermlnaLed. lurLhermore because of oLher allegaLlons (LhaL you deny), l wanL you also
Lo be aware LhaL lf you engage ln sexual relaLlons or sexual Louchlng wlLh any currenLly
enrolled Colby sLudenL, Lhe same sancLlon wlll be applled" (Wood).
lL ls worLh noLlng LhaL resldenL CoLLer [usLlfled noL flrlng Pauss by saylng, We are Laklng Lhls
approach, raLher Lhan a more severe sancLlon aL Lhls Llme, because of your long servlce Lo Lhe
College and because Ms.__ ls saLlsfled wlLh Lhls ouLcome." resldenL CoLLer goes on Lo say ln
hls leLLer Lo Pauss: 8ob and l have full falLh LhaL by undergolng psychologlcal Lherapy you wlll
be able Lo conLrol Lhe behavlor LhaL resulLed ln Lhe lamenLable lncldenL wlLh Ms.___," who
declded Lo refraln from presslng charges (Wood).
As we have esLabllshed, lL ls lmporLanL Lo poslLlon people's acLlons ln Lhe sLrucLural
framework ln whlch Lhey exlsL and analyze whaL Lhelr cholces reveal abouL such sLrucLures,
raLL 43

raLher Lhan place enLlre blame on Lhe lndlvlduals Lhemselves. 1haL belng sald, raLher Lhan
accuslng resldenL CoLLer of vlcLlm blamlng, sllenclng, or excuslng sexual harassmenL, l argue
LhaL hls acLlons reflecL Lhe paLLerns and pracLlces LhaL characLerlze Lhe way Colby deals wlLh
sexual assaulL. 1hese pracLlces lnclude sllenclng Lhe lssue of gender vlolence, blamlng vlcLlms,
and excuslng lssues LhaL perpeLuaLe sexual assaulL such as sexual harassmenL.
1hese harmful paLLerns of handllng sexual assaulL are evldenL ln hls leLLer, whlch seems
Lo suggesL LhaL Pauss should be excused from commlLLlng sexual assaulL because of hls long
servlce Lo Lhe College. Such an asserLlon whlch conveys Lhe dangerous ldea LhaL lf a man has
glven enough servlce" Lo hls communlLy, he should be able Lo assaulL women ln LhaL
communlLy wlLhouL sufferlng harsh dlsclpllnary repercusslon. 1hls suggesLlon ls very concernlng
because lL [usLlfles sexual assaulL. Moreover, by asserLlng LhaL he Lhlnks Pauss wlll somehow be
able Lo conLrol" hls behavlor Lhrough psychologlcal Lherapy," CoLLer suggesLs LhaL Pauss'
assaulL was a freak accldenL LhaL was merely a resulL of Pauss noL belng ln a sound menLal
sLaLe, whlch reflecLs Lhe College's pollcy of excuslng perpeLraLors of gender vlolence. l Lhlnk
LhaL lL ls dangerous Lo reduce lnsLances of sexual assaulL Lo momenLs of menLal lnsLablllLy, slnce
such a reducLlon suggesLs LhaL people only commlL sexual assaulL when Lhey are menLally
lmpalred. 1hls suggesLlon ls dangerous because lL promoLes Lhe myLh LhaL only crazy" people
commlL assaulL, when ln facL, anyone can. lurLhermore, CoLLer's suggesLlon LhaL Pauss could
learn Lo conLrol" hls behavlor wlLh Lherapy also conveys Lhe ldea LhaL sexual assaulLers can be
cured" of Lhelr Lendency wlLh psychologlcal Lherapy. Whlle Lhls could be Lrue for some, such
an overarchlng asserLlon lgnores Lhe sLrucLural facLors aL hand LhaL lead people llke Pauss Lo
belleve LhaL sexual assaulL ls okay, and provldes a perfecL example of Lhe way ln whlch Colby
raLL 46

reduces lnsLances of sexual vlolence Lo lndlvldual behavlor, raLher Lhan conslderlng Lhe
sLrucLural forces LhaL perpeLuaLe a sexlsL and mlsogynlsL envlronmenL.
Cn SaLurday Aprll 10
Lh
1993 aul lrolo '93 was acqulLLed of charges of sexual assaulL and
forclng female 1ufLs unlverslLy SLudenL Lo perform oral sex on hlm. l have aLLached Lhe brlef
arLlcle on lL below:


ln a separaLe arLlcle LhaL appeared a monLh before Lhe aLLached one, Lhe case was
dlscussed ln more deLall. Accordlng Lo Lhe plece, Lhe lncldenL occurred on november 7
Lh
, 1992
afLer a Colby vs. 1ufLs fooLball game. AL Lhe parLy hosLed by a 1ufLs fraLernlLy, Lhe vlcLlm had
Lhree beers and danced wlLh 1ufLs sLudenL !oe Murphy, who she had consensual sex wlLh LhaL
nlghL. LaLer, Lhe woman woke up wlLh who she assumed was Murphy push[lng] [her] head
down Lo hls penls and us[lng] moderaLe force ln oral sex (Clockner). She fell back asleep and
awoke agaln Lo anoLher man Lrylng Lo have sex wlLh her. AfLer recalllng Lhe evenLs of Lhe nlghL,
raLL 47

she was evenLually able Lo deLermlne LhaL Lhe man who had forced her Lo perform oral sex was
aul lrolo of Colby College. 1he woman flled a complalnL wlLh Colby and Lraveled up Lo
WaLervllle for Lhe hearlng.
AL Lhe hearlng, lrolo enLered a plea of noL gullLy buL waved hls rlghL Lo defend hlmself
because lL would have allowed Lhe vlcLlm Lo accuse hlm ln a sLaLe or federal courL (she was
lnLoxlcaLed aL Lhe Llme of Lhe assaulL and Lherefore could noL ldenLlfy hlm). uurlng Lhe case he
lefL Lhe room wlLh several oLhers presenL Lo preserve hls anonymlLy and dld noL reLurn." l was
lnformed by a professor famlllar wlLh Lhe case LhaL many of lrolo's LeammaLes dressed and cuL
Lhelr halr llke lrolo so LhaL she would noL be able Lo Lell whlch one was lrolo. 1haL same
professor saL on Lhe board durlng Lhe case and descrlbed Lo me how unfalr Lhe board's
LreaLmenL of Lhe survlvor was, noLlng, lL was appalllng. Lhe enLlre fooLball Leam showed up ln
sulLs ln Lhe fronL row aL Lhe hearlng.so Lhe young woman, wlLh no supporL, had Lo Lell her
sLory ln fronL of Lhe whole fooLball Leam.Lhere was no dlscusslon amongsL Lhe !-8oard of
wheLher or noL Lhe fooLball Leam could ask quesLlons.we allowed Lhem Lo ask a quesLlon...and
Lhey all saL Lhere Lrylng Lo proLecL hlm and scare her.and lL was rldlculous." 1he vlcLlm's
counsel echoed Lhe professor's LhoughLs and called Colby's !udlclal 8oard an absoluLe
kangaroo courL." AL Lhe Llme of Lhe hearlng, Lhe vlcLlm had already wlLhdrawn from 1ufLs.
l Lhlnk Lhls case ls very slgnlflcanL because lL exempllfles Lhe culLure of enLlLlemenL,
sllence, and proLecLlon LhaL proLecLs men who sexually assaulL. 8y allowlng lrolo and hls
LeammaLes Lo confuse and lnLlmldaLe Lhe woman wlLh Lhelr quesLlons and overwhelmlng
presence, Lhe College proLecLed lrolo by Llpplng Lhe ouLcome of Lhe case ln hls favor. ln
addlLlon Lo represenLlng Lhe culLure of enLlLlemenL, sllence, and proLecLlon LhaL exlsLs aL Colby
raLL 48

and ln Lhe world, Lhls case also shows how Lhe college lack[ed] an unblased proLocol for
hearlngs concernlng sexual assaulL. Pad Lhere been any sorL of falr proLocol, lrolo's LeammaLes
would noL have been allowed lnLo Lhe hearlng.
As of Aprll 1994, survlvors of sexual assaulL aL Colby and ln Lhe WaLervllle area could
seek help Lhrough Lhe 8ape Crlsls PoLllne and ulrecLor of Counsellng Servlces aLLl
PoppersLead. 1wo female Colby sLudenLs worked for Lhe hoLllne ln WaLervllle. Accordlng Lo an
arLlcle LlLled, uaLe 8ape aL Colby," !oan Sanzenbacher, ulrecLor of Speclal rograms, was
quoLed saylng LhaL a slmllar rape crlsls hoLllne was belng esLabllshed by Lhe ParassmenL
Advlsory Croup aL Colby, wlLh Lralned sLudenLs offer[lng] peers confldenLlal help" (uuggan).
Slx monLhs laLer, Lhe ConfldenLlal eer Pelpllne" opened. lL was confldenLlal, on-campus, and
only sLudenLs who had rape crlsls Lralnlng could work Lhe helpllne. unforLunaLely, lL was only
open for Lhree hours a week-elghL Lo eleven on Sunday nlghLs (Colby Lcho SLaff, Pelpllne SeL
up on Campus). lL was noL speclfled why Lhe hoLllne was only open on Sunday nlghLs, buL l Lhlnk
Lhls facL ls problemaLlc, slnce Lhere ls no way LhaL such a small Llme sloL was sufflclenL.
Moreover, because many sexual assaulLs occur on weekend nlghLs, lL does noL make much
sense Lo me Lo have a sexual assaulL hoLllne only open on a Sunday, slnce sLudenLs would llkely
need Lhe hoLllne more on a lrlday or SaLurday nlghL.
A year laLer, 1be cbo reporLed LhaL Lhe hoLllne would be open Sunday Lhrough
1hursday beLween Len and eleven pm, yeL noL on lrlday and SaLurday, whlch agaln posed a
problem, slnce many assaulLs occur on Lhe weekend. ln addlLlon Lo esLabllshlng Lhe hoLllne,
members of Lhe ParassmenL Advlsory Croup also dlsLrlbuLed plnk cards wlLh Lhelr names and
raLL 49

numbers on Lhem and hung Lhe cards ln dorms and baLhrooms. 1hls served Lo glve sLudenLs
addlLlonal supporL, speclflcally ln regards Lo reporLlng harassmenL.
ln an efforL Lo furLher educaLe sLudenLs on sexual assaulL, Lhe group, SLudenL PealLh on
Campus, hosLed evenLs durlng Sexual AssaulL Awareness Week, lncludlng sklLs, fllm vlewlngs,
and a self-defense workshop. 1he group seL up a Lable ln Lhe SLudenL CenLer LhaL had
lnformaLlon and sLaLlsLlcs on sexual assaulL and a Lree sLudenLs could Lle a rlbbon on for every
survlvor of sexual assaulL LhaL Lhey knew. 1haL same week, Lhe weekly SLudenL Cplnlon oll
surveyed sLudenLs' experlences wlLh sexual assaulL and found LhaL sevenLy percenL of women
aL Colby have been elLher physlcally or verbally assaulLed (Cannon). AfLer Lhe dlsLurblng"
resulLs of Lhe poll were released, SCA resldenL 8ryan 8affeLLo Lold 1be cbo LhaL he was
plannlng on brlnglng up Lhe lssue aL Lhe nexL resldenL's Councll meeLlng (Colby Lcho SLaff,
ParassmenL oll 8esulLs).
AfLer a hlgh-proflle daLe rape case aL 8rown lnvolvlng unclear deflnlLlons of rape made
naLlonal news, Colby puL LogeLher a Lask force Lo revlew and revlse Lhe currenL guldellnes
lnvolvlng daLe rape on campus" (Cerbl, 1ask lorce lormed 1o lnvesLlgaLe uaLe 8ape on Lhe
Colby Campus). Accordlng Lo 1be cbo, Lhe 1ask lorce was sald Lo conslsL of Lwo faculLy
members, Lwo admlnlsLraLors, and Lwo sLudenLs and Lhe [ob of Lhe group [was] Lo recommend
deflnlLlons of daLe rape LhaL are noL ln Lhe currenL handbook, and Lo deal wlLh daLe rape on
campus."
1he acLlvlsm concernlng sexual assaulL conLlnued ln March of 1997 when kaLle
koesLner, a hl 8eLa kappa graduaLe of Wllllam and Mary College, wrlLer, publlc speaker, and a
daLe-rape survlvor, dellvered a lecLure ln Lorlmer Chapel. AL Lhe Lalk, koesLner dlscussed her
raLL 30

rape, whlch occurred durlng her flrsL monLh of college, and sLressed Lhe lmporLance of
communlcaLlon and respecL" ln prevenLlng sexual assaulL and rape. AL Lhe concluslon of her Lalk
she lnformed Lhe audlence LhaL she would be lnvolved ln Lhe revlslng and rewrlLlng of Colby's
sexual harassmenL pollcy" (MulLarl). She subsequenLly meL wlLh Lhe College's Sexual AssaulL
1ask lorce and gave her lnpuL on how Colby could lmprove lLs pollcles (8oLhman). Whlle only
Lwelve men aLLended koesLner's flrsL vlslL, Lhe room was fllled wlLh [Lhem]" when koesLner
reLurned Lo Colby for a Lhlrd Llme ln 1998 (La[eunesse).
ln laLe 1997, Lhe brochure lmporLanL lnformaLlon for Lhe Colby College CommunlLy
AbouL Sexual AssaulL" was creaLed by Lhe Sexual AssaulL 1ask lorce. 1he 1ask lorce researched
oLher schools' sexual assaulL pollcles, looked aL Malne SLaLe law, and meL wlLh aLLorneys before
maklng Lhe pamphleL. 1he pamphleL deflnes sexual assaulL, whaL consLlLuLes consenL, Lhe
dlfferences beLween Malne SLaLe law and Colby pollcy, how Lhe rlsks of sexual assaulL can be
reduced, and sLeps Lo Lake lf sexual assaulL happens Lo you" (Loyd)). ln addlLlon, lL also lncludes,
hypoLheLlcal slLuaLlons Lo help clarlfy Lhe college's pollcy." 1he pamphleL, whlch was made ln
an efforL Lo educaLe Lhe Colby communlLy on sexual assaulL, was sald Lo be dlsLrlbuLed Lo Lhe
sLudenL body shorLly afLer coples were made. CurrenLly, sLudenLs sLlll recelve a copy of Lhls
brochure every year ln Lhelr campus mallbox, buL lL has been revlsed over Lhe years.
AfLer Lhe success of speaker kaLle koesLner, Colby lnvlLed leadlng anLl-sexlsL male
acLlvlsL, !ackson kaLz, Lo glve a Lalk on men's roles ln sexual assaulL durlng Sexual AssaulL Week
(CguLha). Pe gave Lhe lecLure More 1han a lew Cood Men" Lo an audlence of men and
women ln Lorlmer Chapel and sLressed LhaL men have Lhe power Lo sLop rape. 1haL same week,
a panel dlscusslon on sexual assaulL was held on campus. 1he panel lncluded !an Munroe, a
raLL 31

counselor aL Lhe PealLh CenLer, Lydla 8olduc-Marden, a nurse pracLlLloner aL Lhe PealLh CenLer,
!anlce kassman, uean of SLudenLs, a sLaff member from Lhe local sexual assaulL hoLllne,
SLephanle 8arreL, servlces dlrecLor of new CrowLh Sexual AssaulL LducaLlon and SupporL
CenLer, and a member of Lhe ulsLlncL ALLorney's Cfflce (Cerbl, Sexual AssaulL Week llnlshed,
lssues 8emaln on Campus).

2000's:
Cn SepLember 23rd of 2000, a sLudenL was roofled" or glven a daLe rape" drug aL a campus
parLy. AlLhough no assaulL occurred, lL was conflrmed LhaL Lhe woman had been glven
rohyphnol (roofles"), CP8 (easy lay"), or keLamlne (Speclal k"). Colby SecurlLy and Lhe
WaLervllle ollce ueparLmenL conducLed an lnvesLlgaLlon buL l could noL flnd any cbo arLlcles
conflrmlng LhaL someone had been charged.
1haL same nlghL, a sexual assaulL occurred lnvolvlng a male and a female sLudenL was
reporLed (llLzslmmons). Accordlng Lo uean of SLudenLs !anlce kassman, Lhere was a hearlng ln
fronL of a commlLLee of deans LhaL Wednesday Lo make a rullng on a rape allegaLlon agalnsL a
male Colby sLudenL" (Lhe assaulL occurred on a SaLurday nlghL). uue Lo Lhe senslLlve naLure of
Lhe case, lL would noL go Lo a !udlclal 8oard hearlng, buL lnsLead, would be heard by a
commlLLee from Lhe uean of SLudenLs' Cfflce. 1he vlcLlm chose noL Lo press crlmlnal charges ln
sLaLe or federal courL (llLzslmmons).
ln november of 2000, Lhe Colby Lcho reporLed LhaL for Lhe second year, sLudenLs have
been Lralnlng Lo be volunLeers aL Lhe 8ape Crlsls AsslsLance CenLer ln downLown WaLervllle"
(Zlmmerman). Seven sLudenLs were parLlclpaLlng ln Lhe program, lncludlng one male sLudenL.
raLL 32

Cnce Lhe volunLeers compleLe Lhe Lralnlng Lhey are glven Lhe opLlon of volunLeerlng aL Lhe
8ape Crlsls AsslsLance CenLer ln WaLervllle
noL long afLer weekend of Lhe rape drug lncldenL and Lhe sexual assaulL, anoLher sexual
assaulL was reporLed on campus on uecember 1
sL
. 1be cbo reporLs LhaL Lhe assaulLLook
place.ln a resldenL hall and lnvolved Lwo sLudenLs" (uavls). 1he SecurlLy ueparLmenL and Lhe
WaLervllle ollce were sald Lo be lnvesLlgaLlng Lhe aLLack. unllke a loL of oLher cases prlor, Lhe
woman declded Lo press charges boLh on-campus and off-campus. 1be cbo made lL clear LhaL
Lhe assaulL was a case of daLe rape, quoLlng ulrecLor of SecurlLy eLe CheneverL saylng, lL's
one of Lhose cases where Lhere was a relaLlonshlp beLween Lhe lndlvlduals."
erhaps Lhe mosL emoLlonally dlsLurblng plece l read for my research was Cllvla
AchLmeyer's accounL of her rape aL Colby. AcLmeyer's leLLer noL only deplcLs her aLLack, buL
also deLalls and crlLlclzes Lhe admlnlsLraLlon's way of deallng wlLh sexual assaulL and rape, and
urges sLudenLs Lo please work Lo change Lhe sysLem." She polnLs ouL many problems wlLh Lhe
sexlsL pollcy and process, noLlng LhaL 1he School would noL flnd my assallanL gullLy of Lhe
charges LhaL l broughL agalnsL hlm durlng Lhe !udlclary Pearlng. l wos tolJ tbot my posbloq blm
owoy ot bls ctotcb wos lo foct o booJ job ooJ tbetefote l loltloteJ sexool cootoct. Per leLLer, as
lL appears ln 1be cbo on March 4
Lh
, ls aLLached below:

raLL 33



raLL 34






raLL 33

AfLer Cllvla AchLmeyer's edlLorlal deLalllng her rape was prlnLed sLudenLs and Lhe
admlnlsLraLlon responded Lo Lhe lncldenL by dlscusslng changes LhaL needed Lo be made Lo Lhe
pollcy and wrlLlng Lo 1be cbo. !effrey Calareso, oplnlon columnlsL, pralsed AchLmeyer for
bravely Lelllng her sLory buL echoed Lhe frusLraLlons of pasL sLudenLs by argulng LhaL Lhe College
vlcLlmlze[ed]" AchLmeyer wlLh Lhelr sllence and suppresslon. Pe asserLs:
AL Lhls school we have an alLogeLher shameful way of deallng wlLh sexual assaulL, ln
whlch such lnsLances are suppressed so LhaL our repuLaLlon as an lnsLlLuLlon ls noL
sullled by our reallLy. l slncerely belleve l'd be puLLlng lL mlldly Lo poslL LhaL sexual
assaulL occurs weekly aL Colby. ?eL, lf you ask kassman, she'll say no such Lhlng..Lhe
effecL of Lhls lnLernallzlng of lllegallLles aL Colby ls LhaL vlcLlms of crlmes are forced Lo
elLher flghL whaL can only be very publlc LooLh-and-nall sLruggle aL so small an
lnsLlLuLlon, or remaln helpless vlcLlms.all Lhls for Lhe beneflL of Lhe lnsLlLuLlon as a
whole" (Calareso).
ln addlLlon Lo Calareso, Lwo female sLudenLs wroLe leLLers Lo Lhe LdlLor of 1be cbo
pralslng AchLmeyer for her courage ln Lelllng her sLory and encouraged oLher Colby sLudenLs Lo
speak ouL and dlscuss lssues of sexual assaulL. 1hey end Lhelr plece wlLh woke op, colby, ooJ
tlse to tbe cbolleoqe! (CguLha, Cole). ln response Lo Calereso, uean kassman wroLe her own
oplnlon arLlcle Lwo weeks laLer, aLLesLlng LhaL Lhe uean's 8oard hearlng of Lhe case was
scrupulous" and LhaL Lhe college Lakes lssues of sexual assaulL very serlously" (kassman).
Powever, glven Lhe admlnlsLraLlon's seemlngly unfalr and sllenced response Lo Lhe case, lL does
noL appear as Lhough Lhe uean's 8oard Look Lhe case as serlously as Lhey clalm. Pad college
offlclals really been Laklng AchLmeyer's case serlously, Lhe admlnlsLraLlon would have made
raLL 36

sure LhaL her [udlclal board hearlng was falr. Moreover, Lhey would noL have [usLlfled her rape
by clalmlng she lnlLlaLed sexual conLacL whlle acLlng ln self defense.
Aslde from wrlLlng leLLers Lo 1be cbo, sLudenLs and faculLy responded Lo AchLmeyer's
leLLer by formlng commlLLees Lo help combaL sexual assaulL. ln Aprll of 2001 SCA organlzed a
sLudenL group called Sexual AssaulL Allles," whlch conslsLed of sLudenLs who would advocaLe
for sLudenLs ln Lhe case of a sexual assaulL. Members of Lhe group were Lralned by Lhe
WaLervllle 8ape Crlsls AsslsLance and revenLlon rogram. ln addlLlon Lo servlng as advocaLes,
group members also had Lhe [ob of educaLlng Lhe Colby communlLy on lssues of sexual assaulL.
1o provlde addlLlonal asslsLance, a counselor from Lhe 8ape Crlsls CenLer ln WaLervllle was
hlred Lo be on campus Lo Lalk wlLh sLudenLs every 1uesday from 3pm Lo 7pm.
llnally, aL Lhe advlce of college aLLorneys, uean of SLudenL !anlce kassman, ln
con[uncLlon wlLh oLher members of Lhe admlnlsLraLlon, began Lo amend Lhe College's llLeraLure
on sexual assaulL" (McCandless). 1be cbo reporLed LhaL Lhe new llLeraLure wlll furLher deflne
consenL and lnclude scenarlos lnvolvlng homosexual assaulL." A week laLer, 1be cbo reporLed
LhaL Lhe llLeraLure had been amended Lo lnclude a less amblguous deflnlLlon of consenL"
(Coughlln). A secLlon deLalllng a scenarlo where consenL was reLracLed mld-acL was added, as
well a scenarlo deLalllng homosexual sexual assaulL. 1he new pamphleL was made Lo
emphaslze Lhe lmporLance of muLual consenL, or lack Lhereof" and more lnformaLlon was
glven on reporLlng and confldenLlallLy. AdmlnlsLraLors, aLLorneys, members of Lhe Women's
Croup, members of Lhe ParassmenL Advlsory CommlLLee, members of Lhe CulLural Affalrs
CommlLLee, ulrecLor of Speclal rograms !oan Sanzenbacher, and ulrecLor of Counsellng
Servlces aLLl newman all helped wlLh Lhe revlslon process. 1hls ls Lhe same pamphleL, LlLled,
raLL 37

lmporLanL lnformaLlon lor Lhe Colby College CommunlLy AbouL Sexual AssaulL" LhaL ls handed
ouL Lo sLudenLs every year.
ln addlLlon Lo esLabllshlng more supporL programs for sexual assaulL survlvors,
amendlng Lhe llLeraLure on sexual assaulL, and maklng a 8ape Crlsls Counselor avallable on
campus each week, Lhe college also looked lnLo Lhe role Lhe annual Screw ?our 8oommaLe
uance" played lnLo AchLmeyer's assaulL, slnce her assaulL occurred on Lhe same nlghL of Lhe
dance. AfLer AchLmeyer's leLLer was publlshed, several sLudenLs, lncludlng members of Lhe
Women's Croup, organlzed a peLlLlon asklng Lhe SCA Lo ban Lhe evenL, clLlng LhaL Lhose
seeklng Lo ban Lhe dance see Lhe connecLlon wlLh sexual assaulL LhaL goes on durlng Lhls
weekend." (uavls, SLudenLs Seek Lo 8an Screw ?our 8oommaLe). ln addlLlon Lo seelng Lhe
connecLlon beLween sexual assaulL and Lhe dance, organlzers of Lhe peLlLlon also clalm LhaL Lhe
dance lLself creaLes an envlronmenL LhaL condones Lhls klnd of behavlor" and Lhe name
sounds vlolenL" and encourages vlolence agalnsL women" (uavls, SLudenLs Seek Lo ban Screw
?our 8oommaLe uance). Whlle only one assaulL was reporLed LhaL weekend, Amy 8eznlLsky of
Lhe Women's Croup sald LhaL she personally knows of numerous cases of sexual assaulL LhaL
have occurred durlng Lhe weekend buL were never reporLed." nearly four monLhs afLer Lhe
peLlLlon sLarLed, on March 12
Lh
, 2001 Lhe resldenL's Councll on SCA voLed Lo abollsh Lhe
Screw ?our 8oommaLe" uance, wlLh Lhe hope LhaL by eradlcaLlng Lhe dance [Lhey could]
provlde Lhe framework necessary Lo creaLe a soclal envlronmenL LhaL ls no way conLrlbuLory Lo
sexual assaulL" (8ombze, Screw-?our-8oommaLe uance LradlcaLed). Whlle Lhe eradlcaLlon of
Lhe Screw ?our 8oommaLes uance" was cerLalnly a sLep ln Lhe rlghL dlrecLlon, l Lhlnk Colby sLlll
raLL 38

needs Lo look aL Lhe ways ln whlch Lhe school's currenL dance scene dangerously normallzes
sexual assaulL ln Lhe same ways LhaL Lhe Screw ?our 8oommaLes uance" seemed Lo do.
AlLhough l Lhlnk Lhe school's sLrong response ln Lhe wake of AchLmeyer's leLLer cerLalnly
shows LhaL Lhe college cares abouL prevenLlng sexual assaulL, Lhe response also supporLs my
hypoLhesls LhaL Colby ls a 8arn-uoor Closlng School," whlch Carol 8ohmer and Andrea arroL
classlfy as a college LhaL aLLempLs Lo decrease Lhe problems assoclaLed wlLh sexual assaulL
afLer handllng a case poorly Lhemselves" (8ohmer, arroL). Whlle Colby has noL, Lo my
knowledge, pobllcly handled a ma[or sexual assaulL case (as ln one where local and naLlonal
medla are lnvolved) wrongly, Lhe way lL handled AchLmeyer's assaulL closely resembles Lhe way
a barn-door closlng school would deal wlLh a slmllar case, parLlcularly ln lLs lmmedlaLe yeL
Lemporary response. Accordlng Lo 8ohmer and arroL, 8arn uoor Closers
CreaLe a college Lask force Lo conLlnue Lo work on Lhe lssue. and some acL as lf
brlnglng ln one speaker Lo presenL a few programs wlll allevlaLe Lhe problem" (8ohmer
and arroL). Powever Lhese Lypes of responses lndlcaLe very llLLle undersLandlng of Lhe
complex causes of campus sexual assaulL. Campus sexual assaulL ls such a compllcaLed
lssue LhaL one large communlLy presenLaLlon ls noL llkely Lo make much dlfference ln
changlng aLLlLudes and behavlors of sLudenLs, faculLy, or admlnlsLraLors" (8ohmer,
arroL).
AL Lhe beglnnlng of Lhe fall 2001 semesLer, Lwo volunLeer vlcLlms advocaLes, Llsa Pallee,
who worked for Lhe Ma[or ClfLs Cfflce, and Amerlcan SLudles rofessor Peldl klm, were
appolnLed advocaLes for sexual assaulL survlvors aL Colby. AlLhough Lhelr work was all
raLL 39

volunLeer, Lhey served Lo advlse and defend vlcLlms of sexual assaulL" and help vlcLlms
undersLand Lhelr opLlons and Lhe Colby hearlng process" (C'8rlen).
Whlle l Lhlnk havlng Lwo volunLeer vlcLlm advocaLes on campus was deflnlLely an
lmprovemenL ln supporL for sexual assaulL survlvors, l Lhlnk lL ls problemaLlc LhaL Lhe Lwo
advocaLes boLh had oLher pald [obs and were Lherefore, noL able Lo dedlcaLe as much Llme
volunLeerlng, maklng Lhemselves vlslble Lo sLudenLs , and helplng survlvors. Women's PealLh
nurse Lydla-Marden polnLed Lhls lssue ouL Lo me when she dlscussed Llsa's poslLlon, noLlng
LhaL because Llsa had Lo Lravel ofLen for her [ob ln Lhe ma[or glfLs offlce, she was ofLenLlmes noL
on campus, and was Lherefore, noL easlly accesslble and avallable Lo sLudenLs. ConsequenLly,
her poslLlon as volunLeer vlcLlm advocaLe has noL been very effecLlve and very few sLudenLs
know who she ls. 1hls ls proven by Lhe facL LhaL of Lhe 11 sexual assaulL survlvors l lnLervlewed,
none of Lhem had Lalked Lo Llsa abouL Lhelr experlence. 1hls ls noL Llsa's faulL-l Lhlnk lL ls
largely Lhe admlnlsLraLlon's faulL for spreadlng Lhelr employees Loo Lhln and expecLlng sLaff Lo
do Lhe work of whaL addlLlonal sLaff members should be hlred Lo do. lnsLead of asklng sLaff Lo
volunLeer as vlcLlms advocaLes, Lhe College should esLabllsh a pald poslLlon for a sexual assaulL
advocaLe. 1hls [ob should be Lhe advocaLe's only [ob, ln order Lo ensure LhaL Lhe advocaLe ls
able Lo spend adequaLe Llme geLLlng Lo know sLudenLs, maklng Lhemselves vlslble Lo Lhe college
communlLy, and helplng survlvors. vlslblllLy ln Lhls poslLlon ls key because lf sLudenLs do noL
know who Lhe advocaLe ls and feel safe comlng Lo her/hlm, Lhey wlll noL reporL Lo Lhe advocaLe
and Lhus, Lhe advocaLe's poslLlon wlll be useless.
ln May of 2002, uana uorm resldenL eLer 8rush proposed a moLlon Lo form anoLher
Lask force on sexual assaulL (uavls, SCA voLes Lo Lxamlne 8oom uraw, Ponors, and Sexual
raLL 60

AssaulL). lour monLhs laLer Lhe SCA formally creaLed Lhe Sexual AssaulL 1ask lorce. 1he group's
[ob lncluded researchlng ways Lo prevenL sexual assaulL on campus and presenLlng Lhe flndlngs
Lo Lhe admlnlsLraLlon....looklng aL Lhe way Lhe admlnlsLraLlon handles sexual assaulL and
wheLher or noL Lhey acLually adhere Lo Lhelr pollcles..and examlnlng prevenLaLlve measures
agalnsL sexual assaulL" (Pamm, SCA CreaLes Sexual AssaulL 1ask lorce). 8rush, who ran for SCA
resldenL and losL, had volced LhaL lf elecLed, he would work Lo geL a rape crlsls cenLer on
campus. 1he cenLer has yeL Lo be become a reallLy, however, a proposal for a Sexual and
Cender ulverslLy 8esource CenLer was recenLly submlLLed Lo Lhe admlnlsLraLlon and LrusLees,
whlch would conLaln servlces slmllar Lo LhaL of a rape crlsls cenLer (See Appendlx).
AL Lhe end of Lhe flrsL semesLer, Lhe Sexual AssaulL 1ask lorce reporLed Lhelr progress Lo
1be cbo. 1hey spenL Lhe semesLer readlng dlfferenL sexual assaulL pollcles from Parvard,
1rlnlLy, unlverslLy of ConnecLlcuL, and Lhe unlverslLy of Malne and looked aL our Lhelr pollcles
compared Lo Colby's. 1hey also proposed havlng a professlonal come ln durlng CCC1 and Pead
8esldenL 1ralnlng Lo Leach sLudenL leaders how Lo deal wlLh sLudenL who come Lo Lhem Lo
dlscuss sexual assaulL. 1hey also dlscussed Lhe opLlon of maklng Sexual AssaulL AdvocaLe
Lralnlng more avallable Lo CCC1 Leaders and 8A's, slnce Lhe currenL Lralnlng offered durlng
!anplan Look Loo long for many sLudenLs Lo compleLe. ln addlLlon, Lhe commlLLee also looked
lnLo geLLlng Lhe names of people lnvolved ln sexual assaulL cases publlshed ln 1be cbo
(Sllverman). CurrenLly, Lhere ls very llLLle Lralnlng for CCC1 Leaders and CommunlLy Advlsors on
lssues of sexual assaulL. l was Lold LhaL Lhls pasL year LhaL CA's recelved an hour-long Lralnlng on
sexual assaulL and Lhe school's pollcy LaughL by uean !ohnsLon. l was a CCC1 Leader Lhls year
and we dld noL recelve such exLenslve Lralnlng, however, a represenLaLlve from counsellng
raLL 61

servlces Lalked abouL sexual assaulL wlLh us. 1be cbo sLlll does noL publlsh Lhe names of
sLudenLs lnvolved ln sexual assaulL cases.
AfLer lylng dormanL for Lhe sprlng of 2003, Lhe Sexual AssaulL 1ask lorce was relnsLaLed
ln CcLober of 2003 wlLh Lhe goal of conLlnulng Lhere Lhe Lask force aL lefL off. ln March of 2004,
Lhe Sexual AssaulL 1ask lorce became a sLudenL organlzaLlon, SLudenL AgalnsL Sexual AssaulL
(SASA). 1he group LranslLloned from an SCA 1ask lorce Lo a campus club because lL was easler
Lo geL funds as a club. Also, Lhe 1ask lorce, conslsLlng of abouL half senlors, worrled LhaL lf Lhe
organlzaLlon dld noL Lurn lnLo a club, lL would dlssolve once Lhey lefL Colby (Pamm, Sexual
AssaulL 1ask lorce 1urns CrganlzaLlon). As of 2004, Lhe group conLlnued Lo ralse awareness of
sexual assaulL by hosLlng form evenLs, deslgnlng educaLlonal programs on sexual assaulL for
CCC1 Leaders and orlenLaLlon leaders, educaLlng aLhleLlc Leams on lssues of sexual assaulL, and
worklng as advocaLes for sexual assaulL survlvors. lrom whaL l undersLand, mosL aLhleLlc Leams
are noL formally educaLed on lssues of sexual assaulL and Lhere are no offlclal sLudenL sexual
assaulL advocaLes on campus.
ln Lhe early mornlng hours of AugusL 17Lh 2002, [usL afLer CCC1 Leaders had arrlved on
campus, SecurlLy Cfflcer uoug MaLhew responded Lo a call from a female sLudenL who had
been sexually assaulLed (SllbersLeln-Loeb, Sexual AssaulL ComplalnL llled uurlng CCC1
1ralnlng).1he female vlcLlm chose Lo press charges agalnsL her alleged male aLLacker wlLh Lhe
pollce as well as school auLhorlLles. SlgnlflcanLly, 1be cbo publlcly supporLed Lhe vlcLlm, wrlLlng
ln lLs LdlLorlal secLlon LhaL 1be cbo supporLs Lhe female sLudenL seeklng [usLlce and hopes lL ls
duly dealL Lo boLh parLles" (Colby Lcho SLaff, resslng Charges SeLs !usLlce ln MoLlon).
raLL 62

lnLeresLlngly, Lhere was no word of Lhe case unLll !anuary 23
rd
, 2003, when Lhe
convlcLed assallanL, kevln Mllllen '03, flled a lawsulL agalnsL Colby College for noL affordlng
hlm due process and noL followlng proper procedure" (SllbersLeln-Loeb, LawsulL Challenges
Sexual AssaulL ollcy). Accordlng Lo Lhe paper, a uean's Pearlng 8oard had orlglnally found
Mllllen noL responslble ln SepLember of 2002." Powever, Lhe female sLudenL appealed Lhe
declslon because Lhe board was noL properly consLrucLed.alLhough Lhe SLudenL Pandbook
requlres Lhe hearlng board Lo be composed of Lhree deans and one faculLy member, Lhere were
no faculLy members LhaL heard her case." When Lhe reLrlal was granLed, Lhe Appeals 8oard
found Mllllen gullLy ln CcLober. Mllllen clalms LhaL due process was noL followed because 1he
Appeals 8oard neglecLed Lo consulL hlm before granLlng Lhe appeal." ln AugusL of 2003 1he
Superlor CourL of Malne declded agalnsL kevln Mllllen (8usso, Mllllen '03 Loses LawsulL AgalnsL
Colby Cver ConLracL 8reach). Powever, ln 2003, Mllllen appealed Lhe case Lo Lhe Malne
Supreme CourL, buL no lnformaLlon was glven on wheLher or noL he won Lhe appeal (kasneL).
Cver fall Loudness Weekend of 2003, a woman was sexually assaulLed ln a dorm. AL Lhe
Llme of Lhe reporL, Lhe vlcLlm had noL yeL declded wheLher or noL Lo press charges" and no
lnformaLlon was avallable on Lhe speclflcs of Lhe case (kaLe 8usso, MulLlpllclLy of AssaulLs ?lelds
Confuslon: 1wo lndependenL lncldenLs Cccur Cver Loudness Weekend).
uurlng Lhe flrsL week ln november of 2003 Lhe PealLh CenLer and SLudenL PealLh on
Campus sponsored a self-defense workshop as a parL of Sexual AssaulL Awareness Week (luller,
Self uefense Workshop Peld aL Annual Sexual AssaulL Awareness Week). Local 8ape Aggresslon
uefense SysLem lnsLrucLor karen CroLLon and Colby ulrecLor of SecurlLy eLe CheneverL LaughL
Lhe course, whlch also lncluded a dlscusslon on safeLy and alcohol. Several sLudenLs aLLended.
raLL 63

ln addlLlon Lo Lhe workshop, Lhe week also lncluded a presenLaLlon on ornography and Lhe
Medla" by Wheelock College professor Call ulnes. 1he Sexual AssaulL 1ask lorce had a Lable ln
CoLLer unlon all week where Lhey handed ouL lnformaLlon on sexual assaulL and gave away
rlbbons ln memory of sexual assaulL vlcLlms (Pamm, Sexual AssaulL Awareness Week Alms Lo
Make a SLaLemenL on a alnful lssue).
Cn valenLlne's uay of 2003, Meaghan 8oelng from ueana's lund performed her one-
woman show 1he ?ellow uress" Lo a female-only crowd ln Lorlmer Chapel. 1he show dealL
wlLh daLlng vlolence and concluded wlLh a dlscusslon of relaLlonshlp and domesLlc vlolence.
Whlle organlzers were happy LhaL Lhe evenL was well aLLended, some were dlsappolnLed LhaL
no men came Lo Lhe show. SCA resldenL !lll CuLekunsL observed, lL's llke preachlng Lo Lhe
cholr ln Lhe chapel" (CranL, newcomb). 1haL same week, Lhe Sexual AssaulL 1ask lorce handed
ouL whlLe rlbbons for sLudenLs Lo wear ln memory of sexual assaulL vlcLlms (luller, Sexual
AssaulL 1ask lorce lnforms Campus).
ln mld-november of 2004, SASA held a week full of evenLs dedlcaLed Lo ralslng
awareness abouL sexual assaulL. 1he evenLs lncluded a fllm abouL rape, a dlnner conference,
and a fundralslng campalgn called Lhe CloLhesllne ro[ecL" (lrederlck). SASA organlzed a slmllar
week ln Aprll of 2006, whlch agaln lncluded Lhe CloLhesllne ro[ecL, a anel ulscusslon co-
sponsored by Lhe Coldfarb CenLer on Sexual AssaulL, a Lalk on how male aLhleLes can sLop
vlolence agalnsL women, and a movle showlng (Shaffer).
now, seven years laLer, lnsLances of sexual assaulL aL Colby and ln Lhe world perslsL, buL
Lhe Colby communlLy's efforLs Lo prevenL sexual assaulL conLlnue now more Lhan ever before.
1hls sprlng, Lhe college organlzed a commlLLee Lo revlew Lhe sexual assaulL and harassmenL
raLL 64

pollcles and we wlll reporL changes and recommendaLlons aL Lhe end of Lhe year. 1hls wlnLer,
Male ALhleLes AgalnsL vlolence," a sLudenL group dedlcaLed Lo educaLlng men on lssues of
sexual assaulL, was esLabllshed and ls growlng every day. AddlLlonally, communlLy forums and
Lalks have been held LhroughouL Lhe year dlscusslng lssues of sexual harassmenL and sexual
assaulL, one of whlch was speclflcally LlLled, Cender, ower, and CommunlLy." CurrenLly,
sLudenLs and sLaff are plannlng whaL l foresee Lo be a very well organlzed and well-aLLended
campus-wlde 1ake 8ack Lhe nlghL. 1hese efforLs prove LhaL Lhe Colby communlLy cares very
much abouL prevenLlng sexual assaulL and wanLs Lo make Colby a safe place for everyone.
Whlle lL ls evldenL LhaL lmprovemenLs ln pollcy and educaLlon have been made
LhroughouL Lhe years, Colby, llke mosL lnsLlLuLlons, sLlll has a loL of work Lo do ln becomlng a
rape-free communlLy. 1hankfully, wlLh Lhe help of Colby's dedlcaLed sLudenLs and sLaff, we wlll
be able Lo make Lhls a reallLy someday.











raLL 63

lnformal racLlces: Pow ls Sexual AssaulL erpeLuaLed ln Lhe CurrenL
Colby CulLure?
A few ctleJ, bot most of my lotetvlewees wete ooqty ooJ ftosttoteJ.

1hls secLlon ls based on my lnLervlews wlLh Colby sLudenLs durlng Lhe fall of 2011.
1hese lnLervlews are a producL of Lhe flve monLhs l spenL Lalklng Lo sLudenLs, frlends, faculLy,
and communlLy members abouL Lhelr LhoughLs on sexual assaulL and Colby culLure. ln addlLlon
Lo formally lnLervlewlng 11 sLudenLs, l also lnformally lnLervlewed approxlmaLely 23 oLher
sLudenLs and communlLy members, and many of Lhe quoLes used ln Lhls chapLer are Laken from
Lhose conversaLlons as well. AddlLlonally, some of Lhe lnformaLlon gaLhered for Lhls secLlon of
my pro[ecL ls based on my experlences as a Colby sLudenL for Lhe pasL four years, as well as Lhe
experlences of some of my frlends. l use newspaper arLlcles and flrsL-hand accounLs of
scenarlos Lo boLh supplemenL my lnLervlewees' sLaLemenLs and Lo furLher lllusLraLe Colby
culLure as l see lL.
AfLer puLLlng all of my lnLervlews l was able Lo LargeL Lwo Lhemes LhaL were conslsLenLly
prevalenL ln almosL every LesLlmony. 1hese Lhemes lnclude:
1) Male LnLlLlemenL and lemale ulsempowermenL
2) lneffecLlve ollcles and lnadequaLe/lneffecLlve SupporL SysLems.
l analyze Lhe Lwo Lhemes ln separaLe chapLers. 1he Lheme of Male LnLlLlemenL and
lemale ulsempowermenL" ls dlscussed ln Lhe chapLer, lnformal racLlces," whlle Lhe Lheme of
lnadequaLe ollcles and lneffecLlve SupporL SysLems" ls analyzed ln Lhe chapLer, lormal
SLrucLures." l chose Lo focus on Lhese Lhemes noL only because Lhey were conslsLenLly
prevalenL ln all of my lnLervlews buL because Lhey provlde a framework for analyzlng Colby's
sLrucLural pracLlces Lowards sexual assaulL.
raLL 66

lL ls lmporLanL Lo noLe LhaL l promlsed anonymlLy Lo each survlvor LhaL l lnLervlewed for
my Lhesls. l was asked by some Lo frame Lhelr sLory ln such a way LhaL oLher Colby sLudenLs and
communlLy members would noL be able Lo ldenLlfy Lhem as Lhe survlvor. Some survlvors were
also concerned wlLh Lhe readers' ablllLy Lo ldenLlfy Lhelr perpeLraLor because Lhey feared LhaL lf
Lhelr perpeLraLor found ouL LhaL Lhey had Lalked Lo me, Lhey would suffer reLallaLlon. 8ecause
Colby ls a small, close-knlL communlLy where everyone seems Lo know everyLhlng abouL
everyone, some of Lhe people l lnLervlewed were very concerned LhaL readers would be able Lo
use Lhe smallesL deLall Lo Lrace back Lhelr ldenLlLy as a sexual assaulL survlvor. 8ecause of Lhese
concerns, l chose Lo glve every sexual assaulL survlvor l lnLervlewed a pseudonym and
lnLenLlonally lefL ouL Lhe survlvor's name, class year, ma[or, age, or any oLher characLerlsLlc LhaL
would enable a reader Lo ldenLlfy Lhem. l also refraln from deLalllng Lhe speclflcs of cerLaln
cases ln order Lo prevenL reveallng peoples' ldenLlLles. 8y refralnlng from glvlng deLalls on Lhe
survlvors and Lhe speclflcs of Lhelr cases, l am able Lo dlscuss Lhelr experlences and glve volce Lo
Lhelr sLorles wlLhouL ouLlng Lhem and Lhelr perpeLraLors, whlch was a Lop prlorlLy for me as l
was wrlLlng Lhls secLlon.







raLL 67

Sect|on Cne: Ma|e Lnt|t|ement and the erpetuat|on of Iema|e D|sempowerment
l feel llke tbe colleqe ptotecteJ blm mote tboo be JesetveJ-l koow be ls teolly tlcb ooJ l tblok
tbe colleqe ptotecteJ blm fot tbot teosoo. 1bey JlJ oot woot to lose someooe wbo ls looJeJ.
-5toJeot 5exool Assoolt 5otvlvot (tefettloq to tbe IoJlclol 8ootJ cose sbe lost).

Meo cboose to oct tbls woy. AoJ tbey cboose to oct tbls woy becoose tbey belleve lt to be
jostlfleJ .tbey cboose to oct becoose of lJeoloqy-tbe bellefs tbey bove oboot wbot tbey sboolJ
ot sboolJot Jo, wbot tbey coo ot coot Jo, ooJ wby. lo otbet wotJs, wbot eoobles meo to
cboose to commlt tope ooJ coll lt sometbloq else ote.tbe coltote of eotltlemeot, slleoce, ooJ
ptotectloo --klmmel, 2008

Leadlng soclologlsL, professor, and femlnlsL Mlchael klmmel deflnes male enLlLlemenL as
Lhe culLure of enLlLlemenL" LhaL leads prlvlleged men Lo Lhlnk LhaL Lhey can do whaLever Lhey
wanL and geL away wlLh lL.and ofLenLlmes Lhey do" (klmmel, 2010). klmmel dlscusses Lhls
culLure of enLlLlemenL ln hls exploraLlon of mascullnlLy ln Amerlca, CoylooJ, a book LhaL ls
based on over 400 lnLervlews he conducLed wlLh men ages 16-26. klmmel asserLs LhaL such a
culLure of enLlLlemenL ls allowed Lo exlsL because of Lhe all-pervaslve culLure of sllence" LhaL
works Lo proLecL prlvlleged men, parLlcularly aL ellLe college lnsLlLuLlons. ln hls arLlcle, Lacrosse
and Lhe LnLlLled LllLe Male ALhleLe," klmmel analyzes Lhe Lraglc murder unlverslLy of vlrglnla
Lacrosse player, ?eardley Love, who dled aL Lhe hands of her ex-boyfrlend, anoLher uvA
lacrosse player who had a hlsLory of LhreaLenlng and beaLlng her. ln hls analysls, klmmel looks
aL Lhe ways ln whlch male enLlLlemenL and Lhe culLure of sllence LhaL accompanles lL, allowed
Love's boyfrlend, Ceorge Wesley Puguely and conLlnues Lo allow oLher men, Lo acL ln vlolenL
ways Lowards women. Pe explalns:
[lL happens] because Lhey are surrounded by a culLure of sllence among Lhelr lnLlmaLe
frlends and assoclaLes, a culLure of passlve bysLanders who mlghL flnd Lhelr frlend's ouL-
raLL 68

of-conLrol behavlor unpalaLable buL who would never Lhlnk of confronLlng or
challenglng hlm (klmmel, 2010)."
ln expandlng on hls dlscusslon of Lhe culLure of prlvllege and sllence, klmmel asserLs
LhaL Lhe sllence ls allowed Lo exlsL because of a culLure of proLecLlon" LhaL shlelds men from
Lhe consequences of Lhelr acLlons" (klmmel, 2010). klmmel dlscusses:
1he culLure of sllence ls lLself surrounded by a culLure of proLecLlon -- a bubble of class
prlvllege, aLhleLlc sLaLus and a fraLernal wagon-clrcllng when Lhlngs go wrong. lf Lhlngs
go Lerrlbly wrong, Lhe culLure of proLecLlon -- lncludlng parenLs, coaches and alumnl
boosLers -- hlre hlgh-prlced lawyers who manage Lo geL records expunged and wlLnesses
Lo forgeL whaL Lhey saw" (klmmel, 2010).
1hus, whlle Lhe mass medla and college offlclals have managed Lo reduce ?eardley
Love's murder up Lo love-gone-wrong or an lsolaLed ouLbursL of a dormanL psychopaLh, whaL ls
lmporLanL Lo look aL ln cases llke Lhls, and ln all lnsLances of gender vlolence and sexual assaulL,
ls Lhe ways ln whlch culLures of prlvllege, sllence, and proLecLlon, whlch lnvolve Lhe sLrucLural
pracLlce of proLecLlng prlvlleged men who commlL sexual assaulL by coverlng up or refuslng Lo
Lalk abouL Lhelr crlmes, work Lo perpeLuaLe, lgnore, and allow gender vlolence. ln addlLlon, lL ls
lmporLanL Lo look aL Lhe ways ln whlch Lhese culLures of prlvllege, sllence, and proLecLlon,
dlsempowers survlvors by renderlng sexual assaulL and Lhus, Lhelr sLorles of survlval, lnvlslble.
1he llnk beLween Lhese Lwo facLs explaln, ln parL, why sexual assaulL ls so hard Lo address-lf
Lhe same culLure LhaL perpeLuaLes sexual assaulL ls Lhe same culLure LhaL sllences survlvors of
lL, Lhen Lhe same sysLem LhaL allows sexual assaulL Lo occur ls Lhe same sysLem LhaL malnLalns
lL. 1hls creaLes a vlclous cycle, where Lhe culLure of prlvllege, sllence, and proLecLlon, whlch
raLL 69

exlsLs aL Colby ln Lhe form of favorlLlsm Lowards male aLhleLes, Lhe Lolerance of underground
fraLernlLles, Lhe fallure Lo adequaLely punlsh sLudenLs convlcLed of commlLLlng gender vlolence,
and relnforcemenL of Lhe dlsmlsslve aLLlLude LhaL boy wlll be boys", boLh perpeLuaLes and
malnLalns an envlronmenL where gender vlolence occurs. 1hls makes sexual assaulL lncredlbly
dlfflculL Lo prevenL, because ln order Lo sLop sexual assaulL we musL eradlcaLe Lhe very sysLem
LhaL sllences lL and prevenL people from speaklng ouL abouL lL (klmmel, 2010).
l use klmmel's analysls of ?eardley Love's murder Lo provlde a foundaLlon for explalnlng
Lhe ways ln whlch culLures of prlvllege, sllence, and proLecLlon work ln slmllar ways aL Colby, a
school LhaL aLLracLs a sLudenL body LhaL can be characLerlzed by affluence and prlvllege. 1he
culLure of prlvllege, sllence, and proLecLlon aL uvA LhaL enabled and allowed Ceorge Wesley
Pughley Lo conslsLenLly hurL and evenLually klll hls glrlfrlend, ls, ln many ways, Lhe same Lype of
prlvllege, sllence, and proLecLlon LhaL enables Colby sLudenLs Lo sexually assaulL Colby oLher
sLudenLs. Whlle lL would noL be enLlrely accuraLe Lo equaLe sexual assaulL aL Colby wlLh Lhe
bruLal murder of Love, slnce sexual assaulL and murder are Lwo very dlfferenL crlmes, one can
sLlll suggesL LhaL sexual assaulL aL Colby and Love's murder are slmllar ln LhaL Pughley's kllllng of
Love was Lhe culmlnaLlon of a very abuslve relaLlonshlp-an abuslve relaLlonshlp LhaL people,
lncludlng Pughley's LeammaLes, knew abouL and chose noL Lo Lalk abouL. 1he facL LhaL people
knew abouL hls abuse of Love and sLlll dld noL confronL hlm abouL lL or reporL lL Lo auLhorlLles
suggesLs LhaL Pughley's crlme was ln parL enabled by Lhe culLure of prlvllege, sllence, and
proLecLlon LhaL shlelded hlm from Lhe consequences of hls acLlons. 8y shleldlng Pughley from
Lhe consequences of hls abuslve behavlor, Pughley's LeammaLes, frlends, and coaches, all
parLlclpaLed ln Lhe sysLem of prlvllege, sllence, and proLecLlon LhaL lead Pughly Lo belleve LhaL
raLL 70

he was enLlLled Lo klll hls glrlfrlend. Mlchael klmmel supporL Lhls clalm ln hls commenLary on
Lhe case, noLlng,
My guess ls LhaL someone -- a roommaLe, fraLernlLy broLher, a LeammaLe -- knew LhaL
Ceorge was freaklng ouL, knew he was dlsLressed. 8uL he sald noLhlng, dld noLhlng, Lold
no one. no coaches seem Lo have seen even a hlnL of hls obvlous dlsLress. no resldence
hall advlsers noLlced anyLhlng odd.Lhls ls a guy who had been sendlng LhreaLenlng
emalls Lo ?eardley Love for some Llme and who had, Lwo monLhs earller, accordlng Lo
Lhe wosbloqtoo lost, assaulLed Love aL a parLy where Lwo norLh Carollna lacrosse
players had Lo lnLervene Lo sLop hlm. And where were hls uvA LeammaLes Lhen? .
Suddenly Lhls doesn'L seem llke Lhe lsolaLed lncldenL commlLLed by one lone deranged
guy. lL was LhaL, of course, buL lL was also much more Lhan LhaL" (klmmel, 2010).
8y much more Lhan LhaL," klmmel means Lhe culLure of sllence...surrounded by Lhe
culLure of proLecLlon" LhaL made lL hard" for Pughley Lo granL anyone else auLonomy
(klmmel, 2010). 8ecause Pughley's murder of love and sexual assaulL aL Colby are boLh enabled
by Lhe culLure of prlvllege, sllence, and proLecLlon LhaL keeps perpeLraLors of gender vlolence
from sufferlng Lhe consequences of Lhelr crlmes and Lhus, creaLes a culLure where perpeLraLors
feel enLlLled Lo be vlolenL, lL ls falr Lo llnk Lhe Lwo.
1he sysLem of proLecLlon LhaL characLerlzes male enLlLlemenL, and exlsLs aL communlLles
llke Colby, uvA, and oLher ellLe lnsLlLuLlons, ls lnexLrlcably llnked Lo lssues of female
dlsempowermenL. l found Lhls Lo be especlally Lrue ln my sLudy, when l came Lo reallze LhaL lack
of female empowermenL ofLenLlmes comes as a dlrecL resulL of Lhe enacLmenL of male
enLlLlemenL on Lhe Colby campus. 1hls ls speclflcally seen ln cases where women who reporLed
raLL 71

Lhelr assaulL Lo Lhe dean losL (ln parL because of Lhe culLure of prlvllege, sllence, and proLecLlon
LhaL characLerlzes Lhe [udlclal process and proLecLs assaulLers. 1hese survlvors, who were
undersLandably dlsappolnLed, hurL, and angry, felL dlsempowered by boLh Lhe verdlcL and Lhe
process by whlch school offlclals arrlved aL Lhe verdlcL, slnce Lhe ouLcome lnvalldaLed Lhe
survlvors' experlences ln favor of proLecLlng Lhelr perpeLraLors. Many women l Lalked Lo
expressed Lhese lnLense feellngs of dlsempowermenL by saylng LhaL Lhey were made Lo feel llke
Lhelr sLory was noL real" or dld noL happen" and LhaL Lhey had no conLrol" over Lhelr llves
and bodles.
lL ls lmporLanL Lo recognlze LhaL Lhls sexlsL culLure of male prlvllege, sllence, and
proLecLlon exlsLs ln Lhe greaLer world and aL Colby, and Lherefore, we cannoL place Lhe enLlre
blame on Colby lLself. Colby ls a mlcrocosm of Lhe greaLer mlsogynlsL world, and we are all
producLs of LhaL world. ConsequenLly, lL would be unfalr Lo slngle Colby ouL as a sexlsL and
mlsogynlsL place wlLhouL recognlzlng LhaL Lhe sysLems of sLrucLural sexlsm LhaL exlsL aL Colby
and everywhere else. 8ecause sexlsm exlsLs everywhere, and Lherefore, affecLs everyone, l do
noL belleve sLudenLs come Lo Colby and learn sexlsm and male enLlLlemenL-l Lhlnk Lhey learn lL
long before Lhey geL Lo college. Powever, Lhe problem aL Colby ls LhaL Lhe culLure here
molotolos Lhe culLure of prlvllege, sllence, and proLecLlon, LhaL sLudenL have lnLernallzed and
relnforces Lhe mlsogynlsL bellefs LhaL accompany such a culLure. 1hus, l Lhlnk lL ls lmporLanL for
us Lo reflecL on how our currenL culLure, whlch ls supposed Lo be a culLure of educaLlon and
lnLellecLual growLh, noL only falls Lo Leach agalnsL oppresslve sLrucLures LhaL conLrlbuLe Lo
sexual assaulL (llke male enLlLlemenL, sexlsm, and mlsogyny), buL also relnforces Lhese sysLems
raLL 72

ln culLural pracLlce. 1he followlng pages are my own such reflecLlons-l hope Lhey lnsplre you
Lo do some of your own.




















raLL 73

"#$% &'()($%*%'( #'+ ,%*#$% -).%*/01%2*%'(3 -#'4%205. 6)$%'7%.
vetyooe koows wbo tbe pteJotots ote bot tbey qet owoy wltb lt. -5exool Assoolt 5otvlvot
uesplte tbe temotkoble volome of wotJs spokeo oboot ooJ lmoqes sbowo of Jomestlc
vloleoce, tope, cbllJ obose, ooJ tbe motJet of womeo, slleocloq comes ftom tbe complex woys
lo wblcb tbose wbo clolm ootbotlty ooJ expettlse oboot tbe lssoe ootbotlze wbot coo be solJ
oboot sexool vloleoce. -ktlstlo 8omlllet

wbete looqooqe ooJ oomloq ote powet,
5lleoce ls opptessloo, ls vloleoce.
-AJtleooe klcb

l wanL Lo reLurn Lo klmmel's Lheory of Lhe culLure of enLlLlemenL" LhaL leads prlvlleged
men Lo Lhlnk LhaL Lhey can do whaLever Lhey wanL and geL away wlLh lL."(klmmel, 2010). l
have found ln my research LhaL overwhelmlng, mosL men aL Colby do geL away sexual assaulL.
Cf all Lhe women l lnLervlewed and Lalked Lo, only one was successfully able Lo geL her aLLacker
punlshed for hls crlme. Whlle some could argue LhaL slnce very few women reporL, lL makes
sense LhaL very few perpeLraLors are punlshed, l see Lhls sLaLlsLlc ln a more nuanced way. Whlle
Lhls Lheory ls cerLalnly complex, l Lhlnk LhaL Lhe culLure of prlvllege, sllence, and proLecLlon"
dlscourages survlvors from reporLlng and proLecLs Lhose reporLed raplsLs from punlshmenL,
Lhus keeplng women dlsempowered and sllenL (klmmel, 2010).
1o be clear, Lhe culLure of prlvllege, sllence, and proLecLlon LhaL exlsLs aL Colby ls seen ln
Lhe college's refusal Lo publlcly acknowledge when cases of gender vlolence have occurred, Lhe
college's fallure Lo adequaLely punlsh Lhose who commlL gender vlolence, Lhe pracLlce of uslng
vague language Lo deflne sexual assaulL ln order Lo make lL look llke Lhe perpeLraLor dld noL
acLually commlL a crlme, and Lhe enacLmenL of excesslvely sofL senLence Lo sLudenLs who
commlL boLh physlcal and verbal forms of gender vlolence (for example, ln one case l sLudled,
Lhe perpeLraLor was convlcLed of commlLLlng unwanLed sexual relaLlons" buL noL of acLual
raLL 74

sexual assaulL. 1hls vague language proLecLed hlm from belng labeled a raplsL," and Lhe
convlcLlon resulLed ln merely a slap on Lhe wrlsL. l see Lhls speclflcally ln Lhe facL LhaL almosL all
of Lhe survlvors l lnLervlewed who dld noL reporL Lhelr assaulLers Lo Lhe uean or pollce chose
noL Lo because Lhey felL llke noLhlng would come of lL."Cne survlvor named 8eLh* sald, l dld
noL Lhlnk lL would be besL for my healLh Lo have Lo recounL Lhe sLory over and over agaln, and l
had heard from oLher women LhaL LhaL ls whaL Lhey make you do. l also dld noL feel llke l would
have been compleLely supporLed by Lhe admlnlsLraLlon, so l [usL dld noL Lhlnk reporLlng would
be worLh lL." AnoLher woman named 8rlanna* clalmed LhaL one of Lhe reasons why she chose
noL Lo reporL ls because she Loo had heard from oLher women LhaL lL would noL be worLh her
Llme Lo reporL." Lach of Lhese women's commenLs suggesLs LhaL Lhey feared Lhey would be
furLher vlcLlmlzed by Lhe admlnlsLraLlon and Lhe reporLlng process. rofessor of Women's
SLudles and ollLlcal Sclence aL AmhersL College, krlsLln 8umlller, dlscusses Lhe reallLy of Lhls
fear ln her book, lo oo Aboslve 5tote. ln dlscusslng Lhe relaLlonshlp beLween Lhe sLaLe and
vlcLlms of sexual vlolence, 8umlller asserLs LhaL uesplLe femlnlsL-lnsplred reforms, many of
whlch were expllclLly deslgned Lo empower 'vlcLlms' Lo exerclse more 'cholce' or proLecL
agalnsL reLraumaLlzaLlon, Lhe volces and deslres of women are ofLen muLed by Lhe more
domlnanL dlscourse of Lhe sLaLe" (8umlller 96), ConsequenLly, women ofLen flnd LhaL Lhey
experlence bruLallLles LhaL mlmlc Lhe vlolence Lhey hoped Lo leave behlnd" (8umlller 97).
AlLhough 8umlller's book prlmarlly dlscusses Lhe relaLlonshlp rape vlcLlm and baLLered women
have wlLh Lhe sLaLe, l Lhlnk her Lheorles can be applled Lo Colby College, slnce Colby lLself ls a
sLaLe LhaL ls also lnhablLed by survlvors of sexual vlolence. !usL as 8umlller's lnLervlewees'
expresslon of ln[usLlce ls cenLered on lndlgnlLles perpeLraLed by Lhe sysLem raLher Lhan Lhe
raLL 73

lndlvldual men who baLLered Lhem," Lhe females l lnLervlewed expressed slmllar feellngs of
ln[usLlce perpeLraLed by Lhe admlnlsLraLlon and Lhe reporLlng process (8umlller 109).
1hls ls speclflcally seen Lhe few cases l sLudled where women aL Colby dld reporL. 1hose
who reporLed lnclude enny*, who was Lold LhaL she was noL menLally sLable" enough Lo
sLand a hearlng (due Lo Lhe eaLlng dlsorder she had developed as a resulL of her sexual assaulL),
and consequenLly, was lnsLrucLed Lo leave campus and enLer resldenLlal LreaLmenL. She
suggesLed Lo me LhaL due Lo Lhe facL LhaL her assaulLer was a promlnenL fooLball senlor fooLball
player, she LhoughL LhaL Lhe college flgured lf Lhey senL her away for Lhe semesLer, he could
graduaLe wlLhouL punlshmenL and Lhey would noL have Lo deal wlLh Lhe lssue. upon her reLurn
Lo campus afLer her semesLer off she was glven Lhe lmpresslon LhaL she could noL Lalk abouL lL
because lL was ln Lhe pasL." 1he survlvors summed up her reporLlng ordeal Lo 1he college
deflnlLely proLecLed hlm.he goL hls dlploma and l goL food prlson." ln looklng aL Lhls case, one
can suggesL LhaL enny was vlcLlmlzed by Colby's process, slnce her volce and deslres were
muLed for Lhe domlnanL dlscourse of Lhe sLaLe" (8umlller 96). 1hls ls parLlcularly seen ln Lhe
admlnlsLraLlon's refusal Lo leL her brlng her case Lo a hearlng, whlch provldes a perfecL example
of Lhe Colby-sLaLe forfelLlng Lhe vlcLlm's needs ln favor of lLs own pollcles of sllenclng vlcLlms
and proLecLlng perpeLraLors. 1hls ls furLher proven when one conslders LhaL more ofLen Lhan
noL, Colby's domlnanL dlscourse" ls one of prlvllege, sllence, and proLecLlon (8umlller 96).
Colby's vlcLlmlzaLlon of sexual assaulL survlvors ls furLher evldenL ln Lhe case of
lsabelle*, who also reporLed her case Lo Lhe uean and losL. uurlng our lnLervlew, she deplcLed
Lhe flve hour hearlng and Lhe way ln whlch Lhe culLure of prlvllege, sllence, and proLecLlon
facLored lnLo Lhe case, noLlng,
raLL 76

l had Lo wrlLe up Lhls really long sLaLemenL and he had Lo Loo-my roommaLes came
because Lhey were wlLnesses. ApparenLly before he assaulLed me he Lold hls roommaLe:
uon'L come back, l have a glrl wlLh me," so hls roommaLe came Loo as a wlLness. lL (Lhe
hearlng) lnvolved a loL of preparaLlon--my parenLs came up and hls parenLs came up for
Lhe hearlng--lL was a loL golng on, sLressful for myself and for my parenLs. lL goL really
ugly--l felL llke lL was an exLreme Law and order Lplsode. Pe (her assaulLer) clearly had
waLched Loo many courLroom 1v shows. Pe kepL refuLlng everyLhlng l sald and
lnLerrogaLlng me. We were ln separaLe rooms buL Lhere was speaker phone so we could
hear each oLher's LesLlmony. 1he hearlng was Laped so uean !ohnsLon could go llsLen Lo
lL afLer and deLermlne Lhe ouLcome of Lhe case. lL was hard for me because l was really
uncomforLable Lalklng abouL someLhlng really personal and embarrasslng. l dld noL wanL
Lo have Lo Lalk abouL how l was forced Lo glve a blow [ob ln fronL of deans. Anyways, a
week laLer l goL Lhe declslon back: Lhey dldn'L have enough evldence Lo say LhaL lL had
happened, so he could noL geL ln Lrouble for sexual assaulL. lnsLead lL was consldered
'unwanLed sexual conLacL' and he was prohlblLed from belng near me(from my
undersLandlng, Lhe college generally Lakes Lhls rullng when Lhere ls noL enough evldence
Lo prove LhaL sexual assaulL dld occur) .
AfLer l losL Lhe case l [usL sLarLed convlnclng myself LhaL lL dldn'L happen. l Lrled
Lhlnklng Lhe admlnlsLraLlon was rlghL. Pearlng Lhem say LhaL made me Lhlnk uean
!ohnson dldn'L belleve my word. l Lrled Lo puL lL behlnd me, buL l couldn'L geL over
Lhlnklng everyone knew abouL lL. eople called me crazy. l sLopped seelng someone aL
Lhe healLh cenLer because l [usL wanLed Lo be done wlLh lL. l felL sLupld for brlnglng up
raLL 77

Lhe charges, l probably shouldn'L have. l Lhlnk my llfe would have been a loL easler had l
noL pressed charges."
ln looklng back on Lhe assaulL and Lhe hearlng process Lhe woman commenLed on Lhe
culLure of sllence and proLecLlon LhaL affecLed Lhe case, noLlng,
l [usL felL llke because l wasn'L raped and l sald someLhlng abouL lL, lL was almosL a
sLrlke agalnsL me, llke l was breaklng Lhe sllence, llke l should have kepL lL a secreL. l feel
llke Lhe people who have real problems don'L say anyLhlng abouL Lhem. l feel llke my
case goL brushed off because Lhere were noL phoLo documenLs LhaL proved l was raped
and brulsed.whaL really confuses me ls Lhe college sends ouL Lhese pamphleLs Lelllng us
Lo reporL sLuff and when we do Lhey dlsmlss lL. unless Lhere ls concreLe evldence lL
dldn'L happen. Why does Lhe college make such a blg deal expllclLly deflnlng sexual
assaulL lf Lhey aren'L golng Lo Lake lL serlously when lL happens?! lL was so much work Lo
geL Lold LhaL lL dldn'L happen."
AfLer learnlng flrsLhand how pervaslve Lhe culLure of prlvllege, sllence, and proLecLlon ls
aL Colby and how Lhe sysLem proLecLs perpeLraLors of sexual assaulL, Lhe survlvor clalmed LhaL
lf she could go back, she would noL boLher reporLlng:
l wlsh l wouldn'L have sald anyLhlng because l spoke ouL agalnsL Lhe culLure
normallzes sexual assaulL.l was only a flrsL year aL Lhe Llme, l llLerally had been aL Lhls
school for only a few monLhs. l dldn'L know LhaL was consldered normal here..lf lL were
Lo happen Lo me agaln, l don'L Lhlnk l would say anyLhlng, l would save myself Lhe paln
of havlng Lo explaln lL 30 Llmes Lo Lhe admlnlsLraLlon and belng shamed by oLhers. l
Lhlnk ln Lhe real world lL would have been Laken more serlously, buL here, l shouldn'L
raLL 78

have sald anyLhlng because sexual assaulL ls consldered normal.my mlsLake was LhaL l
hadn'L been exposed Lo Lhe Colby culLure long enough Lo know LhaL lL lsn'L seen as blg
deal here."
Llke enny's* case, lsabelle's* case lllusLraLes how Lhe Colby-sLaLe sLlfles Lhe volces of
sexual assaulL survlvors ln favor of lLs own domlnanL dlscourse" of prlvllege, sllence, and
proLecLlon (8umlller 96). ConsequenLly, boLh enny and lsabelle experlence[d] bruLallLles" LhaL
arguably mlmlc Lhe vlolence Lhey hoped Lo leave behlnd," whlch ls seen ln how LraumaLlc boLh
of Lhelr reporLlng processes were (8umlller 97).
8ased on my lnLervlews, l came Lo undersLand LhaL Lhere exlsLs a sorL of neLwork of
women on campus who had elLher been sexually assaulLed or who knew someone who had
been sexually assaulLed. Whlle some of Lhese women were frlends or acqualnLances who had
Lalked abouL Lhelr experlences wlLh each oLher, and Lherefore, may have played lnLo each
oLher's declslons Lo noL reporL, Lhey all adhered Lo Lhe unsald rule LhaL reporLlng was a
compleLe wasLe of Llme and ofLenLlmes, dld more harm Lhan good. 1hls suggesLs Lo me LhaL lL ls
somewhaL common knowledge amongsL Lhls group of survlvors LhaL Lhose who choose Lo
reporL wlll be vlcLlmlzed by Lhe Colby-sLaLe ln Lhe same ways LhaL enny* and lsabelle* were.
ln order Lo proLecL" lLs sLudenLs Lhe school does noL Lalk abouL sexual assaulL cases, or
lnform sLudenLs abouL Lhe reallLy of gender vlolence on campus, whlch ls seen ln Lhe school's
refusal Lo Lell sLudenLs Lhe LruLh abouL hll 8rown. 1he college's sllenclng Lhen becomes a way
of dlsappearlng people ln Lhe false hope of dlsappearlng Lhe underlylng soclal problem Lhey
represenL" (uavls 41). 1hus, as a consequence of Lhe college's need Lo proLecL" Lhe prlvlleged
raplsL/perpeLraLor and Lhe repuLaLlon of Lhe prlvlleged lnsLlLuLlon, Lhey sllence Lhe lssue of
raLL 79

sexual assaulL and ln Lurn, sllence Lhose who are survlvors of assaulL, and perpeLuaLe Lhe myLh
LhaL rape aL Colby does noL exlsL. Survlvors, who become aware of Lhese modes of lnsLlLuLlonal
sllenclng afLer hearlng Lhe sLorles of oLher vlcLlmlzed survlvors aL Colby, and consclous LhaL
Lhelr exlsLence as survlvors of sexual assaulL wlll be erased by Lhe SLaLe, choose Lo cuL Lhelr
losses and noL reporL. ln Lhls sense, Lhe sysLem of prlvllege, sllence, and proLecLlon proLecLs
raplsLs by keeplng women quleL and dlsempowered--noL because Lhey wanL Lo be quleL and
dlsempowered-- buL because Lhey do noL have any oLher cholce.
ln addlLlon Lo seelng Lhe culLure of prlvllege, sllence, and proLecLlon aL work ln Lhe
experlences of my lnLervlewees, l also see lL ln Lhe way Lhe college handled Lhe case of hll
8rown. lnsLead of lnformlng Lhe communlLy exacLly whaL happened, Lhey somewhaL covered
up hls blaLanL mlsogynlsL acL by amblguously clalmlng lL was a vlolaLlon of sLudenL prlvacy"
(lmporLanL AnnouncemenL). 8educlng hls behavlor Lo a vlolaLlon of sLudenL prlvacy" mlsleads
people Lo Lhlnk LhaL whaL he dld was noL all tbot bad. When l read lL l guessed LhaL he probably
released a sLudenL's grades Lo someone who was noL supposed Lo see Lhem, or commlLLed
some oLher mlnor academlc Lransgresslon-buL noL for once dld l Lhlnk LhaL he Look naked
plcLures of a female sLudenL. 1he mlsleadlng naLure of Lhe language used Lo descrlbed whaL he
dld suggesLs LhaL Lhe college was somewhaL Lrylng Lo cover lL up, or aL leasL, cover lL up for as
long as Lhey could. Whlle l know LhaL Lhe college has Lhe responslblllLy Lo ablde by Lhe law and
proLecL Lhe affecLed sLudenLs' prlvacy, Lhere ls a way Lo go abouL lnformlng a communlLy of
gender vlolence wlLhouL ouLlng vlcLlms or lnfrlnglng on Lhelr wlsh for prlvacy. AlLhough vlcLlms
could poLenLlally be scruLlnlzed ln slLuaLlons llke Lhese, especlally on a campus as small as
Colby's, l Lhlnk Lhe beneflLs of maklng a communlLy more aware of gender vlolence far
raLL 80

ouLwelgh Lhe cosLs. Whlle sllenclng may proLecL Lhe vlcLlms, such sllenclng perpeLuaLes a
sysLem LhaL ofLenLlmes renders vlcLlm's experlences lnvlslble, and consequenLly, proLecLs
perpeLraLors of vlolence whlle slmulLaneously keeplng Lhe communlLy unlnformed on how
frequenL acLs of gender vlolence occur. As a resulL, communlLles do noL address lssues of lssues
of sexual assaulL or make more efforLs Lo prevenL lL, because Lhey do noL know how large of a
problem lL ls. 1hls cycle of sllenclng keeps Lhe culLure of prlvllege, sllence, and proLecLlon ln
place aL Lhe expense of Lhe enLlre communlLy. Whlle college offlclals clalm LhaL by remalnlng
vague and sllenL, Lhey are proLecLlng vlcLlms' prlvacy, Lhelr sllence really only serves Lo proLecL
hll 8rown and Lhe lnsLlLuLlon by employlng Lhe same Lype of prlvllege, sllence, and proLecLlon
LhaL has proLecLed and conLlnues Lo proLecL men who sexually assaulL.
!usL as a communlLy's dlscourse plays a ma[or parL ln shaplng Lhe knowledge and ldeals
of Lhe communlLy, a communlLy's sllence and Lhe Lhlngs lL chooses Lo be sllenL abouL, slmllarly
deLermlnes lLs knowledge and values. As loucaulL says, Sllence lLself-Lhe Lhlng one decllnes
Lo say, or ls forbldden Lo name, Lhe dlscreLlon LhaL ls requlred beLween dlfferenL speakers-ls
less Lhe absoluLe llmlL of dlscourse, Lhe oLher slde from whlch lL ls separaLed by a sLrlcL
boundary, tboo oo elemeot tbot fooctloos olooqslJe tbe tbloqs solJ (loucaulL 27). l see
loucaulL's quoLe relaLlng Lo Colby ln a few ways-[usL as our mlsogynlsL dlscourse fosLers a
communlLy LhaL dehumanlzes women and queer people Lo Lhe degree LhaL harassmenL and
vlolence agalnsL Lhem ls allowed and lgnored, our sllenclng of Loplcs llke hll 8rown produces
an envlronmenL LhaL erases Lhe exlsLence of lssues llke sexual explolLaLlon, sexual harassmenL,
and sexual assaulL. 1hls sllenclng does noL proLecL communlLy members or Lhe vlcLlms of hll
raLL 81

8rown-lL [usL feeds lnLo Lhe sysLem of prlvllege, sllence, and proLecLlon LhaL conLlnues Lo
dlsempower women and enable Lhelr abusers.
1he college's sllenclng of Lhe hll 8rown, whlch ls seen ln Lhe amblguous and mlsleadlng
language Lhey used Lo descrlbe and consequenLly cover up Lhe case, Lhelr fallure Lo noLlfy
sLudenLs of Lhe crlme, and Lhelr refusal Lo dlscuss Lhe case wlLh Lhe Colby communlLy, ls made
furLher evldenL by Lhe facL LhaL nearly all of Lhe lnformaLlon my frlends, professors, and l
recelved abouL Lhe case came dlrecLly from news sources, noL Lhe college lLself. l was Lold by
several faculLy members LhaL Lhe only lnformaLlon Lhey recelved was Lhe same emall LhaL was
senL Lo sLudenLs. lrom whaL l was Lold, faculLy chalrs were called lnLo a meeLlng Lo dlscuss Lhe
maLLer, buL even Lhey were glven very llLLle lnformaLlon. AfLer Lhe admlnlsLraLlon falled Lo
publlcly address Lhe lssue or dlscuss Lhe evenL wlLh Lhe communlLy for several weeks, 1he
MulLlculLural Affalrs CommlLLee and Lhe CommlLLee on 8ace and 8aclsm organlzed a forum
LlLled, Cender, ower, and CommunlLy" and lnvlLed Lhe admlnlsLraLlon ln Lhe hopes LhaL such
an evenL would generaLe dlscusslon on Lhe hll 8rown slLuaLlon.
Powever, such dlscusslon was sLunLed by Lhe admlnlsLraLlon's refusal Lo address Lhe
case, clLlng LhaL Lhey legally could noL commenL on whaL had happened. A frusLraLed audlence
of sLudenLs and faculLy pushed Lo geL Lhelr quesLlons answered, buL Lo no avall, Lhe slLuaLlon
was yeL agaln sllenced. Agaln, Lhls sllenclng does noL proLecL us, lL [usL becomes a way of Lrylng
Lo erase people ln Lhe hope LhaL by eraslng Lhelr exlsLence, Lhe problems Lhey represenL wlll be
exLlngulshed Loo. 1hus, by Lrylng Lo make hll 8rown and hls explolLaLlve crlme dlsappear, we
are also Lrylng Lo make Lhe underlylng problem of mlsogyny, sexlsm, and Lhe culLure of ellLe
male enLlLlemenL dlsappear. Agaln, Lhls does noL help us-lL [usL supporLs and furLher
raLL 82

perpeLuaLes Lhe sysLem of oppresslon LhaL enabled hlm and men llke hlm Lo commlL mlsogynlsL
acLs.




















raLL 83

"#$% &'()($%*%'( #'+ ,%*#$% -).%*/01%2*%'(3 89)$ :201'
1o tbe colby commoolty,
l om wtltloq to lofotm yoo tbot followloq ootlce ftom tbe colleqe of lts loteot to Jlsmlss blm,
Assoclote ltofessot of cooomlcs lblllp n. 8towo bos teslqoeJ. 1be teslqootloo ot colby's
tepoest ls teloteJ to vlolotloo of stoJeot ptlvocy. ..
-lteslJeot 8to AJoms (emoll seot to tbe colby commoolty)

Coys belleve tbot tbey ote eotltleJ to womeos boJles.oofottoootely fot tbem, o slqolflcoot
omooot of womeo Jo oot see lt tbot woy -klmmel, 2008

Cn !anuary 28
Lh
2011, Colby sLudenLs and employees recelved an emall from resldenL
8ro Adams lnformlng Lhem LhaL economlcs professor, hll 8rown, had reslgned afLer college
offlclals had lndlcaLed Lhey were prepared Lo flre hlm over 'vlolaLlon of sLudenL prlvacy'"
(Monroe). lL was laLe revealed Lhrough Lhe PufflngLon osL and kennebec !ournal LhaL LhaL hll
8rown was forced Lo reslgn afLer allegaLlons surfaced LhaL he seL up a hldden survelllance
camera Lo Lake phoLos of female sLudenLs ln a baLhroom whlle chaperonlng an lnLernaLlonal
sLudenL Lrlp" (Monroe).
Accordlng Lo Lhe local paper, Lhe allegaLlons surfaced on !an. 22 when Lwo sLudenLs
were wrlLlng a blog posL and accldenLally deleLed Lhe enLry. 1he sLudenLs aLLempLed Lo reLrleve
Lhe blog posL from Lhe compuLer's Lrash bln 'and found dlsLurblng lmages of a fellow sLudenL'
(Monroe). 1he sLudenL ln Lhe phoLo, a female, was 'nude from Lhe walsL down."' Cnce Lhe
sLudenLs saw Lhe plcLure and were able Lo ldenLlfy Lhe woman ln Lhe phoLo as a female on Lhelr
Lrlp, Lhey conLacLed school auLhorlLles, who Lhen conLacLed ueLecLlve uave ArmsLrong of Lhe
CompuLer Crlmes unlL. Cn !anuary 23
Lh
Lhe sLudenL ln Lhe phoLo spoke wlLh ArmsLrong by
phone and sald LhaL 8rown -- prlor Lo Lhe Lrlp and afLer a class aL Colby -- had asked lf she
would agree Lo be ln charge of Lhe medlclne box' durlng Lhe Lrlp" (Monroe). 1he woman agreed
Lo help 8rown, and on Lhe flrsL nlghL of Lhe Lrlp, he placed Lhe medlclne box," whlch lncluded a
raLL 84

flrsL ald klL, medlclne, and a sLrange black box, ln Lhe baLhroom and Lold Lhe sLudenLs noL Lo
move lL. upon lnspecLlng Lhe baLhroom, Lhe sLudenLs found a survelllance camera lnslde Lhe
black box" (Monroe). SLudenLs Lhen reporLed Lhe dlscovery Lo college offlclals and senL Lhe
lmage Lo ArmsLrong, who was able Lo conflrm Lhe lmage had come from a survelllance-Lype
camera" (Monroe). 1haL same day, vlce resldenL of Academlc Affalrs and uean of laculLy, Lorl
klelLzer, confronLed" 8rown on Lhe phone, relleved hlm of hls duLles, and placed hlm on
admlnlsLraLlve leave" (Monroe). 8rown subsequenLly called klelLzer back, apologlzed, and
promlsed LhaL "Lhls was Lhe flrsL Llme he had ever done Lhls (lnvaslon of prlvacy) and was very
remorseful" (Monroe). 1he nexL day, !anuary 26
Lh
, 8rown meL wlLh college offlclals Lo dlscuss
hls LermlnaLlon. AL Lhe meeLlng, 8rown confessed LhaL he had commlLLed Lhe same crlme
before on Lhe 2009 Chlna Lrlp," and anoLher Llme ln hls campus aparLmenL buL noL wlLh a
Colby College sLudenL" (Monroe). Accordlng Lo an affldavlL, 8rown reLurned Lo hls aparLmenL
(whlch ls ln a bulldlng LhaL houses boLh sLudenLs and faculLy) Lo move ouL hls belonglngs buL
lefL all elecLronlc devlces, whlch were selzed by pollce Lhe nexL day for lnvesLlgaLlon. Allegedly,
deLecLlves are sLlll Lrylng Lo gaLher evldence from Chlna. CurrenLly, Lhe case ls sLlll under
lnvesLlgaLlon.
l deplcL Lhe deLalls of Lhe hll 8rown case because l Lhlnk hls acLlons and Lhe college's
response Lo hls acLlons reflecL a seL of lnsLlLuLlonal pracLlces LhaL polnL Lo Lhe larger sLrucLures
of sllenclng LhaL exlsL aL Colby. Whlle Lhe case of hll 8rown ls dlfferenL from lnsLances of
sLudenL Lo sLudenL sexual assaulL because Lhe crlme was commlLLed by a faculLy member, l see
Colby's response, whlch ls based on Lhe pracLlce of sllenclng, Lo be conslsLenL wlLh Lhelr
responses Lo lnsLances of sexual assaulL commlLLed by sLudenLs. Such conslsLencles are seen ln
raLL 83

Lhe way Colby refused Lo lnform Lhe Colby communlLy of hls crlme and Lhelr declslon Lo use
amblguous language Lo mlsleadlngly cover up Lhe facL he sexually assaulLed a sLudenL. As we
have esLabllshed, boLh of Lhese meLhods have been deployed by Lhe school Lo sweep sLudenL
sexual assaulL cases underLhe rug, and Lherefore, l Lhlnk lL ls falr Lo draw a parallel beLween Lhe
Lwo.
AlLhough from whaL l undersLand, hll 8rown dld noL Louch Lhe sLudenL, hls lnvaslve
crlme should sLlll be consldered sexual assaulL because he sexually vlolaLed a woman's body
wlLhouL her consenL. WhaL some conslder Lo be less severe" offenses on Lhe conLlnuum of
gender vlolence," offenses llke peeplng lnLo women's wlndows, Laklng naked phoLos of glrls,
and harasslng females on Lhe sLreeL, all work Lo creaLe a culLure LhaL condones rape by
supporLlng Lhe myLh LhaL women's bodles are noL Lhelr own, buL sources of sexual pleasure for
men. 1hls sorL of Lhlnklng sLrlps women of Lhelr sexual auLonomy and [usLlfles rape by
perpeLuaLlng Lhe noLlon LhaL men should be able Lo do whaLever Lhey wanL Lo females' bodles.
ln order Lo eradlcaLe sexual assaulL from Colby College, lL ls lmperaLlve LhaL we
acknowledge LhaL sexual assaulL and oLher forms of gender vlolence, lncludlng Lhe Lype of
vlolence LhaL hll 8rown commlLLed, are a conLlnuous serles of evenLs LhaL pass lnLo one
anoLher" and are unlLed by a baslc common characLer (Sheffleld 113). Carole Sheffleld argues
LhaL vlewlng sexual vlolence ln Lhls way furLhers an undersLandlng of boLh Lhe ordlnary and
exLraordlnary forms of sexual Lerrorlsm and Lhe range of abuse LhaL women experlence ln Lhelr
llfeLlme" (Sheffleld 113). Calnlng such an undersLandlng wlll help us beLLer deconsLrucL and
combaL Lhe sLrucLural sexlsm LhaL ls rooLed ln all forms of gender vlolence.

raLL 86

Ma|e Lnt|t|ement and Iema|e D|sempowerment: M|sogyn|st D|scourse:
1btooqboot blstoty, lloqolstlc vloleoce bos occotteJ olooqslJe pbyslcol vloleoce, ofteo
pteceJloq, focllltotloq, ooJ totlooollzloq pbyslcol vloleoce. -wllllom Coy

oo foq! -8oy lo tbe 5po
Opptesslve looqooqe Joes mote tboo tepteseot vloleoce, lt ls vloleoce, Joes mote tboo
tepteseot tbe llmlts of koowleJqe, lt llmlts koowleJqe.
-1ool Mottlsoo, Nobel lectote, uec. 7, 199J
Aw coot!-8oy ot o potty my ftleoJ wos ot-oppoteotly be wos sbootloq lt evety tlme be moJe
o mlstoke lo o Jtlokloq qome.

lrench phllosopher Mlchel loucaulL dlscusses Lhe way ln whlch a communlLy's dlscourse
shapes lLs knowledge of cerLaln Loplcs and deLermlnes Lhe sub[ecLlvlLy of lLs lndlvlduals ln hls
famous work, 1be nlstoty of 5exoollty. ln Lhe book, loucaulL asserLs LhaL lL ls ln dlscourse LhaL
power and knowledge are [olned LogeLher" (100). Pe expands upon Lhls argumenL by Lheorlzlng
Lhe ways ln whlch dlscourse and power are [olned, clLlng LhaL dlscourse consLrucLs and
relnforces power: We musL make allowance for Lhe complex and unsLable process whereby
dlscourse can be boLh an lnsLrumenL and an effecL of power.dlscourse LransmlLs and produces
power, lL relnforces lL (101). ln shorL, loucaulL ls polnLlng Lo Lhe ways ln whlch whaL we say
abouL cerLaln lssues, speclflcally lssues of sexuallLy, boLh consLrucL and relnforce whaL we, and
Lhose around us, Lhlnk abouL sald lssues. 1herefore, lf l say LhaL all women who wear Lube Lops
are whores" my dlscourse boLh pro[ecLs Lhe ldea onLo my communlLy and relnforces Lhe
already exlsLlng ldea LhaL all women who wear Lube Lops are whores. 1hls dlscourse grows,
wlLh people agreelng and repeaLlng Lhe dlscourse. CLhers who hear lL repeaL Lhe dlscourse unLll
lL becomes common knowledge amongsL members of LhaL communlLy LhaL ln facL all women
who wear Lube Lops are whores." ln Lhls sense, whaL people say ls boLh an lnsLrumenL and an
raLL 87

effecL of power," because such dlscourse promoLes Lhe unequal ldeals LhaL granLs people Lhe
power Lo say such degradlng remarks, and ln parL, deLermlne Lhe values of Lhe communlLy
(101). ConsequenLly, whaL we say wlLhln our communlLles and whaL we allow oLhers
(parLlcularly oLhers ln poslLlon of power) Lo say ln our communlLles produces and perpeLuaLes
Lhe sysLems of knowledge, bellefs, and prlnclples LhaL our communlLles adhere Lo.
l preface my dlscusslon of Male LnLlLlemenL and lemale ulsempowermenL: MlsogynlsL
ulscourse" wlLh loucaulL Lo emphaslze Lhe degree Lo whlch Lhe mlsogynlsL dlscourse of
members of Lhe Colby communlLy conLrlbuLes Lo produclng and perpeLuaLlng mlsogynlsL
Lhlnklng LhaL ln parL causes, allows, and lgnores Lhe abuse of women. 1he perpeLuaLlng and
condonlng of Lhese verbal abuses are llnked Lo hlgher lnsLances of sexual assaulL because Lhey
promoLe Lhe ldea LhaL women are less human" Lhan oLhers (namely, Lhose ln power) and
Lherefore, somehow deserve" Lhese abuses, whlch makes lL easler for communlLy members Lo
[usLlfy harasslng and assaulLlng Lhese mlnorlLy groups. l wlll dlscuss Lhe prevalence of Lhese
dlscourses and how Lhey conLrlbuLe Lo a culLure LhaL allows and lgnores sexual assaulL by
analyzlng mlsogynlsL dlscourse aL Colby ln Lhe followlng paragraphs.
MlsogynlsL language exlsLs aL Colby ln many ways. l hear lL aL parLles when l hear
women calllng oLher women sluLs." l heard lL Lhe Llme a man called me a blLch" afLer l sLood
up for my frlend who he had lnLenLlonally poured beer on. l heard lL aL a parLy when a man
called hls glrlfrlend a whore." l hear lL ln Lhe muslc we llsLen Lo-- Colby ls paylng $80,000 for
Wlz kallfa, a rapper whose lyrlcs lnclude, blLches love me" and l goL Lhe cars, goL Lhe cloLhes,
goL Lhe money and Lhe hoes," Lo come Lo Colby for our sprlng concerL. l hear lL when people
raLL 88

laugh aL rape [okes. ln facL, one survlvor Lold me LhaL her frlends, who do noL know abouL her
assaulL, Lell rape [okes Lo her face.
8eyond [usL name-calllng, l hear mlsogynlsL dlscourse ln Lhe way people descrlbe sexual
acLs. Such descrlpLlons serve Lo degrade female sexuallLy Lo someLhlng LhaL ls dlrLy" or
nonexlsLenL and valorlze male sexuallLy as someLhlng LhaL ls sLudly" and noble. 1hls ls evldenL
ln Lhe varlous ways men deplcL havlng sex wlLh women, saylng LhaL Lhey fucked her," ralled
her," rode her," boned her," banged her," or lald her." 1hls ls also seen ln Lhe way men
deplcL women havlng sex wlLh Lhem, saylng LhaL Lhe blLch rode me," LhaL freak boned me
hard," or LhaL crazy glrl goL me off." Such deplcLlons noL-so-lronlcally resemble scenes of rape
(when l hear Lhe phrase, l ralled her," l do noL Lhlnk of muLual sex--l Lhlnk of rape), render
women elLher lnvlslble or crazy," and emphaslze a dlscourse of one-slded sex LhaL does noL
lnclude muLual respecL and egallLarlan lnLlmacy.
noL only does Lhls dlscourse hurL women, buL lL also conveys denlgraLlng or demeanlng
aLLlLudes"-aLLlLudes LhaL conLrlbuLe Lo Lhe greaLer dlscourse LhaL reduces women Lo sexual
ob[ecLs (Cay 436). AnyLlme a group of people ls reduced Lo an ob[ecL, lL ls easler Lo
dehumanlze Lhem, whlch could poLenLlally lead Lo hlgher raLes of vlolence enacLed agalnsL
Lhem. C! ascoe dlscusses how Lhls sorL of dlscourse emphaslzes men's conLrol over women's
bodles and asserLs Lhelr power and sense of enLlLlemenL, noLlng,
As Lhey do wlLh lnvoklng fag dlscourse, boys Lalklng abouL heLerosexuallLy are and are
noL Lalklng abouL sex. 1helr Lalk abouL heLerosexuallLy reveals less abouL sexual
orlenLaLlon and deslre Lhan lL does abouL Lhe cenLrallLy of Lhe ablllLy Lo exerclse masLery
and domlnance llLerally or flguraLlvely over women's bodles.engaglng ln very publlc
raLL 89

pracLlces of heLerosexuallLy, boys afflrm much more Lhan [usL mascullnlLy, Lhey afflrm
sub[ecLhood and personhood Lhrough sexuallzed lnLeracLlons ln whlch lndlcaLe Lo
Lhemselves and oLhers LhaL Lhey have Lhe ablllLy Lo work Lhelr wlll upon Lhe world
around Lhem" (ascoe 86).
She furLher commenLs on Lhe lmpllcaLlons of Lhls dlscourse by explalnlng LhaL Lhe
dlscourse emphaslzes gender lnequallLles, clLlng from her research, looklng aL boys' rlLuallsLlc
sex Lalk...lndlcaLes how Lhls gender lnequallLy ls relnforced Lhrough everyday lnLeracLlons"
(ascoe 87). 8ecause men's dlscourse regardlng heLerosexual sex serves Lo relnforce gender
lnequallLles, asserL men's conLrol over women's bodles, and malnLaln a dangerous sense of
power and enLlLlemenL amongsL men, one can suggesL LhaL Lhe mlsogynlsL dlscourse
conLrlbuLes Lo sexual assaulL by relnforclng Lhe very same sysLems of oppresslon (male
enLlLlemenL, gender lnequallLy) LhaL perpeLuaLe sexual assaulL.
Seelng how mlsogynlsL language seeks Lo relnforce oppresslve sysLems such as male
enLlLlemenL, gender lnequallLy, and men's conLrol over women's bodles, whlch,
noncolncldenLally, also perpeLuaLe sexual assaulL, lL ls no wonder LhaL Lhose who rape lnclLe Lhe
dlscourse LhaL condones Lhelr very acLs. 1hls ls a huge problem for Colby, slnce our currenL
dlscourse, whlch ln many spaces ls one of mlsogyny, has conLrlbuLed Lo whaL l see as Lhe
compllclL accepLance of gender lnequallLles and male conLrol amongsL Colby sLudenLs. 1hls ls
noL Lo say LhaL every person and every space aL Colby ls mlsogynlsL (because LhaL ls Loo
reducLlve), buL lL ls Lo say LhaL many of Lhe soclally powerful spaces (age, Lhe Spa, Lhe
AparLmenLs, Lhe parLy scene) and many of Lhe powerful people who have Lhe mosL auLhorlLy Lo
generaLe dlscourse and Lhus shape Lhe ldeals of Lhe Colby communlLy (for example, male
raLL 90

aLhleLes), are uslng mlsogynlsL dlscourse Lo Lhe degree LhaL lL has adversely affecLed our
communlLy.
Colby ls a mlcrocosm of Lhe larger mlsogynlsL and homophoblc world, and lLs sLudenLs
are producLs of LhaL world-Lhls ls noL Lhelr faulL, lL ls [usL a consequence of llvlng ln Lhe
culLure LhaL Lhey llve ln. As !udlLh 8uLler polnLs ouL, 1hose who commlL acLs of vlolence are
surely responslble for Lhem, Lhey are noL dupes or mechanlsms of an lmpersonal soclal force,
buL agenLs wlLh responslblllLy. Oo tbe otbet booJ, tbese loJlvlJools ote fotmeJ, and we would
be maklng a mlsLake lf we reduced Lhelr acLlons Lo purely self-generaLed acLs of wlll or
sympLoms of paLhology of 'evll.'" (8uLler 17). lurLhermore, mlsogyny has been a parL of our
culLure for very a long Llme and consequenLly, such ldeals have been perpeLuaLed ln Lhe greaLer
world and aL Colby for generaLlons. 1herefore, lL would be unfalr Lo place blame on any seL
group of people or generaLlon of sLudenLs. Powever, l Lhlnk lL ls lmporLanL Lo look aL Lhe ways
ln whlch our communlLy's dlscourse, whlch ls boLh creaLed by and relnforced by members of
our communlLy, produces an envlronmenL LhaL allows and condones rape.








raLL 91

"#$% &'()($%*%'( #'+ ,%*#$% -).%*/01%2*%'(3 -2)';)'4< 8#2()%.< #'+ =>00;)'4 ?/3@
1be soclol sceoe ls cteoteJ bete by meo, so femoles ote vety mocb oo tbelt owo wbeo lt comes
to tbe potty ooJ book-op sceoe -5exool Assoolt 5otvlvot
ne fotceJ me to qlve blm o blowjob ooJ solJ l jost woooo pot lt lo yoo-5exool Assoolt
5otvlvot
nookloq op seems JlsoJvootoqeoos to womeo lo so mooy woys, ooJ oot ooly becoose tbe sex
lsot so qteot. lo foct tbe Jlsloceotlves oppeot so oometoos tbot ooe eveotoolly mlqbt wooJet
wby womeo botbet. 1be bookop coltote oppeots to pteseot o kloJ of lose-lose sltootloo. lf tbey
Joot pottlclpote, tbey tlsk soclol lsolotloo-oot to meotloo tbot tbey olso foteqo sex ltself, os
well os ooy emotloool coooectloo tbey moy be oble to spoeeze oot of tbe occosloo. lf tbey Jo
pottlclpote, tbey foce tbe poteotlolly qteotet tlsk of loss of voloe, ooJ tbetes o qooJ cbooce
tbey woot bove ooy foo --klmmel, 2008
Whlle Lhe Lerm hooklng-up" seems llke any old slang word for my peers and l, Lhe word
lLself dld noL come lnLo exlsLence unLll preLLy recenLly. Whlle admlLLlng LhaL Lhe word hook
up" ls lncredlbly hard Lo deflne because young men and women experlence lL ln so many
dlfferenL ways," Mlchael klmmel clLes LhaL,
1o 'hook up' means Lo engage ln any sorL of sexual acLlvlLy wlLh someone you are noL a
ln a relaLlonshlp wlLh. Pooklng up ls used Lo descrlbe casual sexual encounLers on a
conLlnuum of 'one nlghL sLands' (a hookup LhaL Lakes place once and only once wlLh
someone who may or may noL be a sLranger) Lo 'frlends wlLh beneflLs' (frlends who do
noL care Lo be romanLlc parLners, buL may lnclude sex among Lhe acLlvlLles Lhey en[oy
LogeLher)" (klmmel, 2008).
SlgnlflcanLly, vlrLually all hooklng up ls lubrlcaLed wlLh coplous amounLs of alcohol,"
whlch connecLs Lhe acL dlrecLly Lo Lhe soclal scene aL Colby, slnce Lhe soclal scene aL Colby
largely revolves around alcohol (klmmel, 2008).
raLL 92

l Lhlnk mosL Colby sLudenLs would agree LhaL Lhe soclal scene, drlnklng, and hooklng up,
are all lnLrlcaLely connecLed Lo each oLher. eople go ouL" and drlnk ofLenLlmes Lo hook up
wlLh people. Cne of my lnLervlewees, Lmlly*, relnforced Lhls clalm, noLlng,
1he drlnklng culLure and Lhe hook-up culLure feed off of and lnform each oLher. Cne
wouldn'L exlsL Lo such a degree LhaL lL does wlLhouL Lhe oLher. eople geL drunk Lo
hook-up, people hook-up because Lhey are drunk. aL a place llke Colby where we have
a very llmlLed and sLrange daLlng culLure, people seek lnLlmaLe/physlcal conLacL Lhrough
alcohol."
AnoLher one of my lnLervlewees, Mary*, echoed Lhls clalm, commenLlng, lL ls scary how closely
llnked drlnklng and hookup culLure are." 1hls ls noL Lo say LhaL hooklng up ls Lhe only reason
why people parLlclpaLe ln Lhe parLy scene-some people [usL llke Lo soclallze and hang ouL wlLh
frlends. Powever, l belleve LhaL for many people, lf Lhey are golng ouL Lhe assumpLlon ls LhaL
Lhey are golng Lo go flnd someone Lo hook up wlLh.
AlLhough boLh men and women aL Colby parLlclpaLe ln Lhe hookup culLure, males and
females experlence Lhe hookup culLure very dlfferenLly. 1hls ls largely due Lo Lhe sexual double
sLandards lnherenL ln Lhe hookup culLure. Mlchael klmmel dlscusses Lhese double sLandards
and how Lhese double sLandards perpeLuaLes a sex culLure LhaL favors men aL Lhe expense of
women, noLlng,
ln a sense, hooklng up reLalns cerLaln feaLures of older daLlng paLLerns: male
domlnaLlon, female compllance, and double sLandards. 1hough hooklng up may seem Lo
be muLually deslred by boLh guys and glrls, our research lndlcaLes LhaL guys lnlLlaLe
sexual behavlor mosL of Lhe Llme (less Lhan a Lhlrd of respondenLs sald Lhls was muLual).
raLL 93

Pookups are Lwlce as llkely Lo Lake place ln hls room as ln hers. And, mosL lmporLanLly,
hooklng up enhances hls repuLaLlon whereas lL damages hers. Cuys who hook up a loL
are seen by Lhelr peers as sLud, women who hook up a loL are seen as sluLs who 'glve lL
up.' Accordlng Lo uuke's sLudy of campus sexual behavlor, 'Men and women agreed Lhe
sexual double sLandard perslsLs: men galn sLaLus Lhrough sexual acLlvlLy whlle women
losL sLaLus" (klmmel, 2008).
l argue LhaL Lhe sexual double sLandard lnherenL Lo hookup culLure, make hookup
culLure dangerous because lL perpeLuaLes Lhe ldea LhaL guys who hook up a loL are sLuds,
whlle women who hook up a loL are sluLs who 'glve lL up'" (klmmel, 2008). 1hls double sLandard
degrades female sexuallLy Lo someLhlng LhaL ls dlrLy" and shameful, and valorlzes male
sexuallLy as someLhlng LhaL ls admlrable. 1hls hurLs boLh men and women and conLrlbuLes Lo a
culLure LhaL perpeLuaLes and allows rape by [usLlfylng sexual assaulL. l see Lhls speclflcally ln
some of Lhe cases l sLudled aL Colby where women were blamed for leLLlng Lhelr rape happen
Lo Lhem" by wearlng shorL sklrLs or havlng mulLlple sexual parLners prlor Lo Lhelr rape. l also see
lL ln Lhe way some raplsLs' acLlons are excused, [usLlfled, and even celebraLed by members of
Lhe Colby communlLy because havlng mulLlple sexual parLners, even lf Lhose parLners dld noL
consenL Lo sex, ls seen as sLudly." Whlle many people wlll clalm LhaL Lhey do noL belleve Lhese
myLhs, l belleve LhaL many of us subconsclously adhere Lo Lhls Lhlnklng wlLhouL even knowlng
lL, whlch ls why pre[udlces llke sexlsm are so pervaslve ln Lhe world and aL Colby.
Moreover, a male domlnaLed sex culLure ls dangerous because lL dlsempowers women.
When (heLerosexual) women are forced Lo choose beLween forgolng all heLerosexual
relaLlonshlps wlLh men or seLLllng for whaL, accordlng Lo my research, ls mosL ofLen a
raLL 94

demeanlng hookup, Lhey always lose. ln Lhe end, Lhere ls very llLLle room for heLerosexual
women Lo feel sexually saLlsfled and respecLed ln Lhelr relaLlonshlps wlLh men wlLhln Lhe
hookup culLure because Lhe sysLem makes lL very hard for such an opLlon Lo exlsL. lor me and
for many oLher women, Lhls ls lncredlbly dlsempowerlng. Cne woman l Lalked Lo expressed Lhls
dlsempowermenL very eloquenLly, saylng,
l feel llke l have had a loL of ldenLlLy crlsls lssues aL Colby.l have been havlng so much
anxleLy abouL my gender. l was so lnvolved ln Lhe hookup culLure all of sophomore year.
l klnd of LhoughL lL was fun and lL had Lhe poLenLlal Lo be fun, so l was really lnLo lL and l
llked belng able Lo Lell Lhe sLory Lhe nexL day, buL lL ls welrd and awkward. l felL gross
afLer.Lhen l wenL abroad and had a boyfrlend Lhere and sex wlLh hlm was so bad. l
felL undervalued because lL was all abouL hlm. l removed myself from Lhe hookup
culLure because lL made me feel bad abouL myself buL now l feel bad abouL myself for
noL parLaklng ln hook up culLure (slgh). l Lhlnk hookup culLure ls enLlrely unfulfllllng and
very drunken.lL's a bunch of people Lrylng Lo flnd lnLlmacy Lhe wrong way, Lrylng Lo
flnd valldaLlon."
lemale dlsempowermenL dlrecLly relaLes Lo sexual assaulL because Lhe more
dlsempowered a female ls, Lhe less confldenL and self-assured she ls, and Lhe more llkely lL ls
LhaL she wlll condone sexlsL behavlors. l see Lhls play ouL ln so many dlfferenL ways aL Colby. l
see lL ln Lhe way women [usL accepL" Lhe facL LhaL Lhelr buLL wlll lnevlLably be grabbed aL a
Colby dance. l see lL ln Lhe way women [usL accepL Lhe facL LhaL Lhey wlll be expecLed Lo
perform oral sex on Lhelr male hookup parLner buL Lhe ma[orlLy of Lhe Llme, Lhe acL wlll noL
be reclprocaLed. l see lL ln Lhe way one woman's frlends blamed her assaulL on her, saylng LhaL
raLL 93

she should noL have puL herself ln LhaL slLuaLlon." l see lL ln Lhe way one survlvor confessed
LhaL she losL her volce" and could noL scream no" as she was belng raped. ln Lhe end, a male
domlnaLed sex culLure llke Lhe one LhaL exlsLs aL Colby dlsempowers females and conLrlbuLes Lo
an envlronmenL LhaL perpeLuaLes rape by braln-washlng women lnLo Lhlnklng LhaL mlsogynlsL,
vlolenL, and unaccepLable behavlor ls okay.
AlLhough l do noL Lhlnk Lhe hookup culLure LhaL exlsLs aL Colby ls conduclve Lo creaLlng a
rape-free communlLy because lL degrades female sexuallLy and dlsempowers females, l do noL
Lhlnk hookup culLure lLself ls bad. As a 1hlrd Wave femlnlsL, l adhere Lo Lhe ldeas of sex
poslLlvlLy and belleve LhaL sexual expresslon can be found ln many forms and does noL
necessarlly have Lo be locaLed ln a LradlLlonal monogamous relaLlonshlp. 1haL belng sald, my
problem wlLh hookup culLure aL Colby ls noL Lhe hookup culLure lLself, buL raLher, Lhe sexual
double sLandards LhaL exlsL wlLhln Lhe hookup culLure whlch perpeLuaLe sexual assaulL by
maklng men Lhlnk LhaL lf you are drunk enough Lhey can do whaLever Lhey wanL"(8rlanna*).
1hls ls seen ln Lhe way Lhe sexual double sLandards [usLlfy sexual assaulL and bralnwash women
lnLo accepLlng sexlsL behavlors, whlch boLh conLrlbuLe Lo an envlronmenL where sexual assaulL
occurs.
SlgnlflcanLly, lL became clear Lo me falrly early on ln my research LhaL hookup culLure ls
very much connecLed Lo lnsLances of sexual assaulL. Cf Lhe eleven survlvors l lnLervlewed,
seven were sexually assaulLed ln a hookup gone wrong" slLuaLlon, where Lhey consenLed Lo
every acL up Lo a cerLaln. ln Lhese scenarlos, Lhe man refused Lo llsLen Lo Lhe survlvor say no
(ofLenLlmes, Lhls slLuaLlon occurred when Lhe Lwo people were consensually klsslng or Louchlng
each oLher, and Lhe man forced Lhe woman Lo perform oral sex or have lnLercourse wlLh hlm).
raLL 96

1he hlgh frequency of hookups gone wrong" suggesLs Lo me LhaL men do noL seem Lo care lf
Lhe woman Lhey are belng lnLlmaLe wlLh does noL granL or reLracLs consenL-lf she ls Lhere and
he can overpower her, hls needs Lake precedence over her sexual and bodlly auLonomy.
CLher Lypes of sexual assaulL LhaL occur wlLhln Lhe hookup scene lnclude Lhe sexual
assaulL of women who are elLher Loo drunk Lo glve consenL or are so drunk, Lhey are
unconsclous. 1hls happened Lo one woman l lnLervlewed named !enny* who was raped whlle
she was passed ouL drunk and her raplsL was sober:
lreshman year l was hanglng ouL wlLh my Lwo glrlfrlends.l meL a guy LhaL nlghL, a
frlend of a frlend.l was very drunk.l blacked ouL .he ended up havlng sex wlLh me.he
was dead sober, never drank, has noL drank ln years..l was a freshman and he was a
[unlor...l remember noL knowlng LhaL Lo do.l goL really fucked up from lL.l confronLed
hlm a year laLer..l Lold hlm LhaL l knew whaL happened.l remember l had seen hlm
one oLher Llme and he came up and apologlzed.l dldn'L Lell hlm lL was rape and l dldn'L
Lell myself rape.saylng l goL raped ls hard."
Slmllar Lo hookups gone wrong," Lhe sexual assaulL of an unconsclous woman, suggesLs
Lo me LhaL Lhe perpeLraLors do noL care lf Lhe person ls lncapable of glvlng consenL-hls sexual
needs are more lmporLanL Lhan her own bodlly lnLegrlLy.
Whlle Lhe hlgh lnsLances of rape and sexual assaulL ln Lhe hookup culLure ls cerLalnly a
huge lssue LhaL Lhe admlnlsLraLlon musL address, l Lhlnk LhaL lL would be wrong Lo place all of
Lhe responslblllLy on Lhe admlnlsLraLlon. 8ecause Lhe ma[orlLy of sexual assaulLs aL Colby occur
wlLhln Lhe hookup culLure, ln order Lo conLrol sexual assaulL, Lhe admlnlsLraLlon would have Lo
conLrol Lhe hookup culLure. 1hls ls lmposslble because ln order Lo conLrol Lhe hookup culLure,
raLL 97

Lhe admlnlsLraLlon would have Lo pollce sLudenLs' sexuallLy, whlch Lhey cannoL do. 1herefore, l
argue LhaL sLudenLs need Lo Lake more or an acLlve role ln changlng Lhe campus soclal culLure
Lo one LhaL ls less rooLed ln sexlsL double sLandards. 8ecause we are Lhe only ones who have
access Lo Lhls culLure, and Lherefore, are Lhe only ones able Lo change lL, l Lhlnk lL ls prlmarlly
Lhe [ob of sLudenLs Lo work Lo change Lhe mlsogynlsL hookup culLure, so LhaL women and men
can have a sex culLure LhaL ls equallLarlan, safe, and does noL perpeLuaLe lnsLances sexual
assaulL. ln order Lo achleve Lhls, lL ls lmperaLlve LhaL we eradlcaLe Lhe sexlsL double sLandards
LhaL exlsL wlLhln Lhe hookup culLure















raLL 98

"#$% &'()($%*%'( #'+ ,%*#$% -).%*/01%2*%'(3 "#$% A(9$%(% B5$(52%3
l Jo oot ooJetstooJ bow colby boosts ltself os oo ellte lostltotloo wbeo lts owo stoJeots
slop ooJ vlolote otbet stoJeots ooJ tbeo cbeet fot tbem oo tbe spotts flelJ. -5toJeot 5exool
Assoolt 5otvlvot.

Assolloots ote oot llmlteJ to otbletes ooJ ftotetolty membets, ooJ tbe vost mojotlty of ftot meo
ooJ otbletes Jo oot tope. nowevet, tbe tote ls blqbet omooq tbese qtoops becoose of tbelt
posltloo of ptlvlleqe oo compos ooJ becoose of tbelt lovolvemeot wltb olcobol. -cotol 8obmet
ooJ AoJteo lottot


ln referrlng Lo male enLlLlemenL wlLhln aLhleLe culLure, Mlchael klmmel says LhaL one of
Lhe reasons why Lhe rlsk of sexual assaulL ls hlgh among Lhese hlgh-presLlge all-male groups"
ls because nowhere ls Lhe broLherhood more lnLense, Lhe bondlng more lnLlmaLe and
powerful, or Lhe culLure of proLecLlon more evldenL Lhan among otbletes and fraLernlLy
members' (klmmel, 2008). SlgnlflcanLly, klmmel polnLs ouL LhaL a survey of LwenLy unlverslLles
wlLh ulvlslon l aLhleLlc programs found LhaL male aLhleLes made up 3.7 of Lhe sLudenL
populaLlon, buL also comprlsed 19 of sexual assaulL reporLed by Lhe !udlclal Affalrs Cfflce
(klmmel, 2008). MassachuseLLs Superlor CourL !udge 8oberL 8arLon furLher lllusLraLes Lhe
culLure of male enLlLlemenL ln aLhleLlcs ln referrlng Lo Lhe alleged rape of a woman by a 8osLon
CelLlcs player, saylng,
1he aLhleLes are spolled. 1hey're pampered.1hey've been spolled everywhere Lhey've
gone. Lverybody has covered for Lhem. 1he coach has covered for Lhem. 1he professors
have covered for Lhem. 1he pollce cover for Lhem.Lo make sure LhaL Lhe sLar
quarLerback or baskeLball player or baseball player ls golng Lo be able Lo play nexL
week" (klmmel, 2008).
raLL 99

1he same sorL of culLure of enLlLlemenL and proLecLlon ls evldenL aL Colby College,
where many male aLhleLes who commlL sexual assaulL do noL suffer any form of punlshmenL.
1hree women l lnLervlewed were elLher sexually assaulLed by a male aLhleLe aL Colby or knew
someone who had been sexually assaulLed by a male aLhleLe aL Colby. Llke l sald ln my hlsLory
secLlon, lL ls lmporLanL look aL Lhe lnformaLlon l was able Lo flnd, as well as cooslJet tbe
lofotmotloo tbot l wos oot oble to floJ. 1hls ls noL Lo say LhaL you should [usL make up false
sLorles of sexual assaulL ln your head, buL lL ls Lo say LhaL you should Lake lnLo accounL Lhe
degree of sllenclng LhaL occurs ln Lhe culLure of proLecLlon, Lake noLe of Lhe ways ln whlch Lhls
may have affecLed survlvors' ablllLy Lo reporL, and lmaglne Lhe number of oLher sLorles LhaL
exlsL LhaL were noL reporLed Lo me. 1haL belng sald, whlle one may look aL Lhe sLaLlsLlc of only
Lhree" women who were sexually assaulLed by male aLhleLes as a falrly small number, Lhe
acLual sLaLlsLlc lLself ls probably much larger Lhan Lhree, especlally when you conslder LhaL
accordlng Lo Lhe naLlonal SLaLlsLlcs abouL Sexual vlolence on College Campuses, one ln four
college-aged women reporL experlences LhaL meeL Lhe legal deflnlLlons of rape or aLLempLed
rape," yeL fewer Lhan 3 of rapes are reporLed Lo law." SLaggerlngly, only 4 of Lhe 11 survlvors
l lnLervlewed aLLempLed Lo reporL Lhelr assaulL Lo school auLhorlLles, whlch lllusLraLes Lhe
degree Lo whlch survlvors do noL reporL.
Cne woman l Lalked Lo named enny* descrlbed her aLLempLed rape by a fooLball
player ln deLall: uurlng wlnLer loudness of her freshman year she aLLended a parLy where she
meL an older fooLball player. Pe approached her, Lhey Lalked for a whlle, and he lnvlLed her
back Lo hls dorm room. Cnce she followed hlm lnLo hls room and Lhey were alone, he locked
Lhe door and forced her Lo klss hlm. Pe proceeded Lo slap her Lwlce ln Lhe face and sexually
raLL 100

assaulLed her by forclng her Lo perform oral sex Lwlce. enny descrlbed Lhe scene Lo me by
saylng, Pls hands were everywhere and l was crylng and yelllng.l felL llke l was noL ln my own
body." AfLer forclng her Lo perform oral sex for Lhe second Llme, he conLlnued Lo sexually
assaulL her by aLLempLlng Lo force hls penls lnslde of her vaglna. She kepL hollerlng no and
pleaded wlLh hlm Lo sLop. When she Lold hlm LhaL she was a vlrgln, he goL off of her, Lold her Lo
geL dressed, and lefL Lhe room. 1he survlvor goL dressed and walked herself home, crylng
hysLerlcally. She took o sbowet bot coolJot feel cleoo, ooJ coolJ oot stop ctyloq.
Cverwhelmed by Lhe assaulL and sLressed abouL her upcomlng flnals, enny* puL herself
Lo bed and temoloeJ lo Jeolol abouL Lhe assaulL for Lhe nexL Lwo years, unLll she collapsed ln
her shower from exhausLlon caused by an eaLlng dlsorder she reporLs she developed as a dlrecL
resulL of Lhe assaulL. SlgnlflcanLly, Lhe survlvor was able Lo pln-polnL Lhe momenL when her
eaLlng dlsorder began and how Lhe momenL was connecLed Lo her assaulL, whlch lllusLraLes Lhe
way ln whlch her assaulL Lrlggered" her eaLlng dlsorder. She descrlbed, Cne Llme afLer Lhe
aLLack, he (her assaulLer) wlnked aL me ln uana" and afflrmed LhaL LhaL ls how my eaLlng
dlsorder sLarLed-l was eaLlng cheerlos ln uana when he wlnked aL me, and l lmmedlaLely
sLopped eaLlng and sLarLed haLlng my body-Calorle counLlng became my way of dlsassoclaLlng
from Lhe assaulL ln order Lo galn conLrol."
enny's* eaLlng dlsorder also lncluded crylng unconLrollably for hours aL a Llme and
compulslvely worklng ouL. AfLer she collapsed she meL wlLh a counselor aL Lhe PealLh CenLer
where she dlscussed boLh her eaLlng dlsorder and Lhe assaulL, Lhe college recommended LhaL
she Lake a medlcal leave for Lhe sprlng semesLer, calllng her a llablllLy." Accordlng Lo enny*,
she felL llke Lhe college LhoughL LhaL lf l lefL and he graduaLed, everyLhlng would be okay." She
raLL 101

lefL Colby and enLered resldenLlal LreaLmenL for her eaLlng dlsorder for Lwo and a half monLhs.
upon reLurnlng from LreaLmenL, she relapsed, and only Lhen dld she deal wlLh Lhe paln of her
aLLempLed rape." ln Lhe end, Lhe college dld noL do anyLhlng Lo her perpeLraLor because Lhey
felL LhaL she was noL menLally capable of correcLly recalllng Lhe evenLs." CurrenLly, Lhe survlvor
conLlnues Lo aLLend counsellng ouLslde of Colby Lo work Lhrough Lhe paln Lhe assaulL caused.
ln reflecLlng on how her assaulL has affecLed her ouLslde of her eaLlng dlsorder, enny*
expressed more anger Lhan anyLhlng, saylng, lrankly, l am [usL so angry and upseL LhaL l spenL
Llme aL Colby belng depressed for someLhlng Lhe college could have prevenLed..l beaL myself
up for Lwo and a half years for whaL he dld Lo me.and no one should have Lo go Lhrough LhaL."
ln Lhls quoLe, enny suggesLed LhaL she sees Lhe ways ln whlch Lhe college could have
prevenLed her assaulL, and elaboraLed on Lhls laLer ln our lnLervlew, when sald LhaL she belleves
Colby's Lendency Lo noL punlsh perpeLraLors, palred wlLh Lhe college's lnsufflclenL meLhod of
educaLlng sLudenLs on lssues of sexual assaulL, creaLed an envlronmenL LhaL allowed her assaulL
Lo happen. She Lherefore suggesLs LhaL her assaulL could have been prevenLed had Lhe
admlnlsLraLlon senL Lhe message LhaL lL would noL LoleraLe sexual assaulL by punlshlng more
perpeLraLors. Moreover, her quoLe suggesLs LhaL she belleves her assaulL could have been
prevenLed had Lhe college made more efforLs Lo educaLe sLudenLs on Lhe lssue.
AddlLlonally, enny* reflecLed on Lhe lack of safeLy she feels on campus, saylng, Colby
ls noL a safe place for me anymore-l do noL feel safe. She does noL aLLend school dances
because Lhey scare and frusLraLe her." enny* also menLloned how Lhe assaulL has affecLed
her relaLlonshlps, admlLLlng LhaL LhaL lL ls hard for her Lo LrusL men, and LhaL lL wlll be a long
Llme before she ls able Lo be lnLlmaLe wlLh someone agaln."
raLL 102

Mary*, who had a frlend who Lransferred her freshman year afLer she was sexually
assaulLed by a fooLball player. Pe forced her Lo perform oral sex on hlm. When Lhe survlvor
reporLed Lhe assaulL Lo her CommunlLy Advlsor, her CommunlLy Advlsor noLlfled Campus Llfe,
who dlsmlssed Lhe case and Lold Lhe CA Lo lnform Lhe survlvor LhaL pursulng Lhe case would
noL be worLh lL." 1he survlvor, frusLraLed aL Lhe lack of dlsclpllnary acLlon, angry LhaL college
offlclals dld noL seem Lo belleve her, and concerned for her own safeLy, declded Lo leave and
Lransferred Lo anoLher lnsLlLuLlon. Mary* also descrlbed an lnsLance where she was aL a parLy
and a fooLball player llfLed her dress up, humlllaLlng and ob[ecLlfylng her ln fronL of a large
group of men. Whlle Lhls lnsLance seems Lo be more an lnsLance of sexual harassmenL Lhan
sexual assaulL, lL ls lmporLanL Lo look boLh aL Lhe dlfference and Lhe aL Lhe slmllarlLles beLween
Lhe Lwo, parLlcularly ln how sexual harassmenL and sexual assaulL are boLh bound up ln lssues
of power lnequallLles LhaL are rooLed ln sLrucLural sexlsm and mlsogyny. Moreover, whlle one
musL recognlze Lhe lmporLanL dlfference beLween sexual harassmenL and sexual assaulL, one
cannoL examlne sexual harassmenL wlLhouL looklng aL how sexual harassmenL ofLenLlmes
precedes and leads Lo sexual assaulL, slnce, agaln, boLh sexual harassmenL and sexual assaulL
are perpeLuaLed by Lhe same lnsLlLuLlons of gender oppresslon, and Lherefore, exlsL on a
conLlnuum of sexual vlolence LhaL blend lnLo one anoLher.
Carol 8ohmer and Andrea arroL lllusLraLe Lhe dlfference beLween sexual harassmenL
and sexual assaulL, noLlng LhaL people someLlmes confuse sexual assaulL and sexual
harassmenL, or use Lhe Lerms lnLerchangeably. 1hey are, however, dlfferenL. Sexual harassmenL
ls relaLed more Lo Lhe abuse of power, whereas sexual assaulL ls relaLed Lo force" (8ohmer,
arroL 4). 8ohmer and arroL clLe LhaL desplLe Lhe dlfferences beLween sexual harassmenL
raLL 103

and sexual assaulL, many college pollcles use Lhem lnLerchangeably. 1hey argue LhaL such a
conflaLlon ls lnapproprlaLe" (8ohmer, arroL 3) and lneffecLlve because lf Lhey are LreaLed
LogeLher, Lhere ls a good chance LhaL many people-especlally sLudenLs-wlll noL see Lhe lssues
separaLely and wlll noL LreaL sexual assaulL wlLh approprlaLe serlousness" (8ohmer, arroL 77).
1hls could poLenLlally lead Lo Loo-sofL senLences for perpeLraLors of sexual assaulL, Loo-harsh
senLences for sexual harassers, and confuslon and apaLhy amongsL sLudenLs.
AlLhough lL would be Loo reducLlve Lo equaLe sexual harassmenL wlLh sexual assaulL, as l
sald before, lL ls lmperaLlve LhaL we examlne Lhe slmllarlLles beLween sexual harassmenL and
sexual assaulL, slnce boLh are generaLed from sLrucLural sexlsm. Carole Sheffleld dlscusses Lhe
slmllarlLles ln her arLlcle, Sexual 1errorlsm," where she descrlbes Lhe ways ln whlch rape,
wlfe baLLery, lncesL, pornography, harassmenL, and all forms of sexual vlolence are all" whaL
she calls, sexual Lerrorlsm," slnce all are perpeLuaLed by a sysLem by whlch males frlghLen
and, by frlghLenlng, conLrol and domlnaLe females" (Shefffleld 111). She goes on Lo explaln LhaL
Lhls sysLem of fear ls rooLed ln Lhe lnsLlLuLlon of paLrlarchy, whlch ls Lhe ldeologlcal foundaLlon
of sexlsm ln our counLry" (Sheffleld 113). 8ecause sexual harassmenL and sexual assaulL are
boLh forms of sexual Lerrorlsm, and because sexual Lerrorlsm ls perpeLuaLed by sysLems of
sexlsm, one can suggesL LhaL sexual harassmenL and sexual assaulL are relaLed ln LhaL Lhey boLh
are caused by Lhe same lnsLlLuLlons of sLrucLural sexlsm.
Sheffleld furLher lllusLraLes Lhe slmllarlLles beLween sexual harassmenL and sexual
assaulL, by quoLlng auLhor of Survlvlng Sexual vlolence, Llz kelly, asserLlng, sexual vlolence
musL be undersLood as a conLlnuum-LhaL ls 'a conLlnuous serles of evenLs LhaL pass lnLo one
anoLher' unlLed by a baslc common characLer'" (Sheffleld 113). 8y vlewlng sexual vlolence on a
raLL 104

conLlnuum, we are able Lo see Lhe ways ln whlch sexual harassmenL and sexual assaulL merged,
parLlcularly Lhe way ln whlch Lhe dynamlc LhaL underscores all manlfesLaLlons of sexual
Lerrorlsm," lncludlng sexual harassmenL and sexual assaulL, ls mlsogyny-Lhe haLred of
women" (Sheffleld 128).
LducaLlonal researcher nan SLeln polnLs ouL Lhe merglng of sexual harassmenL and
sexual assaulL ln her dlscusslon of Lhe way ln whlch educaLor's refusal Lo address sexual assaulL
amongsL sLudenLs ln k-12 schools conLrlbuLes Lo an envlronmenL where oLher forms of gender
vlolence occur, argulng LhaL more severe lnsLances of gender vlolence ln Lhe world may ln facL
be fueled ln our schools as sexual harassmenL," noLlng,
LlsLenlng Lo Lhe sLorles of young women's experlences of sexual harassmenL ln schools
has led me Lo see LhaL schools may ln facL be Lralnlng grounds for Lhe lnsldlous cycle of
domesLlc vlolence: glrls learn LhaL Lhey are on Lhelr own, LhaL Lhe adulLs and oLhers
around Lhem wlll noL belleve Lhem when Lhey reporL sexual harassmenL or assaulL. 1he
school's hldden currlculum Leaches young women Lo suffer abuse prlvaLely, LhaL Lo
reslsL ls fuLlle. When Lhey wlLness harassmenL of oLher and fall Lo response Lhey absorb
a dlfferenL klnd of powerlessness-LhaL Lhey are lncapable of sLandlng up Lo ln[usLlce or
acLlng ln solldarlLy wlLh Lhelr peers. Slmllarly, boys recelve permlsslon ln schools, even
Lralnlng, Lo become baLLerers Lhrough Lhe pracLlce of sexual harassmenL. lndeed, lf
school auLhorlLles do noL lnLervene and challenge boys who sexually harass, Lhe schools
may be encouraglng a conLlnued paLLern of vlolence ln relaLlonshlps. (SLeln 317).
raLL 103

8y polnLlng ouL Lhe ways ln whlch sexual harassmenL can lead Lo oLher forms of gender
vlolence, ones lncludlng force, SLeln lllusLraLes how lssues llke sexual harassmenL can precede
sexual assaulL, slnce boLh perpeLuaLed and allowed by an envlronmenL of mlsogyny and sexlsm.
1hus, whlle lL would be wrong Lo deflne Mary's* case as sexual assaulL, slnce Lhe
fooLball player dld noL seem Lo use physlcal force when llfLlng up her sklrL, lL was sLlll an abuse
of power, and Lherefore, musL be consldered sexual harassmenL. AlLhough sexual harassmenL
and sexual assaulL are by deflnlLlon, dlfferenL, lL ls lmperaLlve LhaL we look aL Lhe ways ln whlch
boLh exlsL on a conLlnuum of gender vlolence, and are Lherefore, very much Lhe same.
ln a slmllar case lnvolvlng a male aLhleLe sexually assaulLlng a female sLudenL, a woman
was sexually assaulLed by a men's hockey player. ulana*, an alumnl of Colby, who graduaLed ln
2004, shared Lhe sLory wlLh me. AlLhough she ls noL Lhe survlvor ln Lhe case, she had knowledge
of lL, slnce lL occurred durlng her Llme here and she was lnformed of lL by Lhose lnvolved. ulana
sald LhaL afLer a nlghL of parLylng aL Lhe hockey house, one of Lhe men's hockey players
aLLempLed Lo rape a glrl who was exLremely drunk and had passed ouL aL Lhe house. Whlle he
was Lrylng Lo rape her, she puked on hlm, and ended Lhe aLLack. 1he nexL mornlng, she woke
up naked wlLh her own puke on her." When she approached some of Lhe members of Lhe
Leam Lhe nexL mornlng Lo ask Lhem whaL had happened Lhe nlghL before, Lhe hockey boys
beraLed her and Lhrew her cloLhes aL her." leellng ashamed and blamlng herself for causlng Lhe
assaulL, Lhe woman lefL Lhe hockey house LhaL mornlng and mlnlmlzed Lhe aLLack," and chose
noL Lo reporL lL Lo campus auLhorlLles. 8ecause she dld noL reporL, noLhlng was done of Lhe
case, alLhough a small group of sLudenLs dld know abouL lL. ulana sald LhaL she suspecLs Lhe
raLL 106

woman dld noL reporL because she blamed herself," noLlng LhaL Lhe survlvor knew she had
been raped.buL mlnlmlzed lL ln order Lo survlve aL Colby and llve wlLh herself."
All of Lhese lnsLances of assaulL by a male aLhleLe lllusLraLe Lhe degree Lo whlch Lhe
sysLem of prlvllege, sllence, and proLecLlon boLh allows and lgnores sexual assaulL by
perpeLuaLlng a sysLem LhaL noL only creaLes an envlronmenL where sexual assaulL occurs, buL
also keep Lhe occurrence of lL sllenL by maklng vlcLlms feel as Lhough Lhelr aLLacks were
somehow Lhelr faulL, whlch deLers Lhem from reporLlng. 1hls creaLes a sysLem LhaL
dlsempowers survlvors by maklng Lhelr sLorles lnvlslble, whlch ls speclflcally seen ln Lhe way all
Lhree of Lhe vlcLlms were forced Lo deny or mlnlmlze Lhelr sLorles by elLher Lhe admlnlsLraLlon
or Lhe college communlLy.













raLL 107

"#$% &'()($%*%'( #'+ ,%*#$% -).%*/01%2*%'(3 ,2#(%2')(C B5$(52%
1bete ls oo Joobt lo my mloJ tbot ftots exlst - tbey spoosot uoqbeoJ, off compos Jooces ooJ
pottles, ooe of wblcb ls lovltotloo ooly lo tbe loll -- lts exclosloooty ooJ yoo beot o lot of scoty
stotles of tbloqs tbot boppeo Jotloq tbese eveots. 1be oJmlolsttotloo ls oot Joloq ooyooe ooy
fovots by pteteoJloq tbey Joo't exlst - evetyooe koows -- stoJeots, focolty, ooJ eveo tbe toxl
Jtlvets lo wotetvllle koow. -5exool Assoolt 5otvlvot

1be 8ootJ of 1tostees of colby voteJ lo Iooooty 1984, to obollsb ftotetoltles ooJ sototltles
becoose tbey wete locooslsteot wltb so mooy of tbe fooJomeotol voloes to wblcb tbe
commoolty sobsctlbes. As mooJoteJ by tbe ttostees, tosbloq, pleJqloq, petpetootloq, ooJ
loltlotloq octlvltles by ftotetoltles ooJ soclol otqoolzotloos ote sttlctly ptoblblteJ. Aoyooe
eoqoqloq lo tbese octlvltles oo ot off compos, eltbet os o membet, tectoltet, ot poteotlol pleJqe,
wlll be sospeoJeJ fot o mlolmom of ooe yeot ooJ moy be sobject to oJJltloool peooltles tbot
coolJ locloJe expolsloo. -ltotetolty Actlvlty. colby colleqe 5toJeot nooJbook

l acLually consldered noL lncludlng a secLlon on Lhe underground fraLernlLles" aL Colby
ln my Lhesls for several reasons: l lnlLlally LhoughL LhaL Lhe fraLs Lhemselves were harmless--l
have been Lo uoghead and excluslve fraL parLles before and noLhlng bad has ever happened Lo
me. l wlll admlL LhaL aL Llmes l felL uncomforLable and ob[ecLlfled aL Lhese evenLs, buL dld noL
feel any more ob[ecLlfled Lhan l would any oLher Colby parLy. lurLhermore, l have always
consldered Lhe fraLs a sorL of [oke, slnce Lhey operaLe around a shroud of secrecy LhaL really ls
noL a secreL aL all. ln facL, l would say LhaL Lhe ma[orlLy of Colby sLudenLs know abouL Lhe
fraLernlLles and ofLenLlmes [oke abouL Lhelr exlsLence. As Mary* noLed, everyone knows fraLs
exlsL here." Moreover, whlle Lhe fraLs cerLalnly have hlgh soclal sLaLus on campus, l have always
LhoughL Lhe whole ldea of a secreL fraL" aL such a small campus ls funny because lL ls so
unnecessary, conslderlng LhaL regardless of wheLher or noL you are ln a fraLernlLy, chances are,
you see many of Lhe same people ln class and aL parLles anyways, so lL ls noL llke fraLernlLles
glve you Lhe opporLunlLy Lo lnLeracL wlLh and meeL people who you would noL see oLherwlse. lf
Lhe polnL of a fraLernlLy ls Lo provlde a group of boys a place Lo parLy and glve Lhem a sense of
raLL 108

belonglng Lo a group, l argue LhaL people can have LhaL wlLhouL belng ln a fraLernlLy,
parLlcularly glven Colby's small slze and lenlenL rules concernlng sLudenLs parLylng.
8ecause l dld noL Lake Lhe fraL enLlrely serlously LhroughouL my four years aL Colby and
Lherefore, dld noL Lake Lhe Llme Lo learn abouL Lhem before conducLlng research for my Lhesls, l
flgured LhaL l would noL have Lo wrlLe abouL Lhem. l was wrong. llnally, l almosL dld noL wrlLe
abouL Lhe fraLs because l was afrald Lo -l was Lold by several people LhaL calllng ouL" such a
powerful lnsLlLuLlon would be rlsky, dangerous, and poLenLlally soclally osLraclzlng. Cne person
noLed LhaL lf l messed wlLh Lhe fraLernlLy," l would be messlng wlLh Lhe lnsLlLuLlon lLself,"
slnce lL ls rumored LhaL several LrusLees were ln fraLernlLles durlng Lhelr Llme aL Colby, and even
conLlnue Lo fund some of Lhelr acLlvlLles. l Lhlnk Lhese commenLs shed llghL on Lhe conLrol
sLudenLs percelve Lhe fraLernlLy Lo have on Lhe soclal scene, as well as Lhe culLure of fear LhaL
resulLs ln Lhe proLecLlon of fraLernlLles. AlLhough many people poke fun aL Lhe fraLernlLles,
many of Lhese same sLudenLs are heslLanL Lo reporL Lhem because Lhey fear belng soclally
osLraclzed. Whlle l do noL belleve LhaL Lhe fraLernlLles have Lhe soclal power Lo compleLely ruln
someone's soclal llfe, l do Lhlnk LhaL Lhere are a loL of sLudenLs who are noL ln Lhe fraLs who are
very much lnvesLed ln proLecLlng Lhem, lncludlng women. 1herefore, l Lhlnk LhaL lL ls Lhe
comblnaLlon of boLh Lhe fraLernlLles Lhemselves and Lhe large populaLlon of Colby sLudenLs
who proLecL Lhe fraLernlLles LhaL deLers people from reporLlng, slnce sLudenLs are afrald of
belng soclally excluded by Lhls large group lf Lhey do reporL.
Clven whaL l now know abouL Lhe fraLs afLer conducLlng research, and glven Lhe facL
LhaL my whole Lhesls ls abouL endlng Lhe sllence and empowerlng Lhose who have been
raLL 109

rendered lnvlslble by sllence, l Lhlnk lL would be hypocrlLlcal of me Lo nC1 wrlLe abouL whaL l
know. 1herefore, l have chosen Lo wrlLe abouL Lhe fraLs.
1he culLure of prlvllege, sllence, and proLecLlon LhaL ls seen ln groups of male aLhleLes ls
slmllarly seen ln fraLernlLles. As quoLed above, nowhere ls Lhe broLherhood more lnLense, Lhe
bondlng more lnLlmaLe and powerful, and Lhe culLure of proLecLlon more evldenL Lhan among
aLhleLes and ftotetolty membets (klmmel, 2008). klmmel furLher dlscusses Lhe way ln whlch
fraLernlLles operaLe as basLlons of male enLlLlemenL by explalnlng, [usL llke among aLhleLes,
hlgher-presLlge fraLernlLles promoLe a hlgher level of sexual enLlLlemenL," whlch leads Lo hlgher
lnsLances of sexual assaulL (klmmel, 2008).
Chrls C'Sulllvan expands upon klmmel's dlscusslon of fraLernlLles and Lhe culLure of
prlvllege, sllence, and proLecLlon LhaL exlsL wlLhln Lhem ln hls essay, lraLernlLles and 8ape
CulLure." Pe noLes LhaL fraLernlLles glve group members a sense of lnvulnerablllLy and
enLlLlemenL, as well as dlsdaln for nonmembers LhaL makes lL easler Lo vlcLlmlze Lhem"
(C'Sulllvan 26). Moreover, people are ofLen more aggresslve ln groups Lhan Lhey would be
lndlvldually," slnce sLrong ldenLlflcaLlon wlLh a group replaces lndlvldual eLhlcs wlLh group
eLhlcs," parLlcularly ln fraLernlLles (C'Sulllvan 26). 8ased on hls research, C'Sulllvan found LhaL
a ma[orlLy of gang rapes were perpeLuaLed by fraLernlLy men" (C'Sulllvan 27). C'Sulllvan
explalns why he belleves fraLernlLy men are Lhe mosL common gang -raplsLs by dlscusslng Lhe
ways ln whlch Lhe fraLernlLy culLure degrades and ob[ecLlfles females. 1hls ls speclflcally seen ln
Lhe pledge process, whlch ln some fraLs lnvolves Lhe sexual humlllaLlon of women" (C'Sulllvan
29). Lven beyond pledglng, many members are expecLed Lo adhere Lo a code LhaL degrades
women, whlch ls evldenL ln "many of Lhe common pracLlces of fraLernlLy men," whlch lnclude,
raLL 110

vldeoLaplng, phoLographlng, or merely observlng Lhrough peepholes or wlndows a broLher
havlng sex wlLh a woman," as well as common pracLlce of conducLlng sexual conLesLs" Lo see
who can have sex wlLh Lhe mosL women (C'Sulllvan 29). Whlle one could argue LhaL Lhls
lnformaLlon does noL apply Lo my research because a) 1here are no fraLs aL Colby" or b) Lven lf
Lhere were, Lhere ls no way l could fully know lf Lhey are mlsogynlsL or noL because Lhey are so
secreL" or c)l dld noL lnLervlew any woman who was vlcLlm of a gang-rape, l Lhlnk lL ls
lmporLanL Lo look aL boLh Lhe ways ln whlch fraLernlLles LhreaLen and coolJ poteotlolly tbteoteo
Lhe well-belng of people ln Lhe Colby communlLy, regardless of wheLher such poLenLlal has
been meL (whlch, as we know, ls hard Lo deLermlne due Lo Lhe culLure of sllenclng LhaL
accompanles sexual assaulL). 8egardless of wheLher or noL we are dlscusslng gang rape or rape,
sexual assaulL ls sexual assaulL and lL ls a facL LhaL ftotetolty meo ote mote llkely to commlt
ocpoolotooce tope. ooJ qooq tope.tboo otbet colleqe meo (C'Sulllvan 28).
So how does all of Lhls lnformaLlon relaLe Lo Colby? Well, ln many ways. lor one, we
have fraLs and Lwo, Lwo women l lnLervlewed were sexually assaulLed by fraLernlLy broLhers.
1hese Lwo women's names are 8rlanna* and 8achel*. Whlle l cannoL elaboraLe on elLher case
due Lo prlvacy concerns, l can say LhaL boLh cases were lnsLances of acqualnLance rape. Whlle
8rlanna* dld noL reporL her case, clLlng LhaL she had no lnLeresL ln brlnglng abouL charges,"
8achel* dld and slgnlflcanLly, was Lhe only person l lnLervlewed who reporLed and was saLlsfled
wlLh Lhe ouLcome of reporLlng. 8rlanna* blamed, ln parL, Lhls culLure LhaL allows glrls Lo geL
sexually assaulLed" on perpeLuaLlng an envlronmenL LhaL allowed her rape. 8achel* expressed
slmllar senLlmenLs regardlng Lhe mlsogynlsL Colby culLure.
raLL 111

Whlle 8rlanna* deflnlLely had Lhe rlghL Lo declde for herself Lo noL press charges or
brlng her cases Lo Lhe uean's Cfflce, l cannoL help buL wonder how Lhe culLure of sllence,
prlvllege, and proLecLlon affecLed her declslon noL Lo reporL. She expressed ln our lnLervlew
LhaL she was frlends wlLh her raplsLs' frlends, whlch l belleve may have also played lnLo her
declslon Lo noL reporL , slnce she mosLly llkely dld noL wanL Lo make waves" wlLh Lhe group
(whlch agaln clrcles back Lo Lhe culLure of prlvllege, proLecLlon, and sllence).
ln addlLlon Lo looklng aL Lhe ways ln whlch Lhe culLure of prlvllege, sllence, and
proLecLlon perpeLuaLed and allowed Lhe sexual assaulL of Lhese Lwo women, we agaln musL
look aL Lhe way ln whlch such a culLure of male enLlLlemenL dlsempowers survlvors by sllenclng
Lhelr experlences. 1hls ls parLlcularly evldenL ln Lhe case of 8rlanna*, who ln parL, avolded
reporLlng her raplsL for fear of sufferlng scruLlny by her and her raplsL's muLual frlends. 1hls
fear ls parL of Lhe larger sysLem of prlvllege, sllence, and proLecLlon, whlch ls proven by Lhe facL
LhaL her fear was moLlvaLed by Lhe worry LhaL her experlence would be lnvalldaLed (and
Lherefore sllenced) by her group of frlends. ln Lhe end, her sLory was never reporLed, so her
raplsL was proLecLed from punlshmenL. ConsequenLly, ln Lhe eyes of Lhe college and Lhe law,
her rape never happened.







raLL 112

lormal SLrucLures: WhaL SorLs of ollcles uo We Pave ln lace Lo
revenL Sexual AssaulL? WhaL 1ypes of SupporL SysLems uo We Pave
lor Sexual AssaulL Survlvors?


ln Lhelr sLudy, Sexual AssaulL on Campus," Carole 8ohmer and Andrea arroL dlvlde
colleges lnLo elghL caLegorles ln Lerms of Lhelr managemenL of sexual assaulL." 1hese
caLegorles range from schools LhaL are proacLlve and aLLempLlng Lo creaLe a falr and safe
envlronmenL for Lhelr sLudenLs" Lo schools LhaL lgnore Lhe problem and blame Lhe vlcLlms for
belng raped" (123). 1hese elghL caLegorles lnclude Lhe followlng:
1) vlctlms klqbts AJvocotes: Colleges where prlmary prevenLlon ls Lhe focus, wlLh
mandaLed exLreme penalLles for offenders found gullL by Lhe campus [udlclal sysLem.
2) tblcol colleqes. Colleges where sexual assaulL ls noL LoleraLed.
3) coocetoeJ colleqes. Colleges LhaL are prlmarlly concerned abouL Lhe quallLy of llfe of
Lhelr sLudenLs.
4) 1bete-bot-fot-tbe-qtoce-of-CoJ colleqes. Colleges LhaL respond only afLer observlng a
messy legal case from anoLher campus.
3) 8oto-uoot closets. Colleges LhaL aLLempL Lo decrease Lhe problems assoclaLed wlLh
sexual assaulL afLer handllng a case poorly Lhemselves.
6) uoot kock tbe 8oot colleqes. Colleges LhaL make Lhelr declslons regardlng sexual
assaulL on a case-by-case basls, raLher Lhan based on pollcy.
7) Osttlcb colleqes. Colleges LhaL do noL belleve LhaL sexual assaulL ls a problem on Lhelr
campus, because no cases have been reporLed Lhere.
raLL 113

8) vlctlm 8lomets. Colleges LhaL blame Lhe vlcLlms for Lhe sexual assaulLs perpeLraLed
agalnsL Lhem.
1hrough my research, l have come Lo see Colby as a 8arn-uoor Closers" college. Whlle
Colby has noL, Lo my knowledge, pobllcly handled a ma[or sexual assaulL case (as ln one where
local and naLlonal medla are lnvolved) wrongly, lL does resemble a barn-door closlng college ln
lLs sllenclng of lssues of sexual assaulL and survlvors. 8ohmer and arroL noLe LhaL many barn-
door schools
CreaLe a college Lask force Lo conLlnue Lo work on Lhe lssue. and some acL as lf
brlnglng ln one speaker Lo presenL a few programs wlll allevlaLe Lhe problem. 1hese
Lypes of responses lndlcaLe very llLLle undersLandlng of Lhe complex causes of
campus sexual assaulL. Campus sexual assaulL ls such a compllcaLed lssue LhaL one large
communlLy presenLaLlon ls noL llkely Lo make much dlfference ln changlng aLLlLudes and
behavlors of sLudenLs, faculLy, or admlnlsLraLors" (Sexual AssaulL on Campus 130).
l see Lhls sorL of behavlor aL Colby and LhroughouL Colby's hlsLory-afLer Lhe sLory of
hll 8rown was released, Lhe college creaLed a Lask force Lo revlew lLs sexual harassmenL and
sexual assaulL pollcles-l currenLly serve on Lhls Lask force. Whlle l deflnlLely see Lhe formaLlon
of Lhe commlLLee as a sLep ln Lhe rlghL dlrecLlon, l Lhlnk lL only serves as a shorL-Lerm band-ald
Lo cover deeper lnsLlLuLlonal lssues LhaL enabled hll 8rown Lo vlolaLe women. ln Lhls sense, by
formlng shorL Lerm Lask forces and paylng for speakers, buL falllng Lo provlde resources LhaL
address Lhe problem ln Lhe long Lerm, Lhe college aLLempL[s]" Lo decrease Lhe problems
assoclaLed wlLh sexual assaulL (or ln Lhls case sexual harassmenL) afLer handllng a case poorly
raLL 114

Lhemselves"-by proposlng a shorL Lerm soluLlon Lo a compllcaLed, mulLlfaceLed, and deep
lnsLlLuLlonal problem.
8ohmer and arroL analyze whaL Lhe lmpllcaLlons of Lhese shorL Lerm soluLlons are whaL
Lhese cholces say abouL Lhe college Lhemselves, clLlng,
1hls ofLen means LhaL Lhe lnsLlLuLlon ls lnLeresLed only mlnlmlzlng llablllLy by sLaLlng
LhaL lL has done someLhlng Lo educaLe lLs communlLy abouL sexual assaulL prevenLlon. lf
Lhe college was really serlous, lL would lL would also be lnLeresLed ln developlng long-
Lerm, ongolng programs, pollcles, and procedures LhaL could honesLly make a dlfference
ln Lhe way assaulL ls vlewed on campus" (Sexual AssaulL on Campus 131).
1hus, we have a case where Colby, belng a 8arn-door closer" lnsLlLuLlon, sllences sexual
assaulL and sexual harassmenL whlle slmulLaneously addresslng Lhe problem ln an lneffecLlve,
mlsleadlng way.
l preface Lhls secLlon wlLh a dlscusslon of Colby as a 8arn-door closer" lnsLlLuLlon
because l Lhlnk LhaL many of Lhe pollcles and programs Colby has ln place Lo supporL survlvors
of sexual assaulL are parL of a greaLer 8arn-door closlng" sysLem LhaL looks llke lL adequaLely
addresses lssues of sexual assaulL, buL really only mlnlmlzes Lhe school's llablllLy by produclng
Lhe facade LhaL Lhe school has sufflclenL pollcles and programs ln place (when lL really does
noL).
lor Lhe purposes of Lhls secLlon, l wlll dlscuss Colby's sexual assaulL pollcles and Colby's
supporL programs for survlvors of sexual assaulL separaLely. 1he crlLlques l pose ln boLh
secLlons reflecL Lhe resulLs of my lnLervlews wlLh survlvors and my own academlc research.

raLL 113

D'%EE%7()F% 80$)7)%.3
l feel llke tbe colleqe ls totoloq o blloJ eye to tbls petvetse, JeqtoJloq, ooJ mlsoqyolst bebovlot
ooJ tbelt cooJooloq lt ooJ lock of octloo mokes womeo feel oosofe ooJ vloloteJ. -5exool
Assoolt 5otvlvot

lf yoo look ot tbe colby stots lo compotlsoo to 8otes ooJ 8owJolo, we Jo oot tepott os ofteo.-
ltofessot lyo Mlkel 8towo

1bete ls o telotloosblp betweeo tbe woy coses ote booJleJ oo compos ooJ tbe wlllloqoess of
vlctlms to tepott eltbet to compos ootbotltles ot to tbe pollce -cotol 8obmet ooJ AoJteo
lottot

l wanL Lo begln Lhls secLlon on pollcy by maklng noLe LhaL Lhe Colby Sexual AssaulL
ollcy, whlch ls locaLed onllne and ls handed ouL Lo sLudenLs ln Lhe form of a llLLle yellow
pamphleL aL Lhe beglnnlng of every year, looks llke a very Lhorough pollcy-and Lo a cerLaln
degree ls a very good pollcy. lL deflnes words llke sexual assaulL and consenL, ouLllnes vlcLlms'
opLlons for reporLlng and seeklng resoluLlon, and even lncludes a secLlon of hypoLheLlcal
slLuaLlons LhaL analyze sexual assaulL. When l read Lhrough lL for Lhe flrsL Llme, l saw very few
problems wlLh lL. Powever, afLer lnLervlewlng survlvors and conducLlng research, l have found
LhaL noL only are many of Lhese procedures lneffecLlve, buL Lhe pollcy lLself lacks subsLanLlal
proLocols LhaL should be a parL of Lhe pollcy. ln Lhe case LhaL Lhese proLocols do exlsL, Lhey are
noL vlslble and survlvors are noL Lold abouL Lhem, whlch renders Lhem lneffecLlve. ln Lhls
secLlon, l wlll analyze some lneffecLlve proLocols and ln SoluLlons," l wlll dlscuss whlch
proLocols need Lo be added Lo Lhe pollcy. 1hese are noL Lhe only lneffecLlve proLocols, Lhese are
[usL Lhe ma[or deflclencles ln pollcy LhaL l found Lo be mosL prevalenL ln my lnLervlews.

1) No known V|s|b|e D|rect Source for keport|ng: All of Lhe survlvors l lnLervlewed sald LhaL
afLer Lhey were assaulLed, Lhey had no ldea who Lo call. Many of Lhem conLacLed Lhelr
raLL 116

CommunlLy Advlsors (8A's), some of Lhem evenLually called Lhe uean on call, buL mosL of Lhem
Lurned Lo Lhelr frlends for supporL. 1here was a loL of confuslon surroundlng whlch people on
campus were mandaLed reporLers and whlch ones were noL. Some women avolded Lelllng
cerLaln sources for fear LhaL Lhey Lhe source would be mandaLed Lo Lell Lhe admlnlsLraLlon
(some women feared LhaL lf Lhe admlnlsLraLlon knew, Lhe pollce would geL lnvolved, whlch ls
noL whaL Lhey wanLed). 1hls ofLen led Lo a loL of unnecessary frusLraLlon and confuslon, and
made Lhe whole reporLlng process more compllcaLed and exhausLlng Lhan lL had Lo be. 1he
Lhlng ls, Lhe College ouLllnes who Lhese sources ln Lhe handbook-lL sLudenLs Lo go Lo a dean, a
counselor, or a volunLeer vlcLlm AdvocaLe, and says LhaL all campus offlclals"(deans, faculLy,
coaches, hall sLaff, securlLy) are mandaLed reporLers, excludlng clergy, counsellng cenLer sLaff,
and healLh cenLer professlonals." WhaL Lhls Lells me ls LhaL sLudenLs are noL belng educaLed on
whaL Lhelr resources are.
1herefore, l Lhlnk lL lmperaLlve LhaL Lhe school make more efforLs Lo educaLe sLudenLs
on who Lhey can call ln Lhe evenL LhaL Lhey are sexually assaulLed. 1hls lnformaLlon ls locaLed ln
Lhe back of Lhe sLudenL sexual assaulL manual sLudenL are glven aL Lhe beglnnlng of every year,
buL mosL sLudenLs qulckly Lhrow Lhls ln Lhe Lrash, and Lherefore, do noL have access Lo Lhe
lnformaLlon when Lhey need lL.
Whlle l Lhlnk maklng sLudenLs more lnformed on who Lhey can call ln Lhe evenL LhaL
sexual assaulL happens Lo Lhem ls a sLep ln Lhe rlghL dlrecLlon, l Lhlnk lL would be even more
helpful and effecLlve lf Lhere was one known and vlslble person on campus who sLudenLs knew
Lhey could call ln Lhe evenL LhaL Lhey are sexually assaulLed. As Lhe currenL proLocol sLands, a
varleLy of dlfferenL people can respond Lo lnsLances of sexual assaulL. Whlle lL can be beneflclal
raLL 117

Lo have a large number of conLacLs avallable Lo respond Lo sexual assaulL, l Lhlnk ln Lhe case of
Colby, Lhls had led Lo a loL of confuslon amongsL sLudenLs. l Lhlnk Lhls ls ln parL because all of
Lhe conLacLs llsLed ln Lhe sexual assaulL pollcy manual have oLher [ob LlLles, lncludlng clergy,
uean, CommunlLy Advlsor, eLc. 8ecause of Lhls, sLudenLs do know who ls Lralned, and
Lherefore, do noL know who ls besL Lo call, slnce all of Lhe conLacLs have varlous [ob LlLles oLher
Lhan sexual assaulL advocaLe. lurLhermore havlng a varleLy of dlfferenL people from a varleLy of
dlfferenL flelds respond Lo sexually assaulL can ofLenLlmes lead Lo a fragmenLed response, slnce
Lhere ls noL one seL person whose sole [ob ls Lo coordlnaLe servlces for sexual assaulL vlcLlms.
aLrlcla ?ancey MarLln argues ln her essay CoordlnaLed CommunlLy Servlces for vlcLlms of
vlolence" LhaL such a fragmenLed response can deprlve vlcLlms of servlces, and ln exLreme
cases, place Lhem aL rlsk" (?ancey MarLln 444). She argues LhaL Slnce coordlnaLlon of servlce
Lakes Llme, energy and sklll" lL ls a mlsLake" Lo glve workers Lhls duLy on Lop of a 'regular
[ob"" (?ancey MarLln 443). She argues LhaL communlLles should hlre sLaff whose speclflc role ls
Lo coordlnaLe servlces for sexual assaulL vlcLlms. 1hls means LhaL Lhe hlred person would be ln
charge of communlcaLlng wlLh Lhe survlvor and connecLlng Lhe survlvor wlLh Lhe mulLlple
people and organlzaLlon on campus and ln Lhe communlLy LhaL can help Lhe survlvor. 1hese
organlzaLlon lnclude Lhe uean of SLudenL's Cfflce, Lhe PeaLh CenLer, WaLervllle ollce, eLc.
Andrea arroL and echos Lhe necesslLy of Lhls ln her arLlcle, 8ecommendaLlons for College
ollcles and rocedures Lo ueal wlLh AcqualnLance 8ape," asserLlng, unless one person ls
responslble for all of Lhese funcLlons, Lhey are llkely L be carrled ouL ln plecemeal fashlon"
(arroL, 1991).
raLL 118

1herefore, l Lhlnk lL would be beLLer Lo have one person, known as Lhe sexual assaulL
advocaLe, be llsLed as Lhe flrsL responder Lo sexual assaulL cases. l wlll dlscuss Lhe speclflcs of
Lhls person's [ob ln my SoluLlons" secLlon.

2) No known protoco| for d|sc|p||n|ng perpetrators who do not go to Co|by but sexua||y
assau|ted a Co|by student on the Co|by campus: lf a Colby sLudenL who has been sexually
assaulLed on Lhe Colby campus chooses Lo seek resoluLlon lnslde of Lhe college (meanlng LhaL
Lhey do noL Lake Lhelr case Lo Lhe WaLervllle ollce ueparLmenL, buL lnsLead choose Lo flle a
complalnL wlLh Lhe uean of SLudenLs) Lhere does noL appear Lo be any sorL of proLocol for
deallng wlLh Lhe case lf Lhelr perpeLraLor ls noL also a Colby sLudenL . l found Lhls Lo be Lrue ln a
few of Lhe cases l sLudled. Cne survlvor, who was able Lo flghL her aLLacker off before he forced
her Lo have lnLercourse buL noL afLer he made her Lo perform oral sex, sald LhaL Lhe
admlnlsLraLlon lnformed her LhaL because he (her aLLacker, who was a frlend of a Colby
sLudenL) dldn'L go Lo Colby Lhey couldn'L do much.and could make made no promlses." 1he
college flled a resLralnlng order agalnsL hlm, whlch banned hlm from ever vlslLlng Colby agaln,
buL he sLlll wroLe her a leLLer afLer Lhe resLralnlng order was flled, explalnlng LhaL he dld noL
know LhaL whaL he dld was wrong. 1hls frusLraLed and hurL Lhe survlvor, because Lhe
resLralnlng order had prohlblLed hlm from conLacLlng her. 1he leLLer furLher frusLraLed her
because lL proved LhaL no one ln Lhe admlnlsLraLlon had Lrled Lo help hlm undersLand LhaL
whaL he dld Lo me was wrong.and lL was lmporLanL Lo me LhaL Lhey dld LhaL." ln looklng back
Lhe ordeal, Lhe survlvor commenLed, l [usL felL llke Lhe admlnlsLraLlon dld noL know whaL Lo do
wlLh Lhemselves ln a case llke Lhls."
raLL 119

Cne oLher woman l Lalked Lo had been sexually assaulLed by a sLudenL who dld noL go Lo
Colby (Lhls was a slmllar case, where Lhe perpeLraLor was vlslLlng anoLher Colby sLudenL). Whlle
she dld noL aLLempL Lo brlng charges agalnsL hlm Lo Lhe dean or Lo WaLervllle ollce, she Lold
me LhaL whlle she dld noL reporL for a varleLy of reasons, one of Lhe reasons was because she
knew how hard lL would be Lo press charges agalnsL a non-Colby sLudenL, slnce no proLocol for
Lhose cases exlsL (or lf lL does, lL ls noL made readlly avallable Lo sLudenLs).

3) No F).)G$% #'+ #//#2%'( protoco| that addresses the opt|on of chang|ng rooms or res|dence
ha||s: CurrenLly, Lhere ls no offlclal proLocol LhaL concerns lnformlng survlvors LhaL Lhey can
change Lhelr dorm or resldence lf Lhey feel unsafe. AlLhough 1he Sexual AssaulL ollcles and
rocedures" on Lhe Colby webslLe sLaLe LhaL afLer an alleged sexual assaulL occurs, Lhe vlcLlm
may be lnLeresLed ln seeklng changes ln academlc or llvlng slLuaLlons and Lhe College wlll make
reasonable efforLs Lo accommodaLe such requesLs," none of Lhe survlvors l Lalked Lo were Lold
Lhey had such an opLlon and lL was noL llsLed ln Lhe pamphleL. All of Lhe women l lnLervlewed
were under Lhe assumpLlon LhaL Lhls opLlon dld noL exlsL, and nearly all of Lhem expressed Lo
me LhaL havlng Lhe opLlon of changlng Lhelr room or resldence hall would have helped Lhem.
Cne survlvor, who was afrald LhaL her aLLacker would come back, had her frlends keep guard as
she showered and boughL a nlghL-llghL Lo keep on as she slepL. She noLes, golng back Lo my
room was Lhe hardesL Lhlng, slnce LhaL was where lL happened.l had people Luck me ln.l dld
noL sleep ln my room on Lhe weekend for Lhe resL of Lhe semesLer because l [usL could noL
sLand Lo be Lhere." Looklng back aL her fear of her room, Lhe survlvor sLaLed, Lhe college
should allow people Lo change Lhelr room lf Lhey wlsh-and sLudenLs should noL have Lo ask--lL
should be offered Lo Lhem. l was so messed up l dld noL even Lhlnk Lo ask Lo move ouL of my
raLL 120

room, buL l Lhlnk lL would have helped me a loL." Many of Lhe oLher women l lnLervlewed
expressed slmllar senLlmenLs. AlmosL all of Lhem had nlghLmares and flashbacks afLer Lhelr
assaulL, ln parL from sleeplng ln Lhe same room where Lhey had been assaulLed. AlmosL all of
Lhem elLher had frlends sleep over so Lhey would noL have Lo be alone, or slepL on Lhelr frlends'
fuLons so LhaL Lhey would noL have Lo sLay ln Lhelr own rooms.

4) No F).)G$% #'+ #//#2%'( protoco| out||n|ng the ru|es of a Dean's near|ng: ln Lhe evenL LhaL a
survlvor chooses Lo flle a complalnL ln Lhe lnsLlLuLlon, Lhe survlvor ls usually glven four opLlons:
1) 1he survlvor can descrlbe Lhe assaulL and Lhe reporL would go on Lhe perpeLraLor's record
anonymously.
2) 1he survlvor can reporL Lhe assaulL and allow Lhe admlnlsLraLlon Lo leL Lhe perpeLraLor know
LhaL Lhere was a complalnL lssued, buL LhaL Lhe survlvor chose noL Lo move forward wlLh Lhe
complalnL.
3) 1he survlvor can agree Lo an lnformal medlaLlon sesslon wlLh her survlvor (whlch Lhe dean
would lead).
4) 1he survlvor can flle a complalnL and requesL a full blown hearlng by Lhe uean's Pearlng
8oard, wlLh formal sancLlons lnvolved lf Lhe perpeLraLor ls convlcLed. 1he uean's Pearlng 8oard
ls empanelled by Lhe uean of SLudenLs and usually conslsLs of Lhree members from Lhe Cfflce
of Lhe uean of SLudenLs, a faculLy member, and Lhe chlef or vlce chlef of Lhe !udlclal 8oard"
(lmporLanL lnformaLlon for Lhe Colby College CommunlLy AbouL Sexual AssaulL). Accordlng Lo
Lhe Colby College Sexual AssaulL ollcy 8rochure," Lhe procedures followed by Lhe uean's
raLL 121

Pearlng 8oard are descrlbed ln Lhe sLudenL handbook.and Lhe uean's Pearlng 8oard follows
Lhe procedures of Lhe !udlclal 8oard when appllcable."
l dld some deLecLlve work and Lhe proLocol for uean's Pearlng ls ouLllned on Lhe
college's webslLe (Co Lo Colby College SLudenL Pandbook"-lL ls under SLudenL ulsclpllnary
rocedures: Pearlng lormaL). WhaL ls Lroubllng Lo me Lhen ls LhaL none of my lnLervlewees
knew LhaL such a proLocol exlsLed because no one had lnformed Lhem of lL. 1hls ls problemaLlc
because Lhe few survlvors l Lalked Lo who dld go Lhrough wlLh a hearlng had no clue whaL Lo
expecL and were noL educaLed on whaL Lhelr rlghLs ln Lhe process were. 1hls lack of knowledge
only served Lo dlsempower Lhe survlvors by maklng Lhe hearlng process scarler and more
confuslng Lhan lL had Lo be.
lsabelle*, who wenL Lhrough wlLh Lhe hearlng sald LhaL she was upseL wlLh Lhe process
for varlous reasons. lor one, she was forced Lo LesLlfy over a speaker phone (whlch ls noL whaL
she wanLed), and was noL Lold LhaL her perpeLraLor could hear whaL she was saylng. When she
began Lo speak lnLo Lhe phone, she was surprlsed Lo flnd LhaL he was on Lhe oLher end and
could hear her. Per aLLacker proceeded Lo lnLerrupL her and plck aparL her LesLlmony over Lhe
speaker phone, and no one on Lhe hearlng board sLopped hlm (she Lold me LhaL lL felL llke she
was Lalklng Lo an angry Lelephone"). 8efore Lhe hearlng even sLarLed she was lnLlmldaLed by
hls rlch parenLs who flew ln all dressed up." Whlle Lhey dld noL speak Lo her, Lhelr presence
made her feel lnLlmaLed and scared, llke Lhe hearlng was golng Lo be some sorL of show." uays
before Lhe hearlng, her perpeLraLor was apparenLly Lelllng people ln hls dorm LhaL some glrl
was Lrylng Lo falsely accuse hlm" of assaulL, causlng her Lo feel furLher lnLlmldaLlon. 1he
survlvor was also frusLraLed by Lhe facL LhaL Lhe Pearlng 8oard was made up of deans and
raLL 122

faculLy, wlLh no sLudenLs servlng on Lhe board, saylng, l would have llked Lo have a sLudenL slL
on Lhe hearlng.l Lhlnk l would have been more comforLable." When Lhe hearlng flnally ended,
she was senL a leLLer flve weeks laLer LhaL sald LhaL Lhe board dld noL have enough evldence Lo
convlcL hlm of sexual assaulL, buL LhaL Lhey could ban hlm from comlng near her. 1hls pseudo
resLralnlng order of sorLs never worked and she sLlll runs lnLo hlm. 1hey were even ln a cold war
class LogeLher-and durlng a dlscusslon he lnapproprlaLely ralsed hls hand and noL-so-subLly
clalmed l know whaL lL ls llke Lo have false charges broughL agalnsL me!" 1hls only served Lo
furLher lnLlmldaLe Lhe survlvor.
l deplcL Lhls case ln order Lo lllusLraLe Lhe way ln whlch noL maklng one's proLocol vlslble
Lo survlvors and noL explaln Lhe proLocol Lo survlvors makes Lhe uean's Pearlng process much
more LraumaLlc Lhan lL has Lo be. Pad Lhe survlvor known whaL Lhe proLocol was, she may have
been able Lo challenge some of Lhe evenLs LhaL occurred durlng and afLer Lhe hearlng (for
lnsLance had she known LhaL accordlng Lo Lhe hearlng formaL (and uean !ohnsLon), she has Lhe
rlghL Lo choose wheLher or noL Lhere ls a speaker phone, she may have spoken up and asserLed
LhaL she dld noL wanL one). 1hls may have made her feel more ln conLrol and empowered, Lhus
maklng Lhe hearlng process easler and more comforLable for her.
l also lllusLraLe Lhe woman's sLory ln order Lo suggesL Lhe ways ln whlch Lhe proLocol ls
noL followed. Accordlng Lo Lhe school handbook (under SLudenL ulsclpllnary rocedures"),
proceedlng are sLrlcLly confldenLlal"-Lherefore, lL was agalnsL school pollcy for survlvor's
perpeLraLor Lo Lell hls dorm maLes LhaL charges were belng flled agalnsL hlm, or Lo Lell Lhelr
class LhaL he had been accused.

raLL 123

S) W|th|n the po||cy, there ex|sts a protoco| that mandates that anyone who reports the|r or
someone e|se's sexua| assau|t wou|d automat|ca||y have the|r |nformat|on, the|r perpetrator's
|nformat|on, etc. handed over to the po||ce:
Accordlng Lo Lhe lmporLanL lnformaLlon for Lhe Colby College CommunlLy AbouL Sexual
AssaulL,"
All lncldenLs reporLed Lo campus offlclals (excludlng clergy, counsellng cenLer sLaff, and
healLh cenLer professlonals), wlll resulL ln lmmedlaLe noLlflcaLlon by local pollce. ln Lhe
lnLeresL of proLecLlng Lhe well belng of sLudenLs and oLher members of Lhe Colby
communlLy, Lhe College wlll reporL deLalls of Lhe case, lncludlng Lhe name of Lhe vlcLlm,
Lhe person suspecLed of mlsconducL, and Lhe names of Lhe persons wlLh lnformaLlon."
1hls rule was broughL Lo my aLLenLlon by a graduaLe sLudenL aL 8randels who dld a
comparaLlve analysls of Len hlgher educaLlon sexual assaulL pollcles and found LhaL Colby had a
preLLy bad pollcy. Cne of her maln concerns was Lhls clause, slnce lL dlscouraged reporLlng of
sexual assaulL, as many people do noL wanL Lhe pollce lnvolved aL all" (Sexual AssaulL 1hesls).
She lnformed me LhaL Lhe requlremenL seemed Lo be a local law enforcemenL mandaLe LhaL
had been requlred aL Colby.whlch seemed blzarre." SlgnlflcanLly, one of Lhe survlvors l
lnLervlewed declded noL Lo go forward wlLh reporLlng Lhe lncldenL Lo Colby, ln parL because she
sald she was made Lo feel llke [she] had Lo go Lo Lhe WaLervllle pollce, whlch was noL
someLhlng LhaL [she] wanLed Lo do." lrom whaL l undersLand, Lhls ls mandaLed by local pollce,
and Lherefore, cannoL be changed.



raLL 124

D'#+%H5#(% 65//02( 6C.(%*.3
l wos teolly jost tolJ tbot l coolJ qo see o coooselot -5exool Assoolt 5otvlvot
l felt llke l wos o botJeo to my ftleoJs.l olmost JlJ oot come bock to colby tbe oext yeot. -
5exool Assoolt 5otvlvot

1hls secLlon ls shorL because accordlng Lo my lnLervlews and research, Lhere are few
supporL sysLems ln place for survlvors of sexual assaulL aL Colby. 1he overwhelmlng response l
recelved was LhaL beyond counsellng servlces, Lhe college does noL offer much help for
survlvors. As one survlvor exasperaLlngly clalmed, Lhe level of supporL here ls lnadequaLe."
Aslde from counsellng and Lhe healLh cenLer, many of Lhe survlvors were lefL Lo deal wlLh Lhelr
assaulL alone. 1hls ls very problemaLlc, parLlcularly glven Lhe facL LhaL many survlvors, and many
of Lhe survlvors l lnLervlewed, developed eaLlng dlsorders, depresslon, anxleLy, and/or posL-
LraumaLlc sLress dlsorder afLer Lhelr aLLack. As one woman sLaLed, l felt llke l boJ to soppott
myself oll oo my owo. l wlll dlscuss Lhe Lypes of supporL sysLems LhaL l Lhlnk need Lo be puL ln
place ln Lhe followlng chapLer, SuggesLlons."













raLL 123

SuggesLlons: WhaL Can We uo 1o Lnd Sexual AssaulL aL Colby?

l tblok tbot lt ls vety tellloq tbot l feel sofe leovloq my loptop oootteoJeJ lo Mlllet llbtoty oll Joy,
yet l Jo oot feel sofe qoloq to cettolo pottles oo compos.tbete seems to be cettolo oosolJ
commoolty toles oo tbls compos tbot people follow ooJ tbeo tbete ote commoolty toles tbot Jo
oot exlst bot Jefloltely sboolJ. -5exool Assoolt 5otvlvot

5cbools wltb o sexool ossoolt pollcy Jo oot oecessotlly bove blqbet tepottloq totes tboo tbose
wltb oo pollcy. veo lf o pollcy exlsts, lt moy well oot be pobllclzeJ, ooJ stoJeots moy be
ooowote tbot lt exlsts. lf tbe pollcy ls koowo to stoJeots bot ls oot cottleJ oot lo tbe eveot of o
vlolotloo, vlctlms moy be less llkely to tepott coses of ocpoolotooce tope ot sexool ossoolt. Oo
tbe otbet booJ, lf o pollcy bos beeo lo effect ooJ setloos sooctloos bove beeo cottleJ oot,
stoJeots leoto tbot ocpoolotooce tope ooJ sexool ossoolt bebovlots wlll oot be toletoteJ oo
compos.-cotol 8obmet ooJ AoJteo lottot


Suggest|ons for kev|s|ons to Iorma| Structures and o||c|es

1) More revent|on Lfforts:

1be Ooolltles of tbe 8est 5exool Assoolt lteveotloo ltoqtoms
(1aken from Lhe manual cbooqe noppeos. A ColJe to kefotmloq oot compos 5exool Assoolt
lollcy, whlch ls publlshed by Lhe nonproflL organlzaLlon, SLudenLs AcLlve for Lndlng 8ape").

*1he prevenLlon efforLs musL be adequate|y funded and fu||y staffed.

*1he prevenLlon efforLs musL be un|versa|-Lhey musL reach all sLudenLs of Lhe college, noL [usL
flrsL years.

*1he prevenLlon efforLs musL be cont|nuous-programs should be glven LhroughouL Lhe year,
noL [usL durlng one evenL or one Llme of Lhe year.

*1he prevenLlon efforLs musL be mu|t|-faceted-programs should use many approaches, and
musL noL be llmlLed Lo one class or one speaker. LffecLlve prevenLlon efforLs wlll lncorporaLe a
varleLy of approaches, lncludlng presenLaLlons, speakers, classes, posLer campalgns, eLc..

*revenLlon efforLs musL cha||enge a|| forms of oppress|on ln meanlngful ways-Lhls means
LhaL ln addlLlon Lo challenglng sexlsm and mlsogyny, Lhey musL also challenge heLerosexlsm,
ablelsm, raclsm, homophobla, eLc.

*revenLlon efforLs musL be re|evant to a|| student popu|at|ons, |nc|ud|ng marg|na||zed
commun|t|es such as eLhnlc or rellglous mlnorlLles and Lhe queer communlLy-Lhls ls Lo say
raLL 126

LhaL all programs almed aL prevenLlng sexual assaulL musL be broad enough ln scope Lo reach
mlnorlLy groups wlLhln Lhe sLudenL populaLlon.

*revenLlon efforLs musL be generat|ona||y re|evant to students-Lhls means LhaL Lhe
prevenLlon efforLs musL be up-Lo-daLe Lo ensure LhaL Lhe efforLs are lnLeresLlng and
enLerLalnlng Lo Lhe sLudenL populaLlon.

*revenLlon efforLs must be proper|y wr|tten and executed |n a wr|tten po||cy--Lhere needs
Lo exlsL some sorL of documenL ouLllnlng whaL Lhe College's speclflc prevenLlon efforLs are. ln
addlLlon, Lhere musL be some sLudenL overslghL Lo make sure LhaL College ls followlng Lhrough
on lLs prevenLlon efforLs.

*revenLlon efforLs must educate students on the soc|eta| causes of sexua| assau|t, raLher
Lhan focuslng on whaL women can do Lo avold belng aLLacked.

*revenLlon efforLs must not re|y on scare tact|cs.

Sexua| Assau|t revent|on and Advocacy Center:
1he College needs Lo provlde, fund, and sLaff more efforLs Lo prevenL sexual assaulL. 8efore l llsL
whaL Lhese speclflc prevenLlon efforLs should be, l wanL Lo brlefly propose Lhe developmenL of
a Sexual AssaulL revenLlon and Advocacy CenLer," whlch would house sLaff, resources, and
space for sexual assaulL prevenLlon programs, and would help Lhe Colby communlLy lmplemenL
and carry ouL an effecLlve sexual assaulL prevenLlon program.
1hls cenLer should be a vlslble and safe space for sLudenLs and sLudenL sexual assaulL
survlvors Lo go. Whlle lL could be a separaLe space all on lLs own, l Lhlnk LhaL lL should be parL of
whaL hopefully wlll become Lhe Colby Sexual and Cender ulverslLy 8esource CenLer." A group
of sLudenLs, faculLy, and alumnl have [usL composed a proposal for Lhls cenLer, whlch wlll be
presenLed Lo Lhe admlnlsLraLlon and hopefully Lhe 8oard of 1rusLees soon. Whlle l dld noL help
wrlLe Lhe proposal, l am a parL of Lhe group advocaLlng for Lhe cenLer, and l was one of four
sLudenLs who vlslLed 8owdoln's Sexual and Cender ulverslLy 8esource CenLer ln March Lo
gaLher research for Lhe proposal. 8owdoln's Sexual and Cender ulverslLy 8esource CenLer
raLL 127

houses resources, sLaff, and meeLlng rooms for women's groups, queer groups, and sexual
assaulL prevenLlon and supporL programs. Seelng how successful 8owdoln's program has been,
l Lhlnk lL would be besL for Colby Lo model Lhe same cenLer. Moreover, seelng how sexual
assaulL ls bound up ln varlous lssues of gender and sexuallLy, parLlcularly mlsogyny,
heLerosexlsm, and homophobla, lL makes sense Lo house women's resources, queer resources,
and sexual assaulL prevenLlon and supporL resources all ln Lhe same place.
1he Sexual AssaulL revenLlon and Advocacy CenLer," wlll employ 4 sLaff people who
would be ln charge of lmplemenLlng, conducLlng, and overseelng all sexual assaulL prevenLlon
efforLs, such as posLer campalgns, speakers, and educaLlonal programs such as a campus-wlde
1ake 8ack Lhe nlghL" and 1he CloLhesllne ro[ecL." 1hey wlll also be ln charge of advocaLlng
and helplng survlvors of sexual assaulL on campus. 1hese four sLaff persons' LlLles and [obs wlll
lnclude:
a) Sexua| Assau|t revent|on Lducator:
nearly all of Lhe women l lnLervlewed suggesLed LhaL Lhere needs Lo be a pald
sLaff person ln charge of educaLlng sLudenLs aL Colby on sexual assaulL. Accordlng Lo my
research, havlng a sexual assaulL prevenLlon educaLor on sLaff ls lmperaLlve Lo creaLlng a
rape-free communlLy, slnce ln order Lo prevenL sexual assaulL we musL flrsL educaLe
sLudenLs on whaL lL ls.
1hls person wlll be ln charge of all sexual assaulL prevenLlon programmlng. She
or he should have experlence worklng ln sexual assaulL prevenLlon educaLlon, relevanL
volunLeer experlence and/or an appllcable degree such as women's, gender, and
sexuallLy sLudles, queer sLudles, eLc. lL ls lmporLanL LhaL Lhls person's CnL? [ob be
raLL 128

Sexual AssaulL revenLlon LducaLor because Lhe person musL have an acLlve and vlslble
presence on campus, so sLudenLs are famlllar and feel comforLable approachlng
her/hlm, and havlng anoLher [ob would Lake up Llme LhaL should be dedlcaLed Lo
meeLlng, lnLeracLlng, and educaLlng sLudenLs.

b) Sexua| Assau|t Surv|vor Advocate:
Slmllarly, almosL all of Lhe survlvors l lnLervlewed expressed LhaL Lhey dld noL
know who Lo call when Lhey were sexual assaulLed, and sald LhaL Lhey would have
beneflLed from havlng one person who ls knowledgeable abouL sexual assaulL and Colby
advocaLe for Lhem Lhrough Lhe process of reporLlng, preparlng for a hearlng, eLc.
Slmllarly, Lhe schools l researched LhaL have Lhe besL pollcles also have Sexual AssaulL
Survlvor AdvocaLes. l also saw Lhls need especlally when l advocaLed for one survlvor
Lhls pasL year when l acLed as a llalson beLween Lhe survlvor and Lhe admlnlsLraLlon.
SlgnlflcanLly, Lhe woman felL much more comforLable reporLlng her assaulL Lo Lhe ueans
afLer l lnformed her of her opLlons for reporLlng and assured her LhaL her case would be
LreaLed falrly, whlch l gaLhered from my meeLlng wlLh uean !ohnson.
l Lhlnk Lhls helped her feel comforLable ln Lhree ways: 1) 8y havlng me
essenLlally represenL her Lo uean !ohnson by Lelllng her sLory and asklng her opLlons,
she dld noL have Lo rellve Lhe experlence agaln, and Lherefore, was able Lo emoLlonally
focus on Laklng care of herself and recoverlng, raLher Lhan recounLlng her LraumaLlc
ordeal over and over. 1) knowlng LhaL l am knowledgeable ln Lhe area of sexual assaulL
and famlllar wlLh Lhe schools' pollcles, l Lhlnk Lalklng Lo me abouL Lhe pollcles, her
opLlons for reporLlng, and whaL Lhe reporLlng process would look llke, made her feel
raLL 129

comforLable because she knew whaL Lo expecL when she declded Lo reporL, and
Lherefore, felL more aL-ease golng lnLo Lhe reporLlng process. 3) knowlng LhaL l am boLh
a peer and knowledgeable ln Lhe area of sexual assaulL and Colby's pollcles, l Lhlnk she
LrusLed me more Lhan she would a uean or someone connecLed Lo Lhe admlnlsLraLlon
because she saw me as more on her level and Lherefore, lL was easler for her Lo relaLe Lo
me and Lalk Lo me abouL her assaulL. Moreover, l Lhlnk she LrusLed my oplnlon on whaL
she should do because she knew LhaL as a sLudenL and a peer unconnecLed Lo Lhe deans
or admlnlsLraLlon, l was looklng ouL for her besL lnLeresL, raLher Lhan Lhe lnLeresL of Lhe
lnsLlLuLlon, repuLaLlon, eLc.
1he person who holds Lhls poslLlon should have experlence worklng ln sexual assaulL
survlvor advocacy, relevanL volunLeer experlence, and/or an appllcable degree. 1hey wlll serve
as Lhe go-Lo" person for reporLlng and wlll help survlvors LhroughouL Lhe enLlre reporLlng
process, lnformlng Lhe survlvor of Lhelr opLlons, accompanylng Lhe survlvor Lo meeLlng and
hearlngs, and helplng Lhe survlvor ln any way posslble. Llke Lhe Sexual AssaulL revenLlon
LducaLor, lL ls lmporLanL LhaL Lhls person's CnL? [ob be Sexual AssaulL revenLlon LducaLor
because Lhe person musL have an acLlve and vlslble presence on campus, so sLudenLs are
famlllar and feel comforLable approachlng her/hlm, and havlng anoLher [ob would Lake up Llme
LhaL should be dedlcaLed Lo meeLlng, lnLeracLlng, and educaLlng sLudenLs.
Whlle one could argue Lhe poslLlons of Sexual AssaulL revenLlon LducaLor and Sexual
AssaulL Survlvor AdvocaLe should be Lhe same person, l Lhlnk LhaL advocaLlng for sexual assaulL
survlvors and belng ln charge of lmplemenLlng sexual assaulL prevenLlon programs for an
enLlre College ls Loo large of a Lask for one person, and Lherefore, l dlvlde Lhe poslLlons lnLo Lwo
raLL 130

people. 1haL belng sald, l Lhlnk lL ls lmperaLlve LhaL Lhese Lwo sLaff people work LogeLher as a
Leam Lo ensure LhaL Lhere ls no fragmenLaLlon ln servlces. l Lhlnk boLh of Lhem should be
lnvolved ln each oLher's work and work more as a Leam Lhan as lndlvlduals. 1hls would mean
LhaL Lhey help each oLher wlLh Lhelr colleagues' work, meeL LogeLher dally Lo updaLe each
oLher on any new evenLs, and coordlnaLe programs and servlces LogeLher when posslble.

c) Student Sexua| Assau|t Advocates (2):
ln addlLlon Lo expresslng Lhe need for a Sexual AssaulL revenLlon LducaLor and
a Sexual AssaulL Survlvor AdvocaLe, many of Lhe survlvors l lnLervlewed suggesLed LhaL
Lhey would have beneflLed from havlng a peer advocaLe who Lhey could reporL Lo and
recelve help from. Llke Lhe survlvor l advocaLed for, many survlvors feel more
comforLable Lalklng Lo peers, Lherefore, havlng peer advocaLes who reporL Lo Lhe head
advocaLe would be a necessary componenL of an effecLlve sexual assaulL prevenLlon
program aL Colby. 8owdoln has a slmllar program LhaL ls based ln Lhe Sexual and
Cender ulverslLy 8esource CenLer," wlLh a group of sLudenLs who are known on campus
as Lhe sLudenL sexual assaulL advocaLes. 1hese sLudenLs undergo exLenslve Lralnlng and
work hard Lo be vlslble Lo sLudenLs aL 8owdoln, so sLudenLs and survlvors are able Lo
ldenLlfy Lhem ln Lhe case LhaL Lhey need Lo reporL or Lalk Lo one of Lhe advocaLes abouL
an assaulL. 1hey also asslsL ln sexual assaulL prevenLlon and educaLlon program and help
organlze evenLs llke 1ake 8ack Lhe nlghL," eLc. 1hese sLudenLs reporL Lo Lhe head
Sexual AssaulL AdvocaLe sLaff person. Accordlng Lo Lhe 8owdoln webslLe, Lhe Sexual
and Cender ulverslLy 8esource CenLer" has a sLudenL dlrecLor and Lwo sLudenL program
asslsLanLs, who asslsL sLaff persons aL Lhe cenLer. 1hese sLudenLs are pald Lhrough work
raLL 131

sLudy funds Lo help educaLe sLudenLs on Loplcs of sexual and gender dlverslLy, lncludlng
lssues of sexual assaulL.
ln somewhaL of a slmllar fashlon, l Lhlnk Colby should develop Lwo work-sLudy
[obs for sLudenLs Lo serve as sexual assaulL advocaLes and educaLors. l Lhlnk Lhese Lwo
sLudenLs should help wlLh advocaLlng for survlvors and should also be very lnvolved ln
educaLlng Lhe sLudenL body on lssues of sexual assaulL. 1herefore, boLh sLudenLs would
reporL Lo and asslsL Lhe Sexual AssaulL revenLlon LducaLor and Lhe Sexual AssaulL
AdvocaLe. 1hese Lwo sLudenLs should undergo exLenslve senslLlvlLy and dlverslLy
Lralnlng, have relevanL volunLeer experlences, and should be upperclassmen. ln addlLlon
Lo reporLlng Lo Lhe Sexual AssaulL revenLlon LducaLor and AdvocaLe, Lhese Lwo
sLudenLs wlll also oversee a group of sLudenL volunLeers who wlll serve as a Sexual
AssaulL LducaLlon and revenLlon 1eam." 1hls group of sLudenL wlll also be Lralned
advocaLes and ln charge of helplng plannlng and lmplemenLlng sexual assaulL
prevenLlon programs.

Sexua| Assau|t revent|on rograms and kecommendat|on:
(My recommendaLlons are ln parL lnsplred by Lhe suggesLlons found ln Lhe manual cbooqe
noppeos. A ColJe to kefotmloq oot compos 5exool Assoolt lollcy, whlch ls publlshed by Lhe
nonproflL organlzaLlon, SLudenLs AcLlve for Lndlng 8ape")

1) Secur|ty Lscort Serv|ces: AlLhough Colby does provlde escorLs and safe rldes for sLudenLs laLe
aL nlghL, one weakness ls LhaL Lhere does noL appear Lo be an opLlon Lo requesL a same-sex
escorL or safe-rlde drlver. !udglng by Lhe facL LhaL Colby SecurlLy ls predomlnaLely men, havlng
raLL 132

Lhe opLlon Lo requesL a same-sex escorL may noL even be posslble. 1hls ls problemaLlc because
some women do noL feel comforLable walklng or rldlng ln a car alone aL nlghL wlLh men Lhey do
noL know, especlally women who have been sexually assaulLed by men. noL havlng Lhls opLlon
may deLer Lhem from asklng for an escorL or a rlde. l propose LhaL Colby elLher make lL known
Lo Lhe sLudenL body LhaL Lhey can ask for a same-sex escorL, and lf LhaL opLlon ls noL posslble,
hlre more female securlLy offlcers so LhaL lL can become posslble.

2) Se|f-Defense C|asses: Colby does provlde self-defense classes for sLudenLs, however,
accordlng Lo my research very few people aLLend Lhese classes. l am noL sure why Lhls ls Lhe
case, buL from my research, l have gaLhered LhaL Lhey have noL been well adverLlsed and ofLen
occur aL random Llmes durlng Lhe year. l have also heard LhaL some women have been Lurned
off by Lhe facL LhaL Lhey are LaughL by male securlLy offlcers and noL a woman. Whlle lL ls
deflnlLely okay Lo have male securlLy offlcers Leachlng self defense classes, lL ls lmporLanL Lo
also have a woman Leachlng classes. lor many women who have been elLher aLLacked or
sexually assaulLed by men, learnlng self defense from a man can be scary and LraumaLlc. l
suggesL LhaL Colby hlre a female self defense Leacher Lo come ln once every Lwo weeks Lo glve a
self defense class separaLe from Lhe ones LaughL by securlLy. 1hls class should be well-
adverLlzed, free Lo all sLudenLs, and should occur on a conslsLenL basls.

3) Cr|s|s Counse||ng]not||ne: Crlsls counsellng, lncludlng access Lo Lralned sexual assaulL
advocaLes musL be avallable on campus 24 hours a day 7 days a week for Colby sLudenLs.
Accordlng Lo Lhe Colby Sexual AssaulL ollcy Pandbook," Lhe college usually recommends
Colby sLudenLs Lo call Lydla-8olduc Marden (volunLeer vlcLlm advocaLe) Lhe local rape crlsls
raLL 133

hoLllne, Lhe WaLervllle ollce ueparLmenL, SecurlLy, Lhe counselor on call, or Lhe uean's Cfflce
when Lhey need Lo Lalk Lo someone abouL sexual assaulL. Whlle Lhese are all very good ,
effecLlve, and helpful opLlons, Lhey are all locaLed ln dlfferenL deparLmenLs, whlch l Lhlnk
someLlmes geLs confuslng for survlvors and resulLs ln a fragmenLed response LhaL can
poLenLlally decrease Lhe quallLy of servlce LhaL Lhe survlvor recelves. Moreover, Lhese opLlons
are noL well adverLlsed, as mosL all of Lhe women l lnLervlewed expressed LhaL Lhey dld noL
know who Lo conLacL afLer Lhelr assaulL.
l Lhlnk a beLLer opLlon would be Lo have one hoLllne on campus LhaL sexual assaulL
survlvors can lmmedlaLely conLacL Lo geL connecLed Lo whlchever servlces Lhey need (wheLher
LhaL be Lydla 8olduc-Marden, a counselor, or a uean). Whoever works Lhls hoLllne should be a
Lralned sexual assaulL advocaLe, and should be well-lnformed abouL Colby's pollcles and sysLem
of reporLlng, so LhaL she/he wlll know how Lo besL help Lhe survlvor and connecL Lhem Lo Lhe
servlces Lhey need. 1he person should also be approprlaLely Lralned Lo counsel and help
marglnallzed populaLlons such as eLhnlc or rellglous mlnorlLles, members of Lhe queer
communlLy, and dlsabled people.

4) nea|th Center Serv|ces: ln Lhe evenL LhaL a sLudenL ls sexually assaulLed, Lhe PealLh CenLer
should provlde emergency conLracepLlon free of charge Lo Lhe survlvor. CurrenLly, Lhe PealLh
CenLer does have lan 8 avallable Lo sLudenLs, buL sLudenLs are charged for Lhe amounL Lhe
PealLh CenLer pays for Lhe medlclne. Accordlng Lo nurse racLlLloner Lydla Marden, lf a sexual
assaulL survlvor goes Lo an emergency room, lan 8 and ls compleLely free of charge. Powever,
ln Lhe PealLh CenLer, lan 8 can be only be admlnlsLered for free on a case by case basls.
raLL 134

8aLher Lhan admlnlsLer lan 8 on a case by case basls, l suggesL LhaL Lhe PealLh CenLer make lL a
mandaLe Lo glve sexual assaulL survlvors lan 8 free of charge.
ln addlLlon Lo lan 8, anLlbloLlcs and prophylaxls should be made avallable free of
charge Lo sexual assaulL survlvors ln Lhe PealLh CenLer. AddlLlonally, a cerLlfled Sexual AssaulL
nurse Lxamlner should be avallable on campus. CurrenLly, anLlbloLlcs are LoLally free ln Lhe
Lmergency 8oom buL noL aL Colby. Powever, pregnancy LesLs are avallable for free Lo Colby
sLudenLs. AlLhough Lydla 8olduc-Marden ls Lralned as a cerLlfled Sexual AssaulL nurse Lxamlner,
she cannoL gaLher a rape klL aL Colby due Lo sLrlcL proLocol LhaL deems rape klLs musL go
Lhrough a chaln of evldence." 1hls proLocol ensures LhaL ln Lhe evenL LhaL a rape klL ls used ln
a courL of law, none of Lhe evldence has been Lampered wlLh. Whlle 8olduc-Marden can
perform a medlcal exam and glve an S1u screenlng Lo sexual assaulL survlvors, she cannoL
perform a rape klL due Lo Lhese resLrlcLlons. 1herefore, ln order Lo geL a rape klL, sLudenLs musL
go off campus Lo Lhe emergency room. Whlle Lhls ls problemaLlc because lL adds anoLher sLep
Lo Lhe reporLlng process and Lherefore, can poLenLlally cause more sLress for Lhe survlvor, lL
does noL seem Lo be someLhlng we can change. Powever, Colby can change Lhe facL LhaL lL does
noL seem Lo have anLlbloLlcs avallable free of charge for sexual assaulL survlvors by mandaLlng
LhaL sexual assaulL survlvors musL be able Lo recelve anLlbloLlcs for free lf Lhey wanL Lhem.
1he avallablllLy of Lhese servlces should be publlclzed ln Lhe sLudenL handbook, by
announcemenLs durlng orlenLaLlon, on offlclal bulleLln boards, and on a posLer ln Lhe offlce of
Lhe PealLh CenLer. l flnd lL problemaLlc LhaL sLudenLs do noL know abouL Lhe servlces LhaL do
exlsL.

raLL 133

S) Increased Lducat|on on Sexua| Assau|t CurrenLly, Colby offers educaLlon on sexual assaulL
Lhrough Lhe Colby Sexual AssaulL ollcy" brochure, llrsL-?ear Supper Semlnar LecLures, and
dlscusslons offered by Lhe organlzaLlon, SLudenL PealLh on Campus (LeLLer Lo Colby SLudenLs
from !lm 1erhune, locaLed lnslde Lhe handbook). AlLhough Lhese efforLs seem Lo be sufflclenL, l
have found ln my research LhaL Colby sLudenLs are largely unlnformed on lssues of sexuallLy,
sexual healLh, and sexual assaulL. 1herefore, whlle Lhese programs probably ralse some
awareness, Lhey are lnadequaLe. 1hls means LhaL Colby needs Lo lmplemenL more educaLlonal
programs LhaL ralse awareness abouL sexual assaulL and lssues perLalnlng gender and sexuallLy,
slnce ,as we have esLabllshed, sexual assaulL ls lnexLrlcably llnked Lo lssues of gender and
sexuallLy, parLlcularly heLerosexlsm, homophobla, eLc. 1hese educaLlonal programs should
come ln varlous forms, should occur conslsLenLly all year, and should reach Lhe enLlre sLudenL
body, lncludlng [unlors and senlors and mlnorlLy groups.
Accordlng Lo my research, l have found LhaL one weakness ln Colby's sexual assaulL
educaLlon program ls LhaL Lhe programs Lhey do have ln place seem Lo only be dlrecLed aL flrsL
year sLudenLs. rograms LhaL are dlrecLed aL older sLudenLs are noL well adverLlsed and are very
lnconslsLenL. 1herefore, ln addlLlon Lo addlng more programs LhaL are more effecLlve, Lhe
college needs Lo lmprove upon Lhe ones lL already has by dlrecLlng programs aL Lhe enLlre sLudy
body and publlclzlng Lhem effecLlvely ln order Lo make Lhe already exlsLlng educaLlonal
programs beLLer. 1he new educaLlonal programs LhaL l Lhlnk Lhe College should adopL lnclude
Lhe followlng:

a) Sexua| Assau|t Lducat|on for I|rst-ears at Cr|entat|on: AL orlenLaLlon, flrsL year
sLudenLs should recelve lnformaLlon on Lhe socleLal causes of sexual assaulL, sexual
raLL 136

assaulL aL Colby, and Colby's sexual assaulL pollcy. 1he educaLlon should come ln many
forms, lncludlng sklLs, dlscusslons, speakers, pamphleLs, eLc. 1he speclflcs of Lhe sexual
assaulL pollcy, lncludlng deflnlLlons of key Lerms found ln Lhe pollcy, procedures for
reporLlng, and resources avallable Lo sLudenL survlvors wlll be revlewed. 1he pollcy lLself
should be examlned ln small groups Lo ensure each lndlvldual's comprehenslon of Lhe
pollcy.
ln addlLlon Lo examlnlng Lhe socleLal causes of sexual assaulL, sexual assaulL aL
Colby, and Lhe loglsLlcs of Colby's pollcy, flrsL-year sLudenLs should be educaLed on
Loplcs such as respecL for self and oLhers, unlmpalred [udgmenL, safer sex pracLlces, how
Lo ask for consenL, ways Lo say no, and how Lo make healLhy sexual declslons for
yourself.
Sexual assaulL prevenLlon educaLlon for flrsL-year sLudenLs aL orlenLaLlon should
be addressed by a varleLy of sources, lncludlng Lhe Sexual AssaulL revenLlon
LducaLor," Lhe Sexual AssaulL AdvocaLe," sLudenL advocaLes, CommunlLy Advlsors, and
CCC1 Leaders.

b) Sexua| Assau|t revent|on Lducat|on for Commun|ty Leaders: CommunlLy leaders,
lncludlng CommunlLy Advlsors, CCC1 Leaders, members of SLudenL CovernmenL,
sporLs capLalns, and club leaders should recelve a yearly revlew of Lhe Colby Sexual
AssaulL ollcy. 1hls overvlew should lnclude lnformaLlon on Lhe socleLal causes of sexual
assaulL, sexual assaulL aL Colby, and Colby's sexual assaulL pollcy. 1he educaLlon should
come ln many forms, lncludlng sklLs, dlscusslons, speakers, pamphleLs, eLc. 1he speclflcs
of Lhe sexual assaulL pollcy, lncludlng deflnlLlons of key Lerms found ln Lhe pollcy,
raLL 137

procedures for reporLlng, and resources avallable Lo sLudenL survlvors wlll be revlewed
from orlenLaLlon. 1he pollcy lLself should be examlned ln small groups Lo ensure each
lndlvldual's comprehenslon of Lhe pollcy.
ln addlLlon Lo examlnlng Lhe socleLal causes of sexual assaulL, sexual assaulL aL
Colby, and Lhe loglsLlcs of Colby's pollcy, communlLy leaders should be remlnded of
Loplcs such as respecL for self and oLhers, unlmpalred [udgmenL, safer sex pracLlces, how
Lo ask for consenL, ways Lo say no, and how Lo make healLhy sexual declslons for
yourself.
Sexual assaulL prevenLlon educaLlon for communlLy leaders should be conducLed
by Lhe Sexual AssaulL revenLlon LducaLor," Lhe Sexual AssaulL Survlvor AdvocaLe,"
and sLudenL advocaLes.

c) Sexua| Assau|t revent|on Lducat|on for Secur|ty, Iacu|ty, and Staff: Colby College
faculLy and sLaff should recelve a yearly revlew of Lhe Colby Sexual AssaulL ollcy. 1hls
overvlew should lnclude lnformaLlon on Lhe socleLal causes of sexual assaulL, sexual
assaulL aL Colby, and Colby's sexual assaulL pollcy. 1he educaLlon should come ln many
forms, lncludlng sklLs, dlscusslons, speakers, pamphleLs, eLc. 1he speclflcs of Lhe sexual
assaulL pollcy, lncludlng deflnlLlons of key Lerms found ln Lhe pollcy, procedures for
reporLlng, and resources avallable Lo communlLy survlvors wlll be revlewed. ln addlLlon,
securlLy, faculLy, and sLaff wlll be educaLed on how Lo besL help sLudenL survlvors,
connecL Lhem Lo Lhe resource offered aL Lhe Sexual AssaulL revenLlon and LducaLlon
CenLer, and advocaLe for Lhelr sLudenLs lf Lhey choose Lo do so. 1he pollcy and Lhe sLeps
raLL 138

faculLy and sLaff should Lake Lo help survlvors should be examlned ln small groups Lo
ensure each lndlvldual's comprehenslon of Lhe pollcy.
Sexual assaulL prevenLlon educaLlon for securlLy, faculLy, and sLaff should be
conducLed by Lhe Sexual AssaulL revenLlon LducaLor," Lhe Sexual AssaulL Survlvor
AdvocaLe," and sLudenL advocaLes.

d) Sexua| Assau|t revent|on and Lducat|on for rospect|ve Students, Campus V|s|tors,
and Guest erformers: rospecLlve sLudenLs, campus vlslLors, and guesL performers
should all be lnformed on whaL Lhe Colby Sexual AssaulL ollcy ls. Whlle Lhe educaLlon
Lhey recelve does noL have Lo be as exLenslve as Lhe educaLlon sLudenLs, faculLy, and
sLaff recelve, because Lhey are noL long-Lerm members of our communlLy, lL ls
lmporLanL LhaL Lhey undersLand Colby's communlLy sLandards. l have found ln my
research LhaL ofLenLlmes, Colby has a hard Llme deallng wlLh cases LhaL lnvolve a
perpeLraLor who does noL go Lo Colby (and survlvors LhaL are Colby sLudenLs).
1herefore, ln order Lo prevenL vlslLors from vlolaLlng our code of conducL, l Lhlnk lL ls
necessary Lo educaLe vlslLors on our pollcy, so Lhey are aware boLh aware of our
communlLy sLandards and Lhe consequences Lhey wlll face lf Lhey vlolaLe our communlLy
sLandards.
Moreover, l Lhlnk lL ls a good move of Lhe college Lo educaLe prospecLlve
sLudenLs on our pollcy, slnce lL emphaslzes Colby's concern for sexual assaulL survlvors
and value ln culLlvaLlng a respecLful communlLy, whlch deflnlLely looks good (and may
even aLLracL some sLudenLs). ulscusslng Lhe pollcy wlLh prospecLlve sLudenLs ls also a
good ldea because lL wlll ouLllne our expecLaLlons from Lhe sLarL, so sLudenLs are aware
raLL 139

of Lhe communlLy sLandards before Lhey even maLrlculaLe, whlch may make lL llkeller
LhaL Lhey wlll adhere Lo Lhese sLandards.
LducaLlon for prospecLlve sLudenLs, campus vlslLors, and guesL performers
should come ln Lhe form of a pamphleL ouLllnlng Lhe pollcy and a conLracL LhaL musL be
slgned agreelng Lo follow our communlLy sLandards before Lhey are allowed ln our
communlLy. 1he pamphleL wlll be made and dlsLrlbuLed by Lhe Sexual AssaulL
revenLlon LducaLor.

e) Make WGSS Courses a kequ|rement: CurrenLly, Colby sLudenLs, ln addlLlon Lo Lhelr
ma[or(s) or mlnor(s), are requlred Lo Lake Lhree semesLers of a forelgn language, Lngllsh
113, Lhree !anplans, one arLs class, one hlsLorlcal sLudles class, one llLeraLure class, one
quanLlLaLlve reasonlng class, Lwo naLural sclences class, one soclal sclences class, and
Lwo dlverslLy" classes. Powever, no one ls requlred Lo Lake a Women's, Cender, and
SexuallLy SLudles class. Whlle one could argue LhaL a WCSS course would be one of Lhe
few classes LhaL would quallfy for Lhe dlverslLy" requlremenL and Lherefore, many
people Lake Lhem, unforLunaLely, Lhe dlverslLy requlremenL aL Colby ls so broad LhaL
people can Lake almosL anyLhlng Lo fulflll lL, and Lherefore, Lhe vasL ma[orlLy of sLudenLs
aL Colby never Lake a course on gender or sexuallLy.
l Lhlnk Lhls ls problemaLlc for a number of reasons, one belng LhaL by requlrlng
sLudenLs Lo Lake Lwo sclences classes and yeL no WCSS classes, Lhe school suggesLs LhaL
learnlng sclence ls more lmporLanL Lhan learnlng abouL lssues of gender and sexuallLy,
and Lhus suggesLs LhaL Lhey value sub[ecLs llke asLronomy more Lhan women's hlsLory
and queer Lheory. Whlle l do noL deny LhaL learnlng sclence ls lmporLanL, l Lhlnk LhaL
raLL 140

learnlng abouL lssues of gender and sexuallLy ls [usL as lmporLanL (lf noL more
lmporLanL) Lo my llfe and Lo Lhe lmprovemenL of humanlLy. Moreover, by noL
requlrlng sLudenLs Lo Lake a WCSS course, Colby mlsses ouL on a greaL opporLunlLy Lo
educaLe lLs sLudenLs on Loplcs LhaL are aL Lhe very core of sexual assaulL lssues, lssues
such as gender oppresslon, female sub[ecLlvlLy, and homophobla.
ln facL, exposure Lo a WCSS course aL Colby has been proven Lo lncrease
sLudenL's awareness abouL sexual assaulL. l saw Lhls especlally Lhls year when l
presenLed Lhe prellmlnary work of my Lhesls Lo Mark 1appan's popular educaLlon class,
8oys Lo Men." 1he class ls popular among senlors who are looklng for an lnLeresLlng
and fun class ouLslde of Lhelr ma[or, and Mark requlres LhaL Lhe course be composed of
half men and half women. ConsequenLly, Lhere were many men ln Lhe class who were
noL famlllar wlLh lssues of sexual assaulL and had never Laken anyLhlng close Lo a WCSS
course. AfLer llsLenlng Lo my presenLaLlon on sexual assaulL aL Colby, Lhe men were
vlslbly upseL and gaLhered ouLslde Lhe classroom Lo furLher dlscuss whaL Lhey could Lo
help prevenL sexual assaulL.
1he class conLlnued Lo dlscuss lssues of sexual assaulL afLer my presenLaLlon,
examlnlng Loplcs llke male enLlLlemenL and mlsogyny and Lhe male sLudenLs became
very lnLeresLed ln flgurlng ouL a way Lhey could help ralse awareness abouL sexual
assaulL. 1hls group of men evenLually became Colby's chapLer of Male ALhleLes
AgalnsL vlolence," a group LhaL ls currenLly worklng Lo change campus culLure and
make sexual assaulL a men's lssue. l lnLervlewed one of Lhe founders of MAAv, Cody
Mcklnny, Lo dlscuss hls oplnlons on whaL Lhe Colby communlLy should do Lo prevenL
raLL 141

sexual assaulL and he recommended LhaL sLudenLs should be requlred Lo Lake WCSS
classes llke 8oys Lo Men," clLlng, l would have never known LhaL sexual assaulL ls such
as blg lssue had l noL Laken LhaL class."
1herefore, l propose LhaL Colby requlre all sLudenLs Lo Lake one WCSS course
durlng Lhelr four years aL Colby. l Lhlnk Lhls move wlll be very effecLlve ln educaLlng Lhe
sLudenL body on lssues relaLed Lo sexual assaulL, noL because each course deals dlrecLly
wlLh sexual assaulL, buL because almosL all WCSS courses dlscuss Loplcs LhaL relaLe Lo
sexual assaulL and gender vlolence. 1hese courses wlll make sLudenLs more senslLlve Lo
gender oppresslon, wlll geL sLudenLs Lalklng abouL lssues of gender and sexuallLy, and
wlll force Lhe Colby communlLy Lo evaluaLe sysLems of oppresslon and prlvllege LhaL
conLrlbuLe Lo sexual assaulL. Popefully by educaLlng more sLudenLs on lssues of gender
and sexuallLy we wlll be able Lo lnsplre more sLudenLs llke Cody Mcklnney Lo become
acLlvlsLs agalnsL sexual assaulL.

f) rov|de more Support for C|ubs and Student Crgan|zat|ons that ka|se Awareness
About Issues of Sexua| and Gender D|vers|ty: lL ls lmporLanL LhaL organlzaLlons llke Lhe
Women's Croup and Lhe 8rldge-groups LhaL educaLe Lhe communlLy and ralse
awareness abouL lssues of sexual and gender dlverslLy--recelve ample flnanclal and
admlnlsLraLlve supporL from Lhe college Lo ensure LhaL Lhese lssues are Lalked abouL and
dlscussed amongsL Lhe sLudenL body. l am afflllaLed wlLh boLh groups, and from whaL l
know, boLh organlzaLlons recelve supporL from Lhe College, however, some Lhlngs could
be lmproved.
raLL 142

lor lnsLance, Lhls year Lhe 8rldge was noL allowed Lo drape colored paper
over Lhe columns of mlller sLeps Lo form a ralnbow for prlde week. LasL year, a group of
sLudenLs lllegally made Lhe ralnbow, buL Lhey were warned LhaL lf Lhey dld lL Lhls year,
Lhey would be severely punlshed. lrom whaL l undersLand, Lhe lssue was LhaL Lhe
college cannoL make overL pollLlcal sLaLemenLs on Lhe sLeps. Moreover, 8rldge members
were Lold LhaL Lhe banners would apparenLly vlolaLe some sorL of u decoraLlon code.
Whlle Lhls may seem llke a small and lnslgnlflcanL crack-down on rules by Lhe college,
noL allowlng Lhe ralnbow Lo go up durlng prlde week suggesLs LhaL Lhe college does noL
value sexual and gender dlverslLy as much as lL values lnsLlLuLlonal aesLheLlcs. Slnce
sexual assaulL ls lnherenLly llnked Lo lssues of sexual and gender dlverslLy, by noL
allowlng a symbol ln supporL of sexual and gender dlverslLy Lo go up, Lhe college
lnadverLenLly suggesLs LhaL Lhey do noL wanL Lo make sexual assaulL awareness and Lhe
lssues relaLed Lo lL a prlorlLy. AlLhough Lhe college argues LhaL leLLlng Lhe flags fly would
make an overL pollLlcal sLaLemenL, whlch ls agalnsL college pollcy, whaL Lhey fall Lo
reallze ls LhaL by oot allowlng Lhe ralnbow Lo fly on Lhe sLeps, Colby makes whaL l see Lo
be an even larger pollLlcal sLaLemenL LhaL reveals lLs lnvesLmenL ln malnLalnlng
normaLlve sLandards of gender and sexuallLy. 1hls ls hlghly problemaLlc, parLlcularly
because by malnLalnlng normaLlve consLrucLlon of gender and sexuallLy, ldeas whlch
agaln, are lnherenLly llnked Lo lssues of sexual assaulL, Lhe college suggesLs LhaL Lhey
wanL Lo malnLaln LhaL same oppresslve lnsLlLuLlons of gender oppresslon LhaL
perpeLuaLes rape culLure.

raLL 143

g) Cffer More Women os|t|ons |n the Adm|n|strat|on and on the 8oard of 1rustees:
Whlle such a recommendaLlon may seem unrelaLed Lo sexual assaulL, Lhe suggesLlon
LhaL more women be offered admlnlsLraLlve poslLlons aL Colby dlrecLly relaLes Lo
decreaslng lnsLances of sexual assaulL because sexual assaulL and Lhe male-domlnaLed
hlerarchy ln LusLls are boLh are sympLoms of sLrucLural sexlsm and paLrlarchy. lf we
were Lo break down Lhe male-domlnaLed sLrucLure of LusLls by hlrlng more female
ueans, more women would be lnvolved ln Lhe ma[or declslon-maklng of Lhe college.
lnvolvlng more women ln Lhe ma[or-declslon maklng of Lhe college ls lmperaLlve Lo
breaklng down sLrucLural sexlsm aL Colby because a female uean would have whaL
femlnlsL LheorlsL uma narayan calls an eplsLemlc advanLage." narayan lllusLraLes Lhe
meanlng of eplsLemlc advanLage" when she asserLs LhaL
A fundamenLal Lhesls of femlnlsL eplsLemology ls LhaL our locaLlon ln Lhe
world as women makes lL posslble for us Lo percelve and undersLand dlfferenL
aspecLs of boLh Lhe world and human acLlvlLles ln ways LhaL challenge Lhe male
blas of exlsLlng perspecLlves" (narayan 332).
1herefore, because women have an eplsLemlc advanLage and Lherefore, undersLand Lhe
world ln ways LhaL challenge Lhe male paLrlarchal sLaLus quo, lL ls lmporLanL Lo lnclude
women ln any declslon-maklng body ln order Lo ensure LhaL Lhe organlzaLlon ls
conslderlng Lhe needs of females and belng falr Lo all women. 1hls rule especlally
applles Lo organlzaLlons llke Lhe admlnlsLraLlon of a co-ed college, slnce Lhe
admlnlsLraLlon makes declslons LhaL affecL Lhe llves of boLh men and women. narayan
raLL 144

conLends LhaL Lhe lncluslon of women ln Lhese groups wlll help break down sLrucLural
sexlsm lnherenL ln paLrlarchal sLrucLures, noLlng,
lemlnlsL eplsLemology suggesLs LhaL lnLegraLlng women's conLrlbuLlon
lnLo Lhe domaln of sclence and knowledge wlll noL consLlLuLe a mere
addlng of deLalls, lL wlll noL merely wlden Lhe canvas buL resulL ln a shlfL
of perspecLlve eooblloq os to see o vety Jlffeteot plctote. 1he lncluslon o f
women's perspecLlves wlll noL merely amounL Lo women parLlclpaLlng ln
greaLer numbers ln Lhe exlsLlng pracLlce of sclence and knowledge, bot lt
wlll cbooqe tbe vety ootote of tbese octlvltles ooJ tbelt self-
ooJetstooJloq (narayan 332).
1hus, whlle my suggesLlon does noL seem Lo make sense aL flrsL, my asserLlon
LhaL Lhe school should hlre more female ueans and LrusLees ln order Lo reduce sexlsm
and sexual assaulL makes perfecL sense once one conslders how a women's eplsLemlc
advanLage" conLrlbuLes Lo a group's lmproved undersLandlng of women.

h) Look Into now We Can Change the Cu|ture of "Co|by Dances:" 1he connecLlon
beLween Colby dances and sexual assaulL, a connecLlon LhaL was seen ln Lhe College's
declslon Lo ellmlnaLe Lhe Screw ?our 8oommaLe uance," ls a connecLlon see aL almosL
all Colby dances. 1hls parallel ls evldenL ln Lhe blaLanL dlsregard for people's personal
boundarles and physlcal auLonomy aL Colby dances. Many sLudenLs aL Lhese dances
have no problem aggresslvely grabblng oLher sLudenLs or rubblng Lhelr genlLal agalnsL
unsuspecLlng women. l have even heard of men reachlng Lhelr hands up women's sklrLs
raLL 143

and forclbly flngerlng Lhelr danclng parLner" as Lhey grlnd." Whlle many sLudenLs
clalm LhaL Lhese moves are all a parL of danclng" or grlndlng" l see lL as blaLanL sexual
assaulL. LquaLlng "danclng" wlLh sexual assaulL dangerously conLrlbuLes and supporLs
rape culLure because by [usLlfylng sexual assaulL as an accepLed form of danclng,
sLudenLs normallze sexual assaulL as someLhlng LhaL ls an expecLed componenL of Lhe
soclal scene. 1he lnLegraLlon and normallzaLlon of sexual assaulL ln Lhe soclal scene ls
really dangerous because when someLhlng ls normallzed ln a culLure, people begln Lo
Lhlnk LhaL lL ls normal" and Lherefore, accepLable. lf Lhe Screw ?our 8oommaLe
uance" was as bad as 1be cbo revealed lL Lo be, l agree LhaL abollshlng such a
mlsogynlsLlc LradlLlon was lmperaLlve Lo creaLlng a safer and assaulL-free culLure.
Powever, raLher Lhan abollsh Colby dances, l argue LhaL we musL look lnLo ways Lo
creaLe a dlfferenL dance culLure aL Colby, one LhaL ls characLerlzed by muLual respecL
and fun.








raLL 146

2) kev|s|ons to the Co|by Sexua| Assau|t o||cy:
1) Def|ne sexua| assau|t more c|ear|y: 1he Colby College Sexual AssaulL brochure deflnes sexual
assaulL as sexual acLlvlLy, or any klnd, wlLh a person wlLhouL Lhe person's consenL. lL lncludes
sexual conducL commonly known as rape, or oLher sexual mlsconducL, wheLher forclble or non-
forclble. When sexual assaulL occurs ln a relaLlonshlp lL ls called acqualnLance rape. LlLher males
or females can be aggressors ln sexual assaulL, and sexual assaulL can occur ln same-sex
relaLlonshlps" (lmporLanL lnformaLlon for Lhe Colby CommunlLy AbouL Sexual AssaulL).
Whlle Lhls ls a very Lhorough and facLual deflnlLlon, l have found ln my research LhaL Lhe
mosL effecLlve sexual assaulL pollcles clearly deflne sexual assaulL ooJ bteok tbe Jefloltloo op
loto coteqotles loJlcotloq sevetlty. 1he reason for Lhls ls because breaklng sexual assaulLs down
lnLo degrees of severlLy allows school offlclals Lo form more clearly deLermlned and LransparenL
dlsclpllnary sancLlons LhaL correspond Lo vlolaLlons of each degree. lor lnsLance, some schools
deflne flrsL degree assaulL" as LhreaLs or aLLempLs aL sexual assaulL, such as LhreaLenlng Lo or
aLLempLlng Lo puL your genlLal ln someone's mouLh agalnsL Lhelr wlll," and second degree
assaulL" as overL nonconsensual sexual conLacL, such as forclng your genlLal lnLo someone's
mouLh." vlolaLors of second degree sexual assaulL are punlshed more severely Lhan vlolaLors of
flrsL degree sexual assaulL and Lhe correspondlng punlshmenL are ouLllned ln Lhe sLudenL sexual
assaulL pollcy. As Lhe currenL pollcy sLands, sexual assaulL ls deflned Loo broadly Lo have
LransparenL mandaLed dlsclpllnary sancLlons, so l suggesL LhaL Colby revlse lLs deflnlLlon of
sexual assaulL Lo lnclude dlfferenL degrees of severlLy so LhaL Lhey can develop correspondlng
degrees of dlsclpllne, and Lhus, make Lhelr pollcles more LransparenL and accesslble Lo
sLudenLs.
raLL 147


2) C|ear|y def|ne and out||ne spec|f|c d|sc|p||nary sanct|ons that correspond to def|ned
degrees of sexua| assau|t: See above.

2) kequ|re mandatory counse||ng for perpetrators who are conv|cted but not expe||ed: ln
cases LhaL do noL lnvolve expulslon, all sLudenLs found Lo be ln vlolaLlon of Lhe school's pollcy
should be requlred Lo aLLend aL leasL LwenLy one-hour counsellng sesslons free of charge from
Colby counsellng servlces, addresslng Lhe prevenLlon of fuLure assaulLs. lallure Lo aLLend
counsellng sesslons should resulL ln expulslon. CurrenLly, Colby does noL requlre perpeLraLors of
sexual assaulL Lo aLLend mandaLory counsellng. uean of SLudenLs uean !ohnson explalned Lo
me LhaL Lhe school used Lo mandaLe Lhls, buL Lhe counsellng cenLer has found lL Lo be hlghly
lneffecLlve and a compleLe wasLe of people's Llme" because Lhe perpeLraLors almosL always
refuse Lo engage wlLh Lhe counselor. ConsequenLly, Lhe school dropped Lhe mandaLe. Whlle l
see where uean !ohnson and Lhe sLaff aL Lhe counsellng cenLer are comlng from, l argue LhaL
one way Lo flx Lhls problem ls Lo expel Lhose who do noL fully engage Lhemselves ln Lhe
requlred counsellng. 1hls would force perpeLraLors Lo parLlclpaLe ln Lhe Lherapy and work
Lhrough Lhe lssues LhaL led Lo Lhelr aLLack.
1hls ls exLremely lmporLanL because people who commlL sexual assaulL musL address
boLh why Lhe assaulL happened and ways Lhey can prevenL fuLure assaulLs ln order Lo ensure
LhaL lL does noL happen agaln. 1hls proLecLs boLh Lhe perpeLraLor and Lhe Colby communlLy.



raLL 148

2) Create a system for anonymous report|ng:
CurrenLly, Lhere does noL exlsL a sysLem for anonymous reporLlng of sexual assaulL LhaL
allows a sLudenL Lo noLlfy Lhe communlLy LhaL a sexual assaulL has Laken place wlLhouL glvlng
ldenLlfylng lnformaLlon of Lhe people lnvolved or lnlLlaLlng campus and pollce dlsclpllnary
acLlon. Anonymous reporLlng ls parLlcularly lmporLanL because some survlvors do noL wanL
Lhelr ldenLlLles revealed or Lhelr perpeLraLor's ldenLlLy revealed, and are afrald LhaL by
reporLlng, Lhey wlll auLomaLlcally lnvolve campus auLhorlLles and WaLervllle ollce (l dlscussed
Lhls ln my prevlous secLlon on lnadequaLe and lneffecLlve ollcles"). 1herefore, l propose LhaL
Colby creaLe and publlclze a sysLem by whlch sLudenLs, faculLy, and admlnlsLraLors can make an
anonymous reporL elecLronlcally, enLerlng only lnformaLlon necessary Lo prevenL double reporL
ln Lhe same assaulL. l dlscussed Lhls wlLh uean !ohnsLon and he sald LhaL Lhe admlnlsLraLlon ls
looklng lnLo Lhe posslblllLy of lmplemenLlng an anonymous sysLem of reporLlng LhaL would
allow people Lo reporL onllne. 1hls sysLem would also glve Lhe anonymous reporLer Lhe nexL
sLeps Lhey could Lake ln Lhe evenL LhaL Lhey wanLed Lo reporL furLher and would llsL Lhe supporL
servlces avallable Lo Lhem.

3) Consu|t w|th a|| facu|ty and staff and the |oca| po||ce department to co||ect accurate
stat|st|cs regard|ng the number of sexua| assau|t reported each year (necessary for
comp||ance w|th C|ery Act).
CrlenLaLlon for new faculLy-Lorl klelLzer and Mlchael uonahue-flnd ouL lf Lhey dlscuss durlng
faculLy orlenLaLlon.

raLL 149

4) Lnsure that a|| students and staff rece|ve a report at the beg|nn|ng of each schoo| year that
||sts the number of sexua| assau|ts that have occurred on campus (necessary for comp||ance
w|th C|ery Act). Accordlng Lo my research, Lhese sLaLlsLlcs are made avallable Lo sLudenLs and
sLaff on Lhe campus webslLe, however, Lhe slLe ls noL easy Lo access (lL Look me a whlle Lo flnd
lL) and sLudenLs are sLaff do noL seem Lo be aware LhaL Lhese sLaLlsLlcs by law, are made
avallable Lo Lhem. l Lhlnk Colby needs Lo do a beLLer [ob publlshlng Lhese sLaLlsLlcs Lo ensure
LhaL Lhe communlLy ls well-lnformed on Lhe lssue of sexual assaulL on our campus.

S) kev|se the "Important Informat|on for the Co|by Co||ege Commun|ty About Sexua| Assau|t"
brochure so students can eas||y understand exact|y what w||| occur dur|ng d|sc|p||nary
proceed|ngs by read|ng the brochure once: As lL exlsLs, Lhe brochure only seems Lo glve a
rough overvlew of whaL wlll happen ln Lhe reporLlng and dlsclpllnary process, whlch ls found ln
Lhe secLlon WhaL are you opLlons for resoluLlon lnslde Lhe college?" Whlle lLs facLs are
accuraLe and lnformaLlve, lL ls noL subsLanLlal enough Lo glve sLudenLs a Lhorough ldea of whaL
wlll occur ln Lhe dlsclpllnary proceedlngs. 1herefore, l propose LhaL Lhe college esLabllsh a
commlLLee Lo boLh esLabllsh and rewrlLe Lhe dlsclpllnary proceedlngs ln plaln language LhaL ls
accesslble Lo all sLudenLs. Moreover, l propose LhaL Lhls same commlLLee work Lo adequaLely
publlclze Lhe dlsclpllnary procedures so LhaL all sLudenLs are aware of Lhem.

6) rov|de comp|a|nants w|th |mmun|ty from d|sc|p||nary act|on for m|nor offenses such as
underage dr|nk|ng or recreat|ona| drug use at the t|me of the assau|t: CurrenLly, Colby does
provlde sLudenLs wlLh lmmunlLy from dlsclpllnary sancLlons for mlnor offenses such as drlnklng
underage or uslng drugs aL Lhe Llme of Lhe assaulL. 1hls ls exLremely lmporLanL because some
raLL 130

sexual assaulL survlvors are afrald Lo reporL Lhelr assaulL for fear of belng punlshed for drlnklng
or smoklng marl[uana. 1hls ls especlally lmporLanL glven Lhe facL LhaL Lhe ma[orlLy of sexual
assaulLs LhaL occur aL Colby lnvolve alcohol and drugs. 1hls rlghL Lo lmmunlLy should be well
publlclzed, so sLudenLs are aware of Lhe rule and Lhus, wlll noL be deLerred from reporLlng.
CurrenLly, l do noL Lhlnk Lhls facL ls well publlclzed, slnce sLudenLs do noL know abouL lL, whlch
ls hlghly problemaLlc because vlcLlms of sexual assaulL could poLenLlally be deLerred from
reporLlng for fear of belng punlshed for a mlnor offense aL Lhe Llme of Lhe aLLack.

7) D|sc|p||nary procedures must |nc|ude a prov|s|on for d|sc|p||nary act|on aga|nst the
comp|a|nant: As lL sLands, Lhe 'Colby Sexual AssaulL Manual" does noL dlscuss any sorL of
dlsclpllnary for a complalnanL who lnLenLlonally falsely accuses a sLudenL of assaulL. ln order Lo
ensure LhaL people do noL make false reporLs agalnsL sLudenLs, Colby should lnclude a provlslon
ln lLs pollcy LhaL ouLllnes dlsclpllnary acLlon LhaL ls meanL for complalnanLs who lnLenLlonally
falsely accused oLher sLudenLs of sexual assaulL. 1hls provlslon could look llke, lf, durlng Lhe
course of Lhe proceedlngs, lL becomes apparenL LhaL lnLenLlonally false accusaLlons have been
made, Lhe false complalnanL wlll be sub[ecL Lo dlsclpllnary sancLlon up Lo and lncludlng
expulslons.

8) Comp|a|nants must be prov|ded |mmun|ty from d|sc|p||nary act|on |f cases prove to be
|nconc|us|ve: Colby' s Sexual AssaulL Manual does noL dlscuss whaL happens Lo Lhe complalnanL
lf cases are lnconcluslve. lL ls lmporLanL Lo adopL and ouLllne such a pollcy ln Lhe manual so
sLudenLs are noL deLerred from reporLlng for fear of sufferlng dlsclpllnary acLlon ln Lhe case LhaL
Lhey lose Lhelr case. 1herefore, Lhe school should adopL someLhlng LhaL resembles Lhe
raLL 131

followlng pollcy, lf, upon compleLlon of Lhe dlsclpllnary proceedlngs, evldence ls lnconcluslve,
nelLher Lhe complalnanL nor Lhe accused sLudenL(s) wlll be sub[ecL Lo dlsclpllnary acLlon."

9) 1he d|sc|p||nary hear|ng pane| shou|d |nc|ude students: As Lhe pollcy sLands, survlvors who
brlng Lhelr cases Lo formal hearlngs reporL Lo 1he 8oard for Sexual MlsconducL." 1he
esLabllshlng of Lhls board ls falrly recenL. uean !ohnsLon explalned Lo me LhaL Lhey developed
Lhe proLocol for Lhe formaLlon and Lhe conducL of Lhe board lasL year. 1he board ls ln facL, so
new, LhaL lL has yeL Lo hear any cases. ConsequenLly, none of Lhe survlvors l lnLervlewed had
reporLed Lo 8oard of Sexual MlsconducL, buL raLher reporLed Lo Lhe uean's Pearlng 8oard."
revlously, sexual assaulL survlvors who broughL Lhelr cases Lo formal hearlng reporLed Lo Lhe
uean's Pearlng 8oard, whlch was empanelled by Lhe uean of SLudenLs" and lncludes Lhree
members from Lhe offlce of Lhe uean of SLudenLs, a faculLy members, and Lhe chlef or vlce chlef
of Lhe !udlclal 8oard (lmporLanL lnformaLlon for Lhe Colby College CommunlLy AbouL Sexual
AssaulL). 1hls board dld noL lnclude sLudenLs. Powever, Lhe new 8oard for Sexual MlsconducL,"
lncludes Lhe ConducL Cfflcer, Lhree faculLy and admlnlsLraLlon members (oLher Lhan deans),
and vlce resldenL and uean of Lhe SLudenLs 8epresenLaLlve. 1he SLudenL Co-Chalr of Lhe
ConducL 8oard can slL on Lhe case, buL only lf Lhe vlcLlm and Lhe accused sLudenL muLually
agree" (SLudenL ulsclpllnary rocedures: Sexual MlsconducL Pearlng).
Accordlng Lo my research, lL ls lmporLanL LhaL hearlng panels lnclude sLudenLs because
sLudenLs are more able Lo relaLe Lo Lhe experlence of survlvors and accused sLudenLs Lhan
older adulLs are" (8urczak). Moreover, Lhe few survlvors l lnLervlewed who dld brlng Lhelr case
Lo a hearlng lndlcaLed LhaL havlng a sLudenL board member would have made Lhem feel more
comforLable.
raLL 132

Accordlng Lo cbooqe noppeos. A ColJe to kefotmloq oot compos 5exool Assoolt lollcy,
wrlLLen by Ashley 8urczak and publlshed by Lhe nonproflL, SLudenLs AcLlve for Lndlng 8ape,"
unless Lhe school ls so small LhaL lL ls lmposslble Lo keep Lhe hearlng panellsLs from runnlng
lnLo complalnanLs and accused sLudenLs, Lhe beneflLs of havlng peers lnvolved ln Lhe process
ouLwelgh Lhe dlsadvanLages" (46). Whlle lL ls debaLable wheLher or noL Colby ls blg enough Lo
ensure LhaL sLudenL hearlng board members wlll noL run lnLo complalnanLs and accused
sLudenLs, l Lhlnk LhaL leavlng Lhe opLlon for lncludlng sLudenLs on Lhe hearlngs of sexual assaulL
cases ls a good move by Lhe school.

10) 1he d|sc|p||nary hear|ng pane| must |nc|ude a process whereby pane||sts can be removed
pr|or to the proceed|ngs due to know|edge of the comp|a|nant or the accused or other factors
that may affect the|r fa|r [udgment of the case: Colby does have a pollcy whereby panellsLs can
be removed from Lhe hearlng board prlor Lo Lhe proceedlng lf Lhere ls any lndlcaLlon LhaL Lhey
may have a poLenLlal blas Lowards one slde of Lhe case. Powever sLudenLs do noL know abouL
lL. lL ls lmporLanL LhaL sLudenLs know abouL Lhls pollcy so LhaL survlvors are noL deLerred from
brlnglng Lhelr case Lo Lhe uean's Pearlng 8oard for fear of belng LreaLed unfalrly by a member
of Lhe board who ls blased.

11) Members of the near|ng 8oard must represent a d|vers|ty of v|ewpo|nts and exper|ences:
1o prevenL unblased hearlng resulLs LhaL are senslLlve Lo all parLles lnvolved, Lhe Sexual
MlsconducL Pearlng 8oard" musL conslsL of half men and half women, and should lnclude one
person of color and a member of Lhe queer communlLy. 1hls wlll ensure LhaL members of Lhese
populaLlons wlll be LreaLed falrly. CurrenLly, Colby mandaLes LhaL aL leasL one member of Lhe
raLL 133

8oard shall be male and aL leasL one shall be female," however lL does noL mandaLe LhaL Lhe
board be 30 female and 30 male, and lnclude a queer person and a person of color.
Accordlng Lo Lhe women l lnLervlewed who reporLed Lo Lhe uean's Pearlng 8oard," buL from
Lhe board ls very homogeneous-lL was composed almosL enLlrely of men, all of Lhem were
whlLe, and none of Lhem were ouL ln Lhe queer communlLy aL Colby.

12) In the event that attorneys are a||owed |n the report|ng process or the Dean's near|ng,
|mpart|a| attorneys must be prov|ded for students who cannot pay or do not w|sh to te|| the|r
fam|||es about the Dean's near|ng: lf aLLorneys are lnvolved ln Lhe proceedlngs, lL ls lmporLanL
LhaL Lhey are avallable Lo boLh parLles Lo ensure LhaL Lhe ouLcome ls falr.

13) Comp|a|nants and accused students shou|d be g|ven access to a support person of the|r
choos|ng to accompany them dur|ng the Dean's near|ng: Accordlng Lo Lhe wrlLers of SAlL8's
Change Pappens: A Culde Lo 8eformlng ?our Campus Sexual AssaulL ollcy, under federal law
complalnanLs and accused sLudenLs musL have Lhe same rlghL Lo brlng oLhers wlLh Lhem for
supporL durlng dlsclpllnary proceedlngs. nelLher one can be allowed Lo lnclude supporL people
lf Lhe oLher does noL. 1hls supporL person could be a frlend, an advocaLe, a famlly member, or
a faculLy member, as long as Lhls person ls sllenL and does noL lnLerfere wlLh Lhe proceedlngs
unless Lhey are asked Lo speak. Accordlng Lo my research, Colby does allow Lhls, buL Lhls
provlslon ls noL publlclzed and Lhe survlvors l lnLervlewed who dld go Lhrough wlLh proceedlngs
were noL made aware of Lhls opLlon.

14) A|| members of pane|s hear|ng sexua| assau|t cases shou|d rece|ve sens|t|v|ty tra|n|ng on
|ssues of sexua| assau|t: 1hls wlll lnclude aL leasL LwenLy hours of Lralnlng, lncludlng Lhree hours
raLL 134

ln each of Lhe followlng: evldence evaluaLlon ln sexual assaulL cases, psychologlcal effecLs of
sexual assaulL and common manlfesLaLlons of posL-LraumaLlc sLress dlsorder, sexual assaulL as lL
relaLes Lo dlverse communlLles, and common sLereoLypes and mlsconcepLlons abouL sexual
assaulL (8urczak). 1hls wlll ensure LhaL cases are heard ln an unblased and falr way. Colby's
Sexual AssaulL revenLlon LducaLor and AdvocaLe would be ln charge of leadlng Lhese Lralnlngs.

1S) 1here needs to ex|sts a c|ear appea|s process for both part|es |nvo|ved |n a Dean's
near|ng: lL ls lmporLanL LhaL an appeals process be seL ln place Lo guaranLee LhaL Lhe
complalnanL and Lhe accused can requesL for a re-Lrlal lf Lhey belleve LhaL Lhe case was handled
ln a blased and unfalr way. CurrenLly, Lhe lmpottoot lofotmotloo fot tbe colby colleqe
commoolty oboot 5exool Assoolt brochure does noL dlscuss Lhe appeals process. Powever Lhe
Sexual MlsconducL Pearlng" proLocol, whlch ls avallable onllne, says LhaL Lhe appeal process
avallable Lo sLudenLs ls Lhe same as LhaL for Lhe College SLandards Pearlng. ln addlLlon, Lhe
person who belleves she/he ls a vlcLlm of sexual mlsconducL shall be lnformed of Lhe flnal
resulLs of Lhe appeal" (SLudenL ulsclpllnary rocedures: Sexual MlsconducL Pearlng). AlLhough
Lhe school makes lL a polnL Lo Lhe exlsLence of an appeals process, sLudenLs do noL know abouL
lL because lL ls only avallable onllne. 1herefore, l suggesL LhaL Lhe college make more efforLs Lo
lnform sLudenLs of Lhls facL, so LhaL Lhey are fully aware of Lhe rlghLs wlLhln Lhe hearlng
process.



raLL 133

16) Appea|s shou|d be overseen by a separate hear|ng pane|, and shou|d be overseen by a
group of |nd|v|dua|snot [ust one person or a few adm|n|strators: See above.

17) Comp|a|nants shou|d be g|ven the opt|on of report|ng to a hear|ng pane| us|ng c|ose-
c|rcu|t te|ev|s|on, speakerphone, or other forms of techno|ogy rather than mak|ng statements
|n the same room as the accused: SlgnlflcanLly, lsabelle, who broughL her case Lo a uean's
Pearlng was noL Lold she could choose Lo go Lhrough Lhe hearlng vla speaker-phone or noL, and
wenL Lhrough wlLh Lhe hearlng uslng a speakerphone (even Lhough she dld noL wanL Lo).
8egardless of wheLher or noL Lhe complalnanLs wanL Lo uLlllze Lhls opLlon, lL ls lmporLanL LhaL
Lhey are aware LhaL Lhey have a cholce.

18) 8oth the comp|a|nant and the accused must have the opportun|ty to ask quest|ons of
w|tnesses and say a f|na| statement to the hear|ng board: Colby allows Lhls. Powever, agaln,
sLudenLs are noL aware of Lhls rlghL before Lhey go lnLo a hearlng. lL ls lmporLanL LhaL sLudenLs
know LhaL Lhey wlll have Lhls rlghL golng lnLo Lhe process, so Lhey are noL deLerred from
reporLlng sexual assaulL for fear of noL belng LreaLed falrly ln Lhe hearlng.
19) 1he standards of proof and the burden of proof need to be def|ned |n the Sexua| Assau|t
brochure: CurrenLly, Colby does noL ouLllne Lhe sLandards of proof lL adheres Lo ln lLs Sexual
AssaulL brochure. Accordlng Lo Ashley 8urczack from SLudenLs AcLlve for Lndlng 8ape,
1here are Lwo posslble sLandards of proof: 'a preponderance of evldence' and 'clear
and convlnclng evldence.' A preponderance of evldence means LhaL more Lhan half of
Lhe evldence supporLs Lhe complalnanL's clalm. Clear and convlnclng evldence means
LhaL Lhe LruLh of Lhe complalnanL's clalm ls 'hlghly probable.' .Lhe advanLage of Lhe
raLL 136

preponderance of evldence sLandard ls LhaL lL ls more llkely Lo resulL ln dlsclpllnary
acLlon for Lhe perpeLraLor. 1he advanLage of Lhe clear and convlnclng evldence sLandard
ls LhaL lnnocenL sLudenLs who are wrongfully accused are less llkely Lo be dlsclpllne, and
Lhe procedure wlll be more respecLed by conservaLlves as 'unblased' (8urczak 31).
lL ls lmperaLlve Lhe sLudenLs be made aware of whlch sLandards of proof Lhe college
adheres Lo ln hearlng of sexual assaulL cases, Lherefore, Lhey know whaL Lo expecL ln a hearlng.
1herefore, l suggesL LhaL Lhe college deflne Lhe sLandards and burdens of proof ln varlous
forms, so sLudenLs are lnformed on Lhe college's proLocol.

20) Surv|vors must be g|ven an adequate w|ndow of t|me to report and th|s w|ndow must be
pub||c|zed: CurrenLly, Colby does noL publlclze Lhe wlndow of Llme LhaL sLudenLs have for
reporLlng sexual assaulL, even Lhough sLudenLs can reporL as long as Lhelr perpeLraLor sLlll
aLLends Colby. 1herefore, Colby should sLaLe ln lLs Sexual AssaulL brochure LhaL reporLlng can
be lnlLlaLed by a complalnanL aL any Llme as long as Lhe accused sLudenL ls sLlll enrolled aL Lhe
college." ubllclzlng Lhls ls lmporLanL ln order Lo ensure LhaL survlvors are noL deLerred from
reporLlng by assumlng LhaL lL ls Loo laLe Lo reporL.
21) 8oth part|es |n a Dean's near|ng shou|d be not|f|ed of the resu|ts of the hear|ng
separate|y and |n person, |n a thoughtfu| manner, and |n a way that ensures that the
comp|a|nant and the accused w||| not see each other dur|ng the t|me of not|f|cat|on: lrom
whaL l have come Lo undersLand ln my lnLervlews, Colby usually noLlfles sLudenLs Lhe resulLs of
hearlng vla mall. 1hls ls problemaLlc because lL ls noL LhoughLful and senslLlve Lo Lhe personal
naLure of Lhe hearlng and puLs boLh parLles ln danger of runnlng lnLo each oLher durlng Lhe
Llme of noLlflcaLlon, lncreaslng Lhe rlsk of reLallaLlon for boLh Lhe complalnanL and Lhe accused.
raLL 137

l suggesL LhaL Colby adopL a new pollcy of lnformlng sLudenLs Lhe resulL of Lhelr hearlngs LhaL ls
safer and more senslLlve Lo sLudenL's needs.

22) Co|by must estab||sh t|me||nes for d|sc|p||nary proceed|ngs: CurrenLly, Lhere are no
Llmellnes seL up for hearlngs, and lf Lhere are, Lhey are noL belng followed. Cne woman l
lnLervlewed was frusLraLed LhaL Lhe process from lnlLlal reporL Lo flnal resoluLlon was
unnecessarlly long, even Lhough she was Lold LhaL lL would only Lake a few weeks. 1o flx Lhls
problem, l propose LhaL Colby esLabllsh Llmellnes for dlsclpllnary proceedlngs and publlsh Lhls
Llmellne ln tbe lmpottoot lofotmotloo fot tbe colby colleqe commoolty oboot 5exool Assoolt
brochure.

23) Cvers|ght of hear|ng board must ex|st to prevent the unfa|r hand||ng of cases: 1he
handbook does noL ouLllne lf Lhere ls any overslghL of Lhe ueans Pearlngs, however, l Lhlnk lL ls
lmporLanL LhaL Lhere be an organlzaLlon Lo check Lhe effecLlveness of Lhe Sexual MlsconducL
Pearlng 8oard. uean !ohnsLon lnformed me LhaL he oversees Lhe board. Whlle l Lhlnk lL ls good
LhaL Lhe board has some overslghL, l Lhlnk LhaL lL ls problemaLlc LhaL Lhe person overseelng Lhe
board ls noL speclally Lralned ln lssues of gender and sexual dlverslLy and sexual assaulL.
1herefore, l propose Lhe Sexual AssaulL revenLlon LducaLor oversee all Sexual MlsconducL
Pearlngs ln order Lo ensure LhaL Lhe procedure ls carrled ouL correcLly.


24) A po||cy must be estab||shed that ensures that professors w||| extend dead||nes and he|p
sexua| assau|t surv|vors manage the|r academ|cs fo||ow|ng a sexua| assau|t: Accordlng Lo Lhe
lmpottoot lofotmotloo fot tbe colby colleqe commoolty oboot 5exool Assoolt, AfLer an alleged
raLL 138

sexual assaulL occurs, Lhe vlcLlms may be lnLeresLed ln seeklng changes ln academlc or llvlng
slLuaLlons and Lhe College wlll make reasonable efforLs Lo accommodaLe such requesLs,"
however lL does noL ouLllne whaL Lhese speclflc requesLs for changes can be (6). Cne of Lhe
women l lnLervlewed, 8eLh, was very upseL LhaL her professor would noL exLend her paper
deadllne afLer she was sexually assaulLed. Lven Lhough she Lrled Lo explaln Lo hlm LhaL lL was a
personal maLLer, he would noL llsLen Lo her. LvenLually she became desperaLe and sLarLed
crylng ln fronL of hlm, and admlLLed LhaL Lhe reason why she was asklng for an exLenslon was
because she has been sexually assaulLed LhaL weekend and was havlng Lrouble dolng work. Per
slLuaLlon should have never goLLen Lo Lhls polnL and only conLrlbuLed Lo maklng her feel worse
and more helpless Lhan she already felL. AfLer Lalklng Lo uean !ohnsLon abouL Lhls lssue, he
lnformed me LhaL Lhe college does have a proLocol for slLuaLlons llkes Lhese. SLudenLs are
supposed Lo go Lo Lhelr advlslng uean Lo dlscuss Lhe maLLer, and Lhe advlslng uean wlll ask
uean !ohnsLon Lo lnform Lhe faculLy member LhaL Lhe sLudenL needs more Llme. uean !ohnsLon
says LhaL ln cases llke Lhese, he crafLs an emall Lo a professor asklng for an exLenslon for Lhe
sLudenL wlLhouL reveallng any lnformaLlon abouL Lhe case Lo Lhe professor.
8ecause 8eLh dld noL know she had Lhls opLlon, she was unable Lo ask her professor for
an exLenslon wlLhouL palnfully rellvlng her aLLack all over agaln. 1herefore, l suggesL LhaL Lhe
college look lnLo ways Lhey can educaLe and lnform Lhe sLudenL body on Lhelr rlghLs and
opLlons for supporL ln lnsLances of sexual assaulL. Whlle lL ls good LhaL Lhe provlslon exlsLs,
provlslons are lneffecLlve lf people do noL know abouL Lhem.

2S) Co|by must estab||sh support groups for sexua| assau|t surv|vors on campus:
unforLunaLely, accordlng Lo aLLl newman, ulrecLor of Counsellng Servlces, supporL groups for
raLL 139

sexual assaulL survlvors have always been an opLlon aL Colby for Lhe pasL 20 or so years, buL
recenLly, Lhere has been llmlLed lnLeresL, and Lherefore, a supporL group for sexual assaulL
survlvors has noL been able Lo form. 1herefore, l suggesL LhaL Lhe college make more efforLs Lo
publlclze LhaL Lhls opLlon exlsLs for sLudenLs ln order Lo gaLher more membershlp and lnLeresL
so a group can exlsL.

26) 1here needs to ex|st a v|s|b|e and apparent protoco| out||n|ng what the d|sc|p||nary
process |ooks |n the case of a non-Co|by student sexua||y assau|t|ng a Co|by student on
campus: As l dlscussed ln my prevlous chapLer, Lhls became an lssue for one of Lhe survlvors l
lnLervlewed who lndlcaLed Lo me LhaL she LhoughL Lhe college dld noL know whaL Lo do ln her
slLuaLlon. 1o avold lnsLances llke her's and Lo ensure LhaL all Colby sLudenLs are proLecLed and
LreaLed falrly, Lhe college needs Lo develop a plan for deallng wlLh perpeLraLors who do no go
Lo Colby buL who assaulL a Colby sLudenL.

27) 1here needs to ex|st a v|s|b|e and apparent protoco| out||n|ng surv|vor's opt|ons to change
rooms or dorm res|dences |f they choose to: As l dlscussed ln my prevlous chapLer, Lhls also
became an lssue for several of Lhe survlvors l lnLervlewed, who Lold me LhaL lL was very
LraumaLlc for Lhem Lo have Lo sleep alone ln whaL for many of Lhem was Lhe same room Lhey
had been assaulLed ln. 1o avold slLuaLlons llke Lhelrs and Lo ensure LhaL sexual assaulL survlvors
are safe and comforLable ln Lhelr llvlng spaces, lL ls essenLlal LhaL Colby adopL and pollcy LhaL
allows sLudenLs Lo change rooms or resldence halls and publlclze Lhls pollcy so LhaL sLudenLs are
aware of lL.

raLL 160

Suggest|ons for kev|s|ons to Informa| Structures and o||c|es:
1) WhaL Lhe AdmlnlsLraLlon Can uo:
Whlle lnsLances of rape and sexual assaulL aL Colby ls deflnlLely a huge lssue LhaL Lhe
admlnlsLraLlon musL work Lo prevenL, as l have sald before, l Lhlnk LhaL lL would be wrong Lo
place all of Lhe responslblllLy on Lhe admlnlsLraLlon. 8ecause Lhe ma[orlLy of sexual assaulLs aL
Colby occur wlLhln Lhe hookup culLure, ln order Lo conLrol sexual assaulL, Lhe admlnlsLraLlon
would have Lo conLrol Lhe hookup culLure. 1hls ls lmposslble because ln order Lo conLrol Lhe
hookup culLure, Lhe admlnlsLraLlon would have Lo pollce sLudenLs' sexuallLy and posslbly ban
hooklng up, whlch Lhey cannoL do. 1herefore, Lhe admlnlsLraLlon ls falrly llmlLed ln whaL Lhey
can do Lo dlrecLly conLrol and prevenL sexually assaulL. Whlle Lhey cannoL dlrecLly prevenL
sexual assaulL, Lhe admlnlsLraLlon can lndlrecLly prevenL sexual assaulL by helplng us combaL
Lhe lnsLlLuLlons of sLrucLural sexlsm and male enLlLlemenL LhaL perpeLuaLe rape culLure on Lhe
Colby campus. 1he deconsLrucLlon and eradlcaLlng of sLrucLural sexlsm and male enLlLlemenL ls
cruclal Lo endlng rape aL Colby, because sexual assaulL ls lnherenLly llnked Lo Lhese oppresslve
sysLems. 1herefore, many of suggesLlons for Lhe admlnlsLraLlon focus malnly on how Lhey can
help Lhe Colby communlLy end Lhese forms of oppresslon on our campus.

a) Make |t c|ear to students that sexua| assau|t, sexua| harassment, sex|sm, and m|sogyny w|||
not be to|erated on campus by |mpos|ng ser|ous sanct|ons for those who do comm|t such
acts: Accordlng Lo Andrea arroL and Carole 8ohmer,
Schools wlLh a sexual assaulL pollcy do noL necessarlly have hlgher reporLlng raLes Lhan
Lhose wlLh no pollcy. Lven lf a pollcy exlsLs, lL may well noL be publlclzed, and sLudenLs
raLL 161

may be unaware LhaL lL exlsLs. lf Lhe pollcy ls known Lo sLudenLs buL ls noL carrled ouL ln
Lhe evenL of a vlolaLlon, vlcLlms may be less llkely Lo reporL cases of acqualnLance rape
or sexual assaulL. Cn Lhe oLher hand, lf a pollcy has been ln effecL and serlous sancLlons
have been carrled ouL, sLudenLs learn LhaL acqualnLance rape and sexual assaulL
behavlors wlll noL be LoleraLed on campus" (8ohmer, arroL 184-183).
1herefore, l argue LhaL lL ls lmperaLlve LhaL Lhe admlnlsLraLlon punlsh Lhose who commlL
acLs LhaL are on Lhe conLlnuum of gender vlolence," lncludlng sexual harassmenL and sexual
assaulL (Carole Sheffleld: Sexual 1errorlsm). 8y punlshlng Lhese acLs, whlch are rooLed ln
sysLems of male enLlLlemenL and sLrucLural sexlsm, Lhe admlnlsLraLlon wlll convey LhaL Lhey are
boLh agalnsL rape and Lhe sysLems of oppresslon LhaL perpeLuaLe rape, and wlll, consequenLly,
Leach sLudenLs LhaL gender vlolence wlll noL be LoleraLed on campus."

b) Lmpower Women to Iee| Conf|dent and Make nea|thy Sexua| Cho|ces for 1hemse|ves:
rofessor of Women's SLudles and Puman uevelopmenL Lyn Mlkel 8rown says LhaL
women's psychologlcal developmenL wlLhln paLrlarchal socleLles and male-volced culLures ls
lnherenLly LraumaLlc." (Mlkel 8rown, Cllllgan 216). Crowlng up ln paLrlarchal socleLles, where
sLrucLural sexlsm and male enLlLlemenL permeaLe nearly every aspecL of llfe, ofLenLlmes hurLs
glrls self-esLeem and causes Lhem Lo lose Lhelr volce. 1hls was evldenL ln my lnLervlew wlLh
8rlanna, who sald LhaL she could noL scream ouL nC!" as she was belng raped because she had
losL her volce." lsabelle expressed slmllar senLlmenLs ln her lnLervlew, noLlng glrls need Lo
have Lhe confldence Lo say no, and a loL of women here don'L" Mary echoed wlLh Clrls are
afrald of speaklng ouL."Lyn Mlkel 8rown asserLs LhaL desplLe Lhe galns of femlnlsm, We have
noL moved on from female represslon and LhaL young women are confused abouL whaL ls
raLL 162

empowered sexuallLy because of Lhe culLure we grow up ln." She goes on Lo explaln LhaL Lvery
glrl should be able Lo own Lhelr sexuallLy....buL also be able Lo deLermlne and asserL Lhe llne
beLween yes and no. 1haL ls a dlfferenL llne for every glrl and she should be able Lo say whaL
LhaL ls." uue Lo Lhe Lrauma caused by llvlng ln a paLrlarchal and mlsogynlsL culLure, many
women llke 8rlanna cannoL flnd Lhelr volce and are noL empowered enough Lo asserL Lhelr llne
beLween yes and no.
1herefore, l argue LhaL Colby should make more efforLs Lo make women feel confldenL
and empowered so LhaL Lhey are able Lo make healLhy cholces for Lhemselves. ln her arLlcle,
8alslng Clrls for Lhe 21
sL
CenLury," Lmllle 8uchwald ouLllnes how we can creaLe an
envlronmenL LhaL empowers women, sLresslng Lhe necesslLy of Leachlng women Lo connecL
personal Lraumas Lo socleLal paLLerns," especlally when dlscusslng lssues of sexual assaulL and
rape (8uchwald 187). ln order Lo creaLe a communlLy LhaL empowers women, 8uchwald says
Lhe envlronmenL musL be one ln whlch:
1) Women feel valued for Lhelr lndlvldual and unlque sLrengLhs, and are LaughL LhaL
Lhelr llves and hlsLory are as lmporLanL as men's.
2) 1here are many female role models and menLors, parLlcularly ln male-domlnaLed
flelds, such as Lhe sclences and maLh.
3) Women feel empowered by Lhelr peers, and feel a comradeshlp wlLh oLher women,
whlch serves as a rellef from Lhe soclal-sexual compeLlLlon LhaL ls so prevalenL aL schools
llke Colby.
4) 1here ls more sexual educaLlon-8uchwald asserLs LhaL we've slmply goL Lo
recognlze LhaL proLecLlng glrls means glvlng Lhem Lhe knowledge LhaL wlll allow Lhem Lo
raLL 163

make lnLelllgenL, prlnclpled declslons abouL sexuallLy" (8uchwald 194). l Lhlnk Colby
assumes LhaL all females had lnformaLlve and effecLlve sexual educaLlon programs ln
hlgh school , buL Lhls ls noL Lrue for many women (lncludlng myself). 8ecognlzlng Lhls
and lncorporaLlng more sex educaLlon programs aL Colby could deflnlLely promoLe
female sexual empowermenL and ln Lurn, would glve women Lhe knowledge and Lhe
confldence Lo say no/recognlze and reporL rape/help Lhelr frlends.
3) Women are LaughL Lhe hlsLory of Lhe women's movemenL: 1hls could serve as
moLlvaLlon for deconsLrucLlng Lhe soclal sysLems LhaL perpeLuaLe paLrlarchy and rape.
6) Women are LaughL Lo be medla-crlLlcal, and are encouraged Lo seek alLernaLlve forms
of medla.
7) Lncourage glrls Lo be ecsLaLlc, passlonaLe, [oyful, eLc.

c) Lmpower Men to Stand Up Aga|nst Sexua| V|o|ence:
ln hls arLlcle, 8ecomlng AnLl-8aplsL," Pakl MadhubuLl emphaslzes Lhe lmporLance of
men flghLlng rape Lhrough educaLlon and pollLlcal acLlvlsm. Pe dlscusses how an effecLlve way
Lo prevenL sexual assaulL ls Lo Leach men Lo vlew all women (no maLLer who Lhey are-race,
culLure, rellglon, or naLlonallLy sLaLe) as exLended famlly" (MadhubuLl 174). !ackson kaLz
argues LhaL effecLlvely approachlng gender vlolence means LhaL we musL see gender vlolence
as a men's lssue lnvolvlng men of all ages and socloeconomlc, raclal, and eLhnlc background"
and LhaL men musL learn Lo vlew Lhemselves as empowered bysLanders who can confronL
abuslve peers" (kaLz 463). Clven Lhese facLs, l Lhlnk lL lmperaLlve LhaL Lhe admlnlsLraLlon
mandaLe LhaL every male on campus be educaLed on lssues of gender and sexuallLy, parLlcularly
raLL 164

as Lhey perLaln Lo gender vlolence, and Lhelr responslblllLy as clLlzens of Lhe Colby communlLy
Lo sLand up Lo vlolenL behavlor.

2) WhaL SLudenLs Can uo:
As l have sald before, because sexual assaulL aL Colby mosL ofLen occurs wlLhln Lhe hookup
culLure and Lhe admlnlsLraLlon cannoL conLrol Lhe hookup culLure, l argue LhaL sLudenLs need Lo
Lake more or an acLlve role ln changlng Lhe campus soclal culLure Lo one LhaL ls less rooLed ln
sLrucLural sexlsm, make sexlsm, male enLlLlemenL, sexlsL double sLandards. 8ecause we are Lhe
only ones who have access Lo Lhe culLure ln whlch sexual assaulL mosL ofLen occurs aL Colby, we
are Lhe only ones able Lo change lL. l Lhlnk lL ls prlmarlly Lhe [ob of sLudenLs Lo work Lo change
Lhe mlsogynlsL hookup culLure, so LhaL women and men can have a sex culLure LhaL ls
equallLarlan, safe, and does noL perpeLuaLe lnsLances of sexual assaulL. ln order Lo achleve Lhls,
lL ls lmperaLlve LhaL we eradlcaLe Lhe sLrucLural sexlsm lnherenL ln Lhe Colby communlLy and
Lhe soclal scene. 1herefore, my suggesLlons wlll focus on how sLudenLs can help deconsLrucL
and sLop sexlsm aL Colby.

a) Lducate yourse|f on |ssues of gender and sexua||ty: SLudenLs should Lake a WCCSS course,
Lalk Lo a frlend who ls well-lnformed on Loplcs of gender and/or sexuallLy, or aLLend a 8rldge
meeLlng. When sLudenLs are more educaLed on lssues of sexual and gender dlverslLy, Lhey are
more able Lo see Lhe way sLrucLural sexlsm operaLe ln Lhelr dally llves, whlch enables Lhem Lo
break lL down and flghL agalnsL Lhe sLrucLures of oppresslon LhaL perpeLuaLe rape culLure.

b) 8e an a||y and speak out aga|nst sexua| assau|t: SLudenLs should speak ouL agalnsL sexual
assaulL and supporL survlvors, parLlclpaLe ln sexual assaulL educaLlon and awareness programs,
raLL 163

and aLLend rallles such as 1ake 8ack Lhe nlghL," eLc. 8y speaklng ouL and Lalklng abouL sexual
assaulL, sLudenLs wlll become more aware of Lhe lssue, Lhus endlng Lhe sllence and maklng Lhe
culLure of prlvllege, sllence, and proLecLlon less pervaslve aL Colby.

c) Ca|| peop|e out for be|ng sex|st or m|sogyn|st:
As l dlscussed before, gender vlolence ls seen boLh ln physlcal forms of vlolence and
verbal forms of vlolence. MlsogynlsL dlscourse relnforces lnsLlLuLlons of sLrucLural sexlsm and
perpeLuaLes rape culLure by dehumanlzlng women. !usL as mlsogynlsL dlscourse can lead Lo Lhe
llLeral dehumanlzaLlon of women, such dlscourse ofLenLlmes precedes and leads Lo Lhe physlcal
dehumanlzaLlon of women Lhrough gender vlolence. 1herefore, ln addlLlon Lo holdlng our peers
accounLable for Lhelr acLlons of physlcal vlolence, we musL also hold Lhem accounLable for acLs
of verbal vlolence.






















raLL 166


Co|by 1ake 8ack the N|ght: Apr|| 28
th
, 2011



TAKE BACK THE NIGHT Student rally at night to unite against sexual harassment.
Photo: Dhokela Yzeiraj '13



l wotkeJ so botJ to cbooqe tbloqs ot colby becoose l loveJ lt.
-cbotles 1ettell, 1970 colby CtoJ ooJ colleqe 1tostee










raLL 167

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