Students and administrators held a two-hour meeting today to discuss campus sexual abuse issues, ultimately calling for a new committee to address mediation and sexual abuse adviser training in abuse cases.
Eight College officials met yesterday with six students, who have worked since the spring to come up with recommendations for dealing with various campus sexual abuse issues.
Dean of the College Lee Pelton said the meeting resulted in tentative plans to form a committee this fall to discuss the training of advisors who work on sexual abuse cases. The committee would also deal with mediation in relation to the College's disciplinary system.
"We've never had this kind of formal discussion of how mediation as it developed in this community relates to the disciplinary system," Pelton said.
Final plans for a committee depend on a planned follow-up meeting among just administrators, as well as discussion with College Rabbi Daniel Siegel, who heads the mediation program, Pelton said.
"I would hope the chances are pretty good, and I would hope that Daniel Siegel would see the virtues of having such a study," he added.
Siegel said he supported the idea of an organized examination of the mediation process.
"I think it would be a very exciting thing to do," Siegel said.
Such a committee would be made up of some members of the Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Committee, as well as some non-members, and would release a report by the end of Fall term, Pelton said.
The meeting grew out of the outcry caused Spring term by Emily Stephens '97, who alleged administrators treated her unfairly when she brought another student up on sexual abuse charges over a year ago.
After Stephens made her charges, two separate student groups got together and made an initial round of recommendations, which were submitted to administrators at the end of Spring term.
But the two groups got together to submit a more substantial list of suggestions, in the form of an eight-page document which provided the backbone for yesterday's meeting.
"We've been doing a lot of research, talking to a lot of people," Stephens said. "We've been doing that for every recommendation."
Pelton said he would provide a written response to their recommendations, although he did not say when it would be ready.
Both administrators and students said they felt the meeting had been very constructive.
"I would say there was agreement around the table on almost all of the issues," Pelton said.
Zamira Ha '97, who attended the meeting,agreed.
"I'm extremely happy to have been able to participate in this whole process," she said. "I really feel that it's been a productive effort."
In addition to the informal plans for a committee, the group discussed how to clarify procedures for accusers' complaint statements, as well as how to better inform students about the campus resources available for sexual abuse victims.
Stephens said the group agreed on some steps that could be implemented immediately.
Also present at the meeting were Dean of Freshmen Peter Goldsmith, Undergraduate Judicial Affairs Officer Marcia Kelly, Dean of Upperclass Students Dan Nelson and Dean of Student Life Holly Sateia and Associate German Professor Ulrike Rainer. Students Debbie Carbonaro '97, Yun Chung '97, Miranda Johnson '97 and Judy Meadows '97 also attended.
