Last month, the College fired former family giving coordinator Marc Jacques. In March, Jacques pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography. The College’s human resources department did not learn of his plea deal until September, a spokesperson told The Dartmouth.
Less than three weeks later, the government department canceled a talk with Georgia State University political science professor Toby Bolsen. A registered child sex offender in the state of Illinois, Bolsen was convicted in 2001 of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against a victim between the ages of 13 to 18. The event, scheduled for Oct. 11, was ultimately canceled on Oct. 7. However, this cancellation — owing to Bolsen’s “personal reasons” — may not be final. “I hope he will be able to accept our invitation at a future date,” a government professor wrote in an email statement to The Dartmouth.
Our argument is simple: people convicted of sex crimes have no place on Dartmouth’s campus. Jacques’s and Bolsen’s connections to the College are deeply disturbing — and call into question Dartmouth’s commitment to campus safety. The College and its academic departments should focus on reviewing the vetting processes for employees and guest speakers — not extending an “invitation at a future date.”
We understand that employees and department speakers undergo different screening processes. As such, let’s first consider Jacques. The College placed Jacques on administrative leave within hours of learning about his conviction. He was fired the next day. Upon discovering his crime, the College acted swiftly — and we commend them for doing so. But we question why this information only reached the appropriate administrators in September, when Jacques had pleaded guilty six months prior. We recognize that the College is not automatically notified in these situations and that employees must report “any felony or misdemeanor convictions or pleas that are acknowledgments of responsibility” to the College. And we understand that Jacques failed to do so. Yet Jacques’s plea deal was public back in March. The New Hampshire Union Leader, the state’s most circulated newspaper, published an article, mentioning Jacques by name. A mere Google search could have tipped the College off to Jacques’s crime.
So why didn’t they catch it?
Perhaps it is because the College relies on employees to self-report when they have been convicted of a crime. Administrators must be reeling from the shock that someone convicted of a sex crime may not be as forthcoming as they would hope.
Moreover, we are alarmed by reports of how the College has managed the fallout of the Jacques incident. One Dartmouth employee found out about Jacques’s firing through a “concerned colleague” and not from College administration itself — an embarrassment as well as a potential safety hazard. Others learned of his firing “from the news,” the same employee told The Dartmouth. A College spokesperson explained that Dartmouth officials inform “those who have a business need to know” about employee departure details. Who exactly qualifies for that information when child sexual abuse material is involved? One might think a campus-wide community email would have been in order, but the College has made no such statement.
Now, turning to Bolsen. It’s one thing to invite a registered child sex offender to speak on campus — an environment dedicated to educating young adults and, in some cases, minors. Perhaps the government department was unaware — although, should that be the case, it also warrants discussion. It’s another thing entirely to stand by that invitation upon questioning by the student newspaper.
Both of these cases demonstrate the College’s need for further review — of how it vets employees before and after hiring and who its academic departments choose to host. Anyone who is given a place on Dartmouth’s campus — whether as a one-time speaker or permanent employee — must be held to a standard of professional ethics in order to ensure the safety of students. Clearly, Dartmouth’s current measures have failed.
We should not have to ask the College to keep sex offenders off our campus. But here we are.
The editorial board consists of opinion staff columnists, the opinion editors, the executive editors and the editor-in-chief.
