Unsettled?

Unsettled?

CAMPUS

TITLE IX

The Title IX lawsuit brought against the College by nine women—who alleged they were sexually assaulted or harassed by their male professors—was settled in September. The College admits no liability but must create a $14.4-million fund for plaintiffs and any additional claimants who meet specific criteria and “certify that they endured a hostile environment created by the conduct of three former members of the [psychological and brain sciences] faculty,” according to the agreement. The plaintiffs had been seeking $70 million.

The alumni advocacy group Dartmouth Community Against Gender Harassment & Sexual Violence (DCGHSV) issued a statement that poses several questions in the wake of the settlement. They include: “Will the College acknowledge its misguided tactic in opposing the plaintiffs’ anonymity?” “Does the College have an understanding that the toxicity of the culture during the early years of coeducation has still not been fully addressed?” and “Where were the cognizant peers and administrators during the years of now-admitted violations?”

DCGHSV member StanColla’66, Tu’86, a former VP of alumni affairs who worked at the College for 19 years, believes Dartmouth’s culture needs to change. “Women still are at risk on our campus of being raped, harassed, intimidated, and of suffering retribution because of their gender,” he says. Colla compares the “vulnerability and helplessness” that survivors experience to the “life-altering trauma” he felt as a soldier under rocket attack in Vietnam in 1969. He also notes that only six men have joined DCGHSV, representing just 8 percent of its membership. “Men are at the heart of the problem. Why aren’t more men members?” he asks.

“I think there’s an inflection point here,” says Dr. Carol Muller’77, another DCGHSV member and a longtime gender equity change leader in higher education who works at Stanford. “There’s an opportunity here to better understand the roots of the cultural problems at Dartmouth. I hope there have been some serious internal discussions.”