We do listen. We do make changes. We welcome your input
I applaud Rose McAvoy’s bravery in sharing her very personal and difficult experience. I agree with her passion and vision for the kind of place she would like Dickinson to be. And I definitely agree we cannot ignore sexual assault in any form on this campus. But I disagree with her claim we don’t take sexual assault seriously and we don’t care about our students. The purpose of writing this op-ed is not to deny Rose’s account or to victim blame. However, given the very serious allegations made against the college, we must respond, while remaining mindful that the law prohibits us from commenting on the specific details of the underlying case.
- As a matter of best practices, we try to complete Title IX cases in a timely fashion with our first priority being a thorough and fair investigation. Though some cases are able to be resolved within a 60-day period, delays may occur for a variety of reasons, including the number of witnesses who must be interviewed; requests for extensions by either party; or if either party or witnesses are off campus for holidays or travel abroad. Rose’s process did take longer than the timeframe for which we strive. While some of the delay was beyond our control, I nonetheless apologize.
- Dickinson is in compliance with reporting requirements under federal law, including Title IX, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and the Clery Act, and the college holds itself to the highest standards to ensure accurate, truthful and timely reporting in accordance with the law.
- In Rose’s opinion piece, there are details we are learning for the first time. Rose’s statement regarding a faculty member’s comment to her as well as the statement about additional potential victims were not previously reported to us. This is the first time the college is learning that information, and we are investigating those matters.
- Colleges to which students transfer may ask Dickinson for student conduct records. When they do, we share as much as we are legally permitted. We reject any notion that we willingly allowed a person who may cause harm or danger to others to be allowed on our campus or any other.
Sexual assault is a pervasive problem on college campuses and in our society. The physical and mental toll it takes is beyond measure. Dickinson recognizes this, and we disagree with the assertion that “nothing has changed.” Our sexual harassment and misconduct policy is the result of significant work, thoughtful conversations and meaningful collaborations with members of the campus community. It is a policy that has undergone many updates thanks to continued dialogue.
In addition, in 2018 we hired two full-time Title IX administrators to focus on prevention/education programming, rapid response to reports, and support to ensure timely investigations. One of our greatest priorities is the prevention of sexual and gender-based misconduct before it occurs, through awareness events and ongoing educational programs.
Here are some other changes we made to effect cultural change.
- We increased our focus on educational programming and in fall of 2019:
- We delivered over 90 prevention, education and training programs that reached over 2,500 students, including 99% of first-year students and 600 employees.
- We delivered the nationally recognized bystander intervention program, Step Up! for the second time, completing 28 programs and reaching over 560 student athletes.
- Title IX and Sexual Respect Peer Educators delivered the Step Up! program to 39 coaches and athletic administrative staff.
- We increased communication and transparency by:
- Holding multiple open sessions to obtain feedback about policies/procedures
- Revising policies/procedures to include feedback (available at dickinson.edu/titleix)
- Producing a detailed annual report on the number and type of cases that maintain confidentiality of participants (available on web page)
Even with all of those changes, we know we are not done and must continue to be vigilant in our work. Through its procedures, events and programs, the Title IX and Sexual Respect Office promotes safety, personal integrity, civility, inclusivity and care for the whole campus community.
Rose made a call to action in her opinion piece. There is an assumption to her call that no one has listened. I hope that you will heed her call—not because nothing has changed or no one is listening, but because we do listen. We do make changes. We welcome your input.
You can come talk to us in person (we are in Old West). You can send me an email ([email protected]). If you haven’t already done so, please complete the Sexual Assault Survey you received via email (it will be open until February 14).
I look forward to working with each of you to make the necessary changes so that we will all be proud to be a part of the Dickinson College community.
Fred Karpoff • Feb 6, 2020 at 8:54 pm
This is a self-serving, defensive, tone-deaf article. Every commenter before me has already nailed it; this is truly embarrassing and I’m sad to learn that this author sits in a position of judgment and action that should be occupied by someone that students can trust and rely on. (And who is “we”? Is this the royal we or does Ms. Bretz really represent more administration voices? If so, who else is signing on to this position?)
Abysmally awful.
Patty Dahm • Feb 3, 2020 at 12:58 pm
And… how about expelling someone who has been found guilty of sexual assault?! That would send a strong message to the victim that you care and also to the rest of the community that this is not tolerated at Dickinson.
Brendan Birth • Feb 2, 2020 at 8:23 pm
Stuff like this is why so many of the survivors I know are afraid to report sexual assault. They are afraid to being shot down, of being delegitimized, of being hurt yet again. And this is what I see in this piece, sad to say.
Dickinson Student • Feb 2, 2020 at 4:09 pm
Pathetic how my 2 yo brother is better at accepting his mistakes than Dickinson is. 50% “disagreeing” with the victim and 50% meaningless words so generic that it reminds me of a canned laughter. This brave student shares her experience and how poorly her case was handled, and your first reaction is to think this is a debate tournament? Also, thank you for proving her point that Dickinson cares more about its image than their students’ actual experiences. In debate practices, that’s called “shooting yourself in the foot”.
Also, one of the “two full-time Title IX administrators” that you hired was recently under fire for essentially making a joke out of sexual harassment response training with inappropriate comments. Then, they tried to justify his behavior saying “he’s too old-fashioned”. How about not hiring old white man for jobs like this, huh? Remember that things like this say more about Dickinson’s attitude towards this issue than your empty words.
Look up this article called “13 Golden Rules of PR Crisis Management”. You somehow managed to break all 13 of them.
Dickinson Dad • Feb 2, 2020 at 1:39 pm
So basically the administration’s response is “nothing to see here people”
Anonymous • Feb 1, 2020 at 5:46 pm
It’s disheartening to see that Dickinson’s response is to reject responsibility. Meeting the minimum requirements of the law is to be expected. I feel like the administration is missing the central point that students feels unsafe on campus and part of the reason is the sexual misconduct policy is not adequately working.
Instead of looking to the law to fix it, maybe listen to the victims. Listen to the community. If I were still a student this kind of message you are sending would not make me feel confident or safe coming to you with ideas.
Maia Baker • Feb 1, 2020 at 5:37 pm
This is a craven, condescending take from someone who’s supposed to protect students. Instead of doubling down on Dickinson’s position of negligence and mistreatment of survivors, take some responsibility and show some compassion. This is serious gaslighting.
Inappropriate, insensitive, and intolerable.
Cho Ae Rin • Feb 1, 2020 at 12:03 pm
kindly hold off on making any comments until you can say “we are making changes” in the present tense.
Anon • Jan 31, 2020 at 11:34 pm
imagine if you put more effort into handling the case than the amount of effort that went into this article
Jonah Skeen • Jan 31, 2020 at 12:55 pm
This is a condescending, meaningless response to one of the bravest pieces of writing I had ever read. This reads an awful lot like the “talking points” the administration sent out to certain staffers. These “changes” Bretz claims that Dickinson has made are insufficient. Title IX laws are not sufficient to bring about justice in sexual assault cases. Dickinson should do a lot more than what they’re required to do by law. Sadly, it seems that the administration is determined to placate students and try to sweep this under the rug. I hope that student protest and outrage will be strong enough to force Dickinson to do more than publish more meaningless words.