Yes P.L.E.A.S.E (Peers Listening, Educating and Supporting Everyone), in conjunction with the Sexual Misconduct Policy Review Committee, hosted a “Sexual Misconduct Policy Chat” on Monday, April 9 in the HUB Social Hall. The Policy Review Committee is composed of Dean of Students Leonard Brown, Assistant Dean of Students Peter Paquette, Professor Douglas Edlin, Political Science and Andrew Chesley ’13, Student Senate Treasurer. The event was designed to facilitate communication and to address any questions or concerns people had about the Sexual Misconduct Policy. Andrew Hill ’13, of Sustained Dialogue, moderated the event.

Questions ranged from the use of the word “rape” in the final copy of the policy to the issue of cyber-stalking. Much of the discussion centered on the alleged lack of protection from false accusations of rape. Some students expressed concern over the “preponderance of guilt” clause in the policy, leading one student, Ben Youtz ’12 to say, “I don’t think that the school is prepared to adjudicate matters as serious as rape,” to which Edlin responded, “When you come to this school, you sign a contract… the worst the school can do is terminate that contract and remove you from the school.”

The conversation then turned to examine the policy’s implications on campus culture. Hector Meza ’13 explained that many of the males on campus felt “targeted,” and stigmatized. Christina Mullen ’12 countered with, “We as a culture, as a campus, are shifting.” After recognizing the legitimacy of Meza’s statements, Mullen elaborated, saying that ten years ago, people who accused someone of sexual assault were criticized and ostracized; today, she argued, perception has changed and people blame the perpetrator, not the victim. She reiterated, “The stigmatization of this campus is shifting.”

Paquette noted that the policy’s main intention was not to cause unwarranted harassment but that, “We needed to write a policy where people feel they can come forward.” In an interview via e-mail, Evan Camara ’12, a member of Yes PLEASE, said, “I think [the] discussion was definitely successful….Our intention in hosting this event was providing a forum for students to speak up, especially if they felt uncomfortable doing so previously.” Evan then added, “I think our campus is at a moment where we need to ha ve these sorts of conversations even if they are controversial or divisive…. I feel very strongly that the only way forward is through an open dialogue in which we encourage all to participate.”