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 The moves by schools like Phillips Exeter Academy, Phillips
Academy, and St. Paul's School mirror a broader campaign at American
colleges and universities to crack down on rape after several cases
that drew national attention.
The exclusive New Hampshire boarding school Phillips Exeter said it
is drawing up a program to encourage students to intervene before a
coercive sexual encounter happens and St. Paul's announced it is
clarifying punishments for violations and also lined up a series of
speakers on subjects like "men and masculinity."
The efforts come after St. Paul's student Owen Labrie was tried in
August on charges he raped a freshman girl days before he graduated
from the prestigious, 159-year-old New Hampshire boarding school.
Labrie, 19, was convicted of having sex with a person under the age
of consent and of using the internet to "lure" the 15-year-old but
he was found not guilty of three felony rape charges. Prosecutors
said he forced himself on the girl as part of a tradition known as
"senior salute," when seniors seek sexual or romantic encounters
with younger students.
"We are acutely aware ... that this trial has raised important and
troubling questions for all schools, everywhere, about adolescent
sexual activity, the uses of technology, and most importantly, the
developing capacity of adolescents to make good decisions, to feel
empathy, and to respect and honor each other’s humanity," Lisa
MacFarlane, principal of Phillips Exeter, wrote in a letter to
parents.
The question of whether a school is responsible for preventing
sexual misconduct among its students is especially sensitive for
private schools, which can charge tuition upward of $50,000 a year
and which are expected to go beyond academics to inculcate values.
BYSTANDER EMPOWERMENT
In her letter, McFarlane outlined series of steps the school would
be taking this year, including developing a program modeled on one
used at the University of New Hampshire that encourages peers to
avert sexually aggressive behavior before it starts.
The "bystander empowerment" program is meant to make students feel
comfortable challenging others and to come up with strategies to
remove a friend from potentially dangerous situation, like party
where alcohol is being consumed.
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The school also emphasized current programs, such as a required
course dealing with sexuality.
St. Paul’s Rector Mike Hirschfeld has sent nearly a dozen letters to
parents in the past year. He said the school had invited expert
speakers to campus and altered the wording of the student handbook
to clarify that students will be expelled if they play any games of
"sexual conquest."
"Our work continues as we strive to strengthen our Living in
Community curriculum, develop new bystander intervention training
for all students and heads of house, and conduct a review of School
policies and practices surrounding student conduct and discipline,"
he said in one of the letters, all of which are posted on the
school's website.
Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, also told parents this
month about new programs "related to sexual behaviors and respecting
others." It said it added language to its conduct code regarding
relationships and sexual consent.
William Hannum, a Massachusetts attorney who has advised private
schools in legal matters, said school administrators may be
concerned about legal liability. He said several independent schools
have contacted his firm since the Labrie trial.
"I think it would be a best practice for there to be some
age-appropriate training on 'no means no, yes means yes,'" he said.
"The education on that should start sooner."
David Finkelhor, the director of the Crimes Against Children
Research Center at the University of New Hampshire, supports
teaching young people to intervene when they become aware OF an
aggressive sexual encounter that may take place. Finkelhor also said
it is important for schools to put forward role models, particularly
for adolescent males.
"There is a culture among some schools and some boys that put a very
high premium on scoring," he said. "That kind of set of attitudes
can increase the likelihood of sexually assaultive behavior."
(Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Bill Trott)
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