Dear Grinnell College Community,
As concerned community members of Grinnell College, we are writing to express our support for Jane Doe at Cornell University, despite the distance between our campuses. The organizers of the “Justice for Survivors” protest at Cornell listed several reasonable demands for systemic change in campus culture that we wholeheartedly support:
- Revision of the Cornell student code of conduct’s definition of sexual consent
- Resignation of the current Cornell President
- Overhauling of the student disciplinary system
- Expulsion or revocation of the degrees of all those found to have participated in the alleged sexual assault involving Jane Doe
- Provision of greater transparency about sexual assault cases at Cornell and the University’s management thereof
It is vital that we show support for advocates at Cornell and take time to reflect on our responsibility as community members. The fact that these sexual abuse allegations are not surprising to many is a scathing indictment of the state of Greek life on most campuses.
We commend Jane Doe for speaking out. Sharing any vulnerable or traumatic experience is difficult and carries significant risk, but it is also extremely brave. We believe survivors deserve the right to decide what justice and accountability look like for them, as well as what healing and privacy mean. We are committed to supporting survivors on the Grinnell campus, across all college campuses, and beyond.
We believe that supporting survivors of sexual abuse is crucial to building a more just society, which must be grounded in the fundamental right of bodily autonomy. This starts with open, constructive conversations about the culture we create on campus, and we all must dedicate time, energy, and space to this process. Silence and passivity on this matter are unacceptable. At a minimum, every student at Grinnell should be reflecting on this moment and taking steps to analyze and dismantle rape culture within their communities.
Here at Grinnell, there is a lot of constructive energy on campus, and we know that most students are committed to building a safer and more supportive culture. However, statements condemning sexual violence, when not accompanied by direct action, are merely performative. We asked students from a range of class years, off-campus experiences, and experiences with sexual or gender-based violence about changes they would like to see on campus. We have heard that students feel a need for more preventative measures and are especially nervous about off-campus hosting houses, some of which have been involved with recent alleged sexual harassment and abuse, and in this way, fulfill the cultural expectations of fraternity houses. Students rely on and trust self-gov as a human value more than ever when they are off-campus, and we know many houses take their role in Grinnell’s social vibrancy extremely seriously—they want to contribute to a better reality for survivors of violence and those who fear it.
We call on off-campus houses that host campus-wide parties to present the student body with specific long-term action plans for each house within the semester. Exclusively relying on survivors to come forward and report sexual violence is not an ethical or sustainable solution, while combating the foundations of rape culture is. Especially for the groups whose members have previously been responsible for sexual violence, additional preventative action can make a huge impact. This may include: seeking out more workshops and trainings from accredited groups, meeting in pairs with the Title IX coordinator, organizing awareness and intervention campaigns, and developing more rigorous internal processes to manage unofficial complaints about sexual abuse and hate-based violence. By sharing this action plan with the student body through email notices, social media, or other clear, accessible channels, hosting houses can demonstrate their commitment to fostering a safer campus community.
Our hope is that creating these action plans will encourage conversations about social responsibility, gender-based and sexual violence, and our shared value of self-governance. Additionally, houses that take the time to create and fulfill their action plans will be rewarded by the community through increased engagement at their events, as students will feel safer attending. It is unfair that anyone has to bear the burden of vigilance and additional efforts to prevent sexual violence, but hosts are uniquely positioned to do so and can set the tone for further initiatives. We recognize that students see houses as distinct representations of campus culture, free from intense academic stress or the cramped energy of dorm-living, and as a chance to define themselves outside explicit campus jurisdiction—and that comes at the cost of additional responsibility. At a time when many Grinnell College students may feel unsafe within the current campus culture, we call on every student to take action and demonstrate your commitment to fostering a safe and healthy environment.
It is our firm view that the community of Grinnell College must exceed previous efforts to prioritize community health and safety during this political moment, where progress toward addressing rape culture and gender-based violence is being actively dismantled through international right-wing efforts. We believe this must be done in collaboration with at-risk groups; it should not only be the responsibility of those groups to make these crucial changes, or to start the conversation. This issue affects everyone on campus, but this instance does highlight perpetual violence against young women. Women’s rights are not a “special interest” topic. Many women on the Grinnell Campus feel that these rights may be violated at any time due to the lack of proactive and preventative measures from influential social figures. Only once communities deeply reflect on their role in perpetuating campus rape culture, and continually work to dismantle it, may Grinnell start living up to its promise of safety and opportunity for all students.
We encourage members of the Grinnell community who have survived sexual harassment or assault to make use of our local resources that can provide direct assistance, and urge everyone to educate themselves on the supportive measures available. Resources include:
- Grinnell Advocates: Individual peer support resource
- On-call Grinnell Advocate Hotline: 641-260-1615 text/talk
- Advocates are trained to provide supportive services for students who have found themselves in the midst of incidents of dating or sexual violence.
- Peer advocates do not provide counseling services, rather, they offer a non-judgmental listening ear and information for relevant resources.
- They will maintain confidentiality to the fullest extent possible and ensure that no survivor or student-at-risk has to navigate the medical, legal, mental health, or campus systems alone.
- SHAW:
- Please contact SHAW as a confidential and medical resource at 641-269-3230. SHAW professional staff are not mandatory reporters of sexual assault and have confidential counseling available. Note that SHAW has restricted working hours
- SHIC: Call (641) 269-9826 or email at shic@grinnell.edu
- Open daily from 5-9pm in Main Hall, SHIC is staffed by confidential peer educators. They have free menstrual products, condoms, dental dams, emergency contraceptives, pregnancy tests, yeast infection treatments, and more.
- SRJ: reproductivejustice@studentorg.grinnell.edu
- Students for Reproductive Justice is a chapter of the national Planned Parenthood Generation Action; it offers the opportunity for students to advocate for reproductive rights, safe sex education, and harm reduction.
- Title IX Coordinator:
- Allison Basinger (or other Title IX staff) can help review your options for next steps, link you to support resources, and discuss supportive measures with you. Outside of cases where there is an immediate threat to the community or a minor is involved, Title IX staff are committed to giving you agency at each step in the process to set the pace and make your own decisions about how best to proceed. Meeting with the Title IX coordinator does not require you to pursue disciplinary action.
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (dial 988 on your phone)
All action taken to dismantle rape culture and reduce sexual violence actively betters our campus. This letter is not representative of everyone who is involved with efforts to reduce sexual violence, and is purely reflective of the undersigned organizations. We support every J. Doe; survivors do not stand alone. We stand with them, determined to support their voices, needs, and dreams.
In solidarity,
The undersigned student organizations of Grinnell College:
African and Caribbean Students Union
Common Threads
Disability Cultural Association
Future Grinnellians in Government
Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies SEPC
People of the Bench
Queer People of Color
Asexual and Aromantic Spectrum Support Network
Red and Black Anarchist Federation
Grinnell QuestBridge Scholars Network
Sunrise Grinnell
Diversity and Inclusivity Club of Economics
Grinnell Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)
Philosophy SEPC
Society for Advancement of Chicane/Latine/x and Native Americans in Science
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