Letter from Andover Head, John Palfrey Phillips Academy 180 Main
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Letter from Andover Head, John Palfrey January 12, 2018 Phillips Dear members of the Andover community, Academy As we’ve seen in our news feeds and in our own communities, the troubling reality of sexual misconduct and harassment is part of an 180 Main Street important national dialog. Many who have suffered silently are finding strength in their collective voices. Andover, Massachusetts Andover has reckoned with its own past, which, at times, has been 01810 tarnished by unacceptable behavior. We’ve pledged to address our history proactively—by supporting those who have been affected, learning from past mistakes, and working to create a campus culture built on trust and respect, education and support. I write today with an update on our progress and an invitation for all voices to be heard. As we have shared in previous letters, our highest priority is the safety and well-being of our students. We weave health and wellness initiatives throughout academic and residential experiences and develop policies and practices to guide students and adults with our students’ best interests in mind. We continue to ask ourselves: What are the social, emotional, and societal pressures facing today’s teenagers? Do our resources and programs effectively connect to this broader worldview? Are we fostering a culture that will root out those who would do harm to others? Excellence permeates all that we do at Andover, from academic endeavors to personal and professional development. Excellence also is the premise upon which we will continue to approach student health and wellness programming. New and ongoing campus initiatives As part of our efforts to promote healthy relationships and a culture of consent, we recently hosted a visit by The Arts Effect Theater Company of New York City. With support from the Abbot Academy Fund and the Brace Center for Gender Studies, students attended a performance of SLUT: The Play and Now That We’re Men. These productions were followed by a talk with cast members (all of whom are ages 14 to 18) and further education in Empathy, Balance, and Inclusion classes. Students are central to this programming. In concert with faculty and staff, students who have been trained as Mentors in Violence Prevention play a leadership role all year in supporting one another. Since we initiated this Northeastern University-developed program in 2015, 185 Andover students have taken part. Their training includes role playing and tactics for intervening when a friend is in trouble. Our messaging on this topic must reach all students on a regular basis. At an All-School Meeting (ASM) this past fall, I spoke about our community’s expectations, including affirmative consent, mandatory reporting, and the law. My talk was followed by a presentation on healthy relationships by Caroline Heldman, a professor at Occidental College. A couple of weeks earlier, students heard from former NFL player Joseph Erhmann, cofounder of the InsideOut Initiative, which aims to eliminate “toxic masculinity” from sports. We will soon hear from Stephanie Gosk ’90, a journalist who is among the leaders covering this issue in the mainstream press. ASM, our community classroom, gives us the opportunity to share consistent messages and provide a foundation for smaller group conversations that may follow—in dorms, in advising sessions, and among friends and teammates. Efforts to strengthen programs and policies include ongoing reviews of our faculty and staff handbooks, including policies related to background checks, references, and inappropriate conduct. All adults on campus have completed training—as they do annually—on physical and emotional boundaries, recognizing and acting on signs of misconduct, and understanding their responsibilities as mandatory reporters of suspected abuse and neglect. Building on the terrific work of our team from Sykes Wellness Center, we’ve also sought the help of outside organizations and experts; they include health care providers, researchers in violence prevention, and support centers like the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center and Sexual Assault Nurse Educators. Additional resources can be found on our “Sexual Violence Response” charts, which are posted in bathrooms and residence halls across campus, offering ways to seek immediate help. We have asked all students and employees to download our Crisis Manager app, which also includes guidelines for reporting sexual assault and suspected child abuse. Furthering discussions on how technology may help students in distress, Dean of Students Jenny Elliott ’94 and colleagues from other schools are considering how the uSafeUS app, developed for colleges and universities by the Prevention Innovations Research Center at the University of New Hampshire, might be adapted for high schools. Student input will be crucial to our decision-making. We invite you to help us learn from our past As we focus on nurturing a healthy learning environment, we also remain acutely aware of those times when Andover did not live up to its commitment to students. In April 2016, we engaged an outside firm to investigate all matters of misconduct that were brought to our attention; the firm, Sanghavi Law Office, issued a report and findings this past summer. At various points over the last 18 months, we’ve shared updates in a series of letters to the community and will continue to keep you informed of any new developments. The valuable lessons we are learning from this process help to guide our current efforts to improve the safety and well-being of our students. Our policies and practices today are focused not only on eradicating inappropriate conduct but also fostering a culture where people are alert to warning signs and are encouraged to speak. We recognize that many stay silent because they fear public disclosure of their names and experiences. In fact, that is often why individuals enter into confidentiality agreements as part of a mutual resolution between parties. Please understand that Phillips Academy has no self-interest in shielding allegations of past misconduct. If you are an alumnus/a who previously entered in an agreement with Phillips Academy that restricts public disclosure of allegations of misconduct, and you now wish to share that information with others, please contact the Academy’s General Counsel, Jessica Herbster ’90, to begin the process of formally removing such restrictions. In addition, if there are individuals who have yet to contribute their voice, we encourage you to reach out so we can try to help you heal and also to better learn from our past. We remain ready to hear from and respond to anyone with a concern. Among other practices, we have established dedicated financial resources to support survivors. Always moving forward We remain grateful to all who have contributed to our efforts to understand Andover’s past and to examine its current climate. We know that we have not always supported our students as fully as we seek to do, and we take seriously our obligation to apply lessons learned in concert with the latest resources and best practices. Faculty and staff, in partnership with the deans and the team at Sykes, continue to make strides initiating positive change on this challenging topic. This work falls on a continuum. We can, and must, always do better for our students. Work of this magnitude and complexity takes the commitment of every one of us. Thank you for your continued support. Sincerely, John Palfrey, P’21 Head of School .