The Berkeley Beacon

LIFESTYLE OPINION ARTS Student founds Kenyan nonprofit Tinder loving care The Girlie Project performs live The Berkeley Beacon Emerson College’s student newspaper since 1947 • berkeleybeacon.com Thursday, October 10, 2013 • Volume 67, Issue 2 Students file fed complaint, say college mishandled sexual assault cases RA said she was forced to resign after defending resident are federal laws that prohibit sexual dis- Evan Sporer, Beacon Sta crimination at educational institutions and require reporting of crimes on and A resident assistant was fired from near campus, respectively. her position after attempting to as- “The school has consistently been sist one of her residents who had been treating its survivors unfairly, and it sexually assaulted, according to a press wasn’t until I adamantly and passion- release from End Rape on Campus ob- ately supported a survivor that I was tained by the Beacon. In a later state- put on probation and then fired for ment to the Beacon, the RA said she was other outstanding reasons,” Manderlink forced to resign and not fired. wrote in a statement to the Beacon, ref- Dylan Manderlink, currently a se- erencing other incidents of sexual as- nior, was an RA on the eighth floor of sault that she said have gone reported the Little Building last fall. During that and unreported. time, her resident, then-freshman Sar- According End Rape on Campus’ re- ah Tedesco, reported to the college that lease, Manderlink lost her position as an she had been sexually assaulted in an RA after she began to support Tedesco. off-campus incident, according to Te- “I think their timing of putting me on desco. probation and then firing me was ques- Tedesco, a journalism major and a tionable, and should definitely be exam- Sarah Tedesco helped draft a federal complaint filed against the college. •• • •••• •••• • •• ••••• ••••••••••••••••••• former Beacon staff member, and other ined and challenged,” wrote Manderlink Emerson students have been working in her statement. “It seemed a little too with End Rape On Campus, an orga- strategic and it definitely made me feel Complainant says she was told “not to make nization that provides free support to like a failure.” campus activists looking to file Title IX An anonymous student source con a big deal out of the fact that this occurred” or Clery Act Complaints, according to its website. Title IX and the Clery Act •••••• ••••••• harassment incidents must promptly inves- Jackie Tempera, Beacon Sta tigate those allegations to determine what Laura Gomez, Beacon Sta occurred, then take appropriate steps to re- solve the situation. "A lack of College refocuses branding A group of Emerson students filed a Some Emerson students feel if Tedesco’s complaint with the U.S. Department of Ed- allegation is true, the response was unjust. attention Laura Gomez, Beacon Sta ucation’s Office for Civil Rights last week, “She shouldn’t have been told just to not to details — stating the college’s response to alleged sex- make it a big deal,” said Billy Finn, senior College administrators are in the pro- ual assaults violates Title IX, a federal an- performing arts major. “I think that’s ridic- something cess of selecting a market research firm to ti-discrimination law, said sophomore Sar- ulous.” that is determine if the Emerson brand should ah Tedesco and junior Jillian Doherty, who Tedesco said that Little Building Resi- be revised, a project that could lead to a are currently the only public complainants. dent Director Caitlin Courtney suggested imperative rewriting and redesigning of all the col- Tedesco, a journalism major and a for- she close the investigation with the Cam- lege’s print and online marketing mate- mer Beacon staff member, said she was bridge Police. in a rape in- rials, according to Andrew Tiedemann, raped by one Emerson student and one “She said she thought that because of vestigation vice president for communications and Massachusetts Institute of Technology stu- everything that it would be in my best emo- marketing. dent at an off-campus party on Oct. 12, tional interest to drop the charges through — is the The branding initiative would eval- 2012. When she returned to campus that the Cambridge Police Department,” she reason why uate, for example, if Emerson’s tagline, night, she said she reported the incident to said. “She said she thought that it was taking “Bringing innovation to communication her Resident Assistant Dylan Manderlink, a over my life and hurting me emotionally.” my rapist and the arts,” is conveying the right mes- then-junior interdisciplinary major. Title IX states a school should notify sage, and whether the college needs to The following evening, Tedesco said a complainant of his or her right to file a still walks tweak its logo — the Emerson “E” — to she went to the Emerson College Police criminal complaint for sexual assaults, and on this create a new graphic identity, said Tie- Department office, where officers recom- should not dissuade a victim from doing so. demann. mended she go to a hospital and complete The Office of Housing and Residence campus." “We’re pretty sure we are on target, but a sexual assault collection test, a typical Life, the department Courtney works in, — Jillian you are always surprised when you go procedure when filing a police report. The declined to comment. out and do comprehensive research,” said next morning, Oct. 14, Tedesco said she Tedesco said she was emotionally im- Doherty Tiedemann, who said he is working on completed the test and filed a case with the pressionable at the time of Courtney’s sug- the project with 14 other senior admin- Cambridge Police Department. gestion, so she took the advice. She said be- istrators and Donald Hurwitz, interim In December, Tedesco said she followed cause of Courtney’s recommendation, she chair of the marketing communication up with David Haden, the associate dean stopped cooperating with police, and the department. and director of housing and residence life. case was left unresolved. Tedesco said there Hurwitz said that he volunteered his “[I was told] not to make a big deal out was evidence in her sexual assault collec- knowledge of working for 25 years in of the fact that this occurred,” she said in an tion test connecting the Emerson student branding projects to advise the adminis- interview with the Beacon. “He said that it who she said attacked her to the rape, but trative committee. was a private matter and its not something I no disciplinary action was taken against the “The pursuit is to visit the branding,” should be so public about.” individual by ECPD, the Office of Student said Hurwitz. “It’s a matter of taking a Haden declined to comment. Conduct, or the Cambridge Police. Tedesco The college will rework the branding look at who we have been, who we are •••••••••••••••• According to Title IX regulations, a campaign. • • ••••• ••••••••••••••••••• school that knows about possible sexual ••••••••••••••• Online extras /BerkeleyBeacon @BeaconUpdate BerkeleyBeacon •• •••• • ••• •• • ••••• ••• • The Beacon online The Beacon Beat: our weekly news recap A look at freshman Michael Notrica’s nonprofit BerkeleyBeacon /BerkeleyBeacon /BerkeleyBeacon berkeleybeacon.com/go/beacon-beat berkeleybeacon.com/go/michael-notrica news The Berkeley Beacon October 10, 2013 2 Consultant firm will evaluate the Emerson story • ••••••••••••• ••••••••••••• said Hurwitz. consulting project. to gauge the ways these audiences talk Michelle Lavner, a freshman journal- “We’ve identified at least six key audi- "Every now about the school, according to Tiede- now, and where we think we want to ism major, said she chose Emerson be- ences: current undergraduate and gradu- mann. go, based on the fact that we have a new cause of the good reputation of the alum- ate students; prospective undergraduate and then From the data gathered in those focus administration and that various inter- ni network. and graduate students; parents; alumni; you take groups, the website was redesigned and nal offices are getting organized to pur- ”I’m from LA, and if you mention you faculty; and staff,” said Tiedemann. seven core attributes shared by students, sue [President M. Lee Pelton’s] strategic are from Emerson, people really respect Altogether, the six subsections are a general alumni, and faculty were identified, said p l an .” you for it,” she said. covered by the three offices headed by check of Tiedemann. Sage Paquette-Cohen, a senior com- Tiedemann said he, along with MJ Tiedemann, Knoll-Finn, and Schoenherr. These seven attributes, or ways of tell- munication sciences and disorders ma- Knoll-Finn, vice president for enroll- The rebranding project would be di- whether ing the Emerson story, are: Emerson is jor, said she came to Emerson because it’s ment, spoke to then-President Jack- vided in two yearlong phases, according the world’s leader in teaching commu- a small school, but in her time here has ie Liebergott about conducting a new to Tiedemann. the world nication and the arts; Emerson is where noticed changes that she said are not con- comprehensive study. But because this During the first phase of the research, views you people with vision find a voice; Emer- sistent with the college’s identity. was proposed at the end of Liebergott’s the chosen marketing firm will conduct son is where creativity and ‘learning by “It’s been hard to develop stu- administration, Tiedemann said he and surveys to understand what distinguish- the way you doing’ are possible; Emersonians are dent-teacher relationships because my Knoll-Finn had to wait for the transition es Emerson from other academic com- are trying innovative and entrepreneurial; Emerso- classes have gone from being 20 students period of administrations to be over. munities and determine the perceptions nians collaborate; Emerson is inclusive, to 40,” she said.

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