Committee to Scout Interim PEA Principal Student Council Turns Over Executive Board DEI Director Hopefuls Vie for New Role Exoni
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First Class Mail U.S. Postage Paid Mailed from 03833 Permit Number 78 “Te Oldest Preparatory School Newspaper in America” Vol. CXL, Number 8 Tursday, March 22, 2018 Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, New Hampshire Committee to Exonians Report to Scout Interim Anonymous Sexual PEA Principal Misconduct Survey By YUNSEO CHOI By MAI HOANG and MAI HOANG and RACHEL WON Staf Writers Staf Writers Despite the original announce- “Our Reports. Transparently Told.” Tis is the headline ment from President of the Trustees of the PEA Reports home page, created by alumna Susan- Tony Downer ’75 that the Board of nah Morrison Curtis ’90, a survivor of sexual assault during Trustees would make an executive de- her time at Exeter. Te website serves as an opportunity cision to appoint Phillips Exeter’s in- for other survivors to share their experiences through an terim principal, an advisory committee anonymous survey. has been formed to collect community The detailed, anonymous survey is comprised of ideas and provide recommendations results from sexual misconduct survivors who graduated for the position. The Interim Principal from the Academy. Charts display responses from more Advisory Committee consists of trust- than 60 survivors. Half of the responses are from graduates ees, faculty and staff who have con- between 2010 and 2017, and a vast majority come from vened twice to consider feedback from female survivors. Student Council and faculty members. Te charts reveal that the three most prevalent forms The final candidate was projected of abuse sufered were emotional abuse, sexual assault to be chosen by spring break, but af- and sexual harassment. In most of these cases, the alleged ter receiving strong reactions from abuser was another student at the Academy. However, faculty members during the forum about 30 percent of survivors surveyed had sufered abuse Downer held after the announce- from a faculty member. ment of Principal Lisa MacFarlane’s While 54 percent of survivors said they did not report resignation, he decided it was best their cases to Academy ofcials, out of those that did, over to formally incorporate the commu- half of survey respondents said that they were not taken nity’s opinion into the search pro- seriously. None of the respondents took legal action. cess. A survey sent out to staff mem- Te fnal questions asks, “How are you doing today?” bers enabled them to share “thoughts Te most chosen response, selected by a third of the re- on the critical questions associated spondents, says, “I get triggered ofen in my real life and with the interim selection process.” by the news coming out of PEA.” According to Associate Director of Recent results from Te Exonian’s annual State of the College Counseling Michelle Thomp- Lower Ayush Noori, upper Elizabeth Yang, upper Michaela Phan Helena Chen /Te Exonian Academy survey show that sexual misconduct still remains INTERIM, 2 and lower Audrey Vanderslice elected to new Student Council board. a problem on campus. Out of 507 total respondents, 27 percent of students answered that they have experienced a form of sexual harassment on campus, while 10 percent said they have been sexually assaulted. A third of Exo- Student Council Turns Overlowers Audrey Executive Vanderslice and Ayush NooriBoard beat lowers nians believe they know someone on campus who is in By SENAI ROBINSON David Kim and Billy Menken for the two co-secretary an unhealthy or abusive romantic or sexual relationship. and EMMANUEL TRAN positions. Te mistrust towards Academy ofcials demonstrated in Staf Writers For the first time in years, students voted during the the results of PEA Report’s survey was again refected in winter, rather than at the end of the year. The change was the results of the State of the Academy survey; only a little Exonians flocked to poll booths in Agora to elect a intended to allow more time for the new board to settle over half of Exonians said they had an adult on campus new Student Council Executive Board on Feb. 27, with into their role. For Yang, the innovation was positive, as it whom they would feel comfortable speaking to about a a voter turnout of about 350 students. Upper Elizabeth “helps incoming boards gain footing during spring term, sexual assault. Yang won the presidential vote, beating out upper Mark which can be beneficial.” Historically, other studies have also attempted to Blekherman in the runoff election. Lower Thomas Wang Many of the Executive Board members already know evaluate Academy life. “Te Exeter Study,” linked on the lost against upper Michaela Phan for vice president, while STUDENT COUNCIL, 2 PEA REPORTS, 2 Boys’ and Girls’ Team DEI Director Schedules Examined Hopefuls Vie By SHIVANI TRIPATHI Staf Writers for New Role By ISABELLA AHMAD Exeter’s sports teams have earned highly competi- and SAM WEIL tive reputations with dedicated athletes and prestigious Staf Writers programs, but some question whether the Academy sup- The Academy has narrowed its ports its players equally. An investigation into athletic search for Exeter’s first Director of scheduling on campus found consistent discrepancies Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) between boys’ and girls’ sports teams. to two candidates: Stephanie Bramlett This winter E/a, the girls’ varsity hockey team had of the St. Luke’s School in New York the first game of the day, at Andover at 2 p.m., and the and Rasheda Carroll of the Wildwood Candidates for Director of DEI meet with Exeter. community. Reina Matsumoto/Te Exonian girls’ varsity basketball game started at 6 p.m. However, School in Los Angeles. Principal Lisa the administration again,” Richter said. and voiced their needs for the candidate spectator buses arrived after the girls’ hockey game had MacFarlane employed a group of ad- Richter, MacFarlane, Vice Principal who flls the position. started and left before the girls’ basketball game ended. ministrators to create a job description Karen Lassey, Dean of Faculty Ellen Lower Lilly Pinciaro, who attended “We had about eight minutes left in our second half in the fall of 2016. Both candidates Wolf and Human Resources Director both meeting sessions, was particularly when the spectator buses left,” girls’ varsity basketball currently serve as the Director of DEI Rachel Henry considered the mismatch- interested in Bramlett’s plans to com- player Erin McCann said. “It was a bit disappointing, or equivalent at their respective institu- es between last year’s candidates and the municative with the students. “She was but I understand that the buses had to get back in time tions. committee’s goal. “A new committee was very interested in including the opin- for check in. Sexism could have had something to do According to co-chair of the DEI formed, one composed of people in the ions of students in all of the decisions, with it, but I’m not really sure.” Search Committee Dean Sami Atif, the Exeter community more familiar with if possible,” she said. “She understands Girls’ varsity basketball player Eva Carchidi was Director of DEI will work closely with searching for directors similar to what that there will be decisions that cannot also frustrated with the turn of events, believing that the the Principal, Assistant Principal, Dean Exeter wanted.” In addition to Atif and involve students, and because of that she Athletics Department should have foreseen the game’s of Faculty, Dean of Students, CFO and Richter, the committee includes Henry, said that when she makes decisions she running time and planned accordingly. “It’s pretty typi- Director of Admissions and Involve- Instructor of Modern Languages Ama- will be very transparent and explain to cal for high school basketball games to take an hour and ment on the principal leadership team dou Talla, Coach Bruce Shang, Dean of students why those decisions were made.” a half, especially when it’s E/a,” she said. “If they had at Exeter. In addition, the director will Residential Life Arthur Cosgrove, As- Senior Chi Chi Ikpeazu, who also cared more, they probably should have scheduled the work closely with the Ofce of Multi- sociate Director of College Counseling attended both sessions, agreed that game earlier or had the buses leave later.” cultural Student Afairs and on inde- Cary Einhaus, Coach Toyin Augustus Bramlett “really spoke to her ability The scheduling methods for this fall E/a also came pendent projects across campus. Te and Trustee Jackie Hayes. to make herself available for students.” into question; some students claimed that girls’ sports administration believes that the arrival Within a few weeks, the commit- On Carroll, Ikpeazu explained that her were condensed into the middle of the day, while boys’ of this administrator is an important tee found Bramlett and Carroll. The qualifcation for the job came from the sports were evenly spread out so that spectators could step in making the campus a more in- candidates visited Exeter on Monday, fact that she could empathize through watch all of them. clusive environment for all. March 19 and Wednesday, March 21, her own experiences. Ikpeazu also Director of Athletics Shane LaPointe attributed The initial search, however, was respectively, and toured the campus, added that Carroll spoke about steps the gendered differences in scheduling to Andover’s unsuccessful. “Afer last year, we didn’t interviewed and met with students and she had already taken at her current contrasting scheduling methods. “E/a is its own crazy feel as though we had a strong candi- faculty. employment position to further the thing, and what we have learned is that we at Exeter date pool,” explained search committee Te student meetings took place missions of diversity, equity and inclu- have a very different philosophy [to] our rival,” she said.