Volume 45, Number 5
Menlo School, Atherton, California
Thursday, March 28, 2019
The Coat of Arms serving Menlo's Upper School since 1973
Special Edition About Sexual Assault and Harassment
To Our Readers, In this issue we are discussing a national public health epidemic, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. This is not a Menlo problem; it’s a problem that pervades the entirety of our society. And it should not be ignored or allowed anymore. The purpose of this project is to raise awareness about and decrease incidents of sexual assault and harassment. While these topics are discussed at length on many college campuses, they are often avoided at high schools. According to the Rape, Ass au lt & Incest National Network (RAINN), ages 12 through 34 are the highest risk years to be sexually assaulted. That just shows that beginning the conversation at 18 or 19 is too late. If this series accomplishes one thing, we hope that it starts a conversation on the Menlo
campus about sexual harassment and assault, in order to educate. In addition to raising awareness, we want to decrease incidents of sexual harassment and assault that occur around us. By showing you what harassment and assault can look like, hopefully you can learn to recognize and fight it, preventing future occurrences. And, by beginning at the high school level, we can hope to make a change that stretches throughout our entire culture. When the Editorial Board of The Coat of Arms embarked upon the journey of writing this sexual assault and harassment project back in October, we had little idea of what it would become. We originally were envisioning a four-page spread within a usual issue of our paper. However, there was so much more to the topic than we originally thought; the topic is broad and complicated and deserves more than four pages. It has now become a collaborative, five-month endeavor, resulting in an eight-page special edition and featuring the stories of six brave survivors. As editor for this project, I would like to share with you our process for creating it. We began by crafting a survey to hand out to three advocacies per grade, anonymously asking students if they were survivors of sexual harassment, sexual assault or both. This survey went through multiple iterations, and our writers, Online Editor Kate Jeffries and News Editor Caroline Frantz, worked with the Menlo administration and AP statistics teacher Lauren Lax to ensure accuracy. To see the results of this survey, conducted in January, please see pages two and three. From there, Jeffries and Frantz made announcements at each grade’s class meeting to welcome any survivors to share their stories with them. Within one week of the announcements, we had eight students interested in telling their stories as survivors. Due to our inability to protect the anonymity of two survivors, we chose not to include their stories. The students were then interviewed by the two writers, and their identities have been kept completely anonymous. For their safety and to respect their stories, the two writers and myself are the only people who know the real names of our survivors. They were assigned pseudonyms–Amelia, Brianna, Elena, Felicity, Grayson and Hadley–which we used throughout the entire process when referencing their stories. Beyond anonymity, ensuring that each survivor was ready to tell their story was of the utmost importance to us. While we
Staff illustration by Tzy Ying Yee.
Caution to Readers:
This special edition issue of The Coat of Arms contains mature content, and it may be upsetting for some readers. We advise young or sensitive readers to consult a parent or counselor before reading.
wanted people to share and find peace with their journey as a survivor, we also did not want people forcing themselves to share something they were not ready to. Throughout the entire process, up until the day we sent these pages to our printer, our survivors had the right to withdraw their story. It is important to note that we approached these spotlights from the sole perspective of the survivors. To respect their stories, we made the explicit choice to not approach perpetrators or bystanders to check facts. We are fully aware that the stories presented on pages four, five, six and seven are from the single perspectives of the survivors. As you read through this special edition issue–especially the survivor spotlights–I urge you to practice respect and compassion. These survivors bared their souls to us, and we want to honor their stories. While there may be a natural temptation to do so, and since the Menlo community is so small, please do not try to piece together clues and speculate about who a certain survivor is, and please do not mock the information presented. That is counterproductive to the core purpose of this project. What I do encourage you to do after reading this issue is talk to your peers, teachers and family members to begin a dialogue on the subject of sexual harassment and assault in our communities. Statistics show us that Menlo is far from the only school that survivors silently attend; sexual harassment and assault are realities of the high school experience. To slowly solve this issue, we must first bring the facts into the light and change our perspectives. Only when we talk openly and candidly can change occur. Finally, I would like to express some gratitude. This series would not be possible without the input of Head of School Than Healy, Upper School Director John Schafer, Dean of Students Tony Lapolla, Dean of Student Life Programs Cathy Chen, Upper School Counselors Tracy Bianchi and Jake Fauver, Menlo’s lawyer Jon Michaelson, journalism adviser Tripp Robbins and AP Statistics teacher Lauren Lax. On behalf of The Coat of Arms, thank you for supporting us through this process. Second, thank you to our two wonderful lead writers who dedicated themselves to this project. And most importantly, thank you to the six, endlessly brave survivors who shared their stories with us… You are heard. Sincerely, Clara Guthrie, editor in chief
• •
In This Issue:
Six survivor spotlights Popular Media Fails to Adequately Present Consent • Sexual Assault and Harassment Continue Beyond High School • It's on us. • Take Action • Resources and Support Systems • Special Thanks
The DEFINITIONS USEd
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The following definitions are from the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN.org).
Sexual Assault: The term sexual assault refers to sexual contact or behavior that occurs without explicit consent of the victim. It includes rape*, attempted rape, unwanted sexual touching, and forcing a person to perform sexual acts. *The FBI defines rape as “penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim. Sexual Harassment: Sexual harassment includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature. The Coat of Arms would like to note that RAINN does not explicity define the word “sexual,” and there can be some tension and disagreement around these terms and issues.
Sexual Harassment, explained in the Menlo Handbook:
Sexual harassment is defined to include unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature. By way of example, this would include the following: • • •
•
Explicitly or implicitly making sexual conduct a term or condition of academic status or progress Using sexual conduct, or the rejection of such conduct, as the basis for making academic or other decisions within the School “Sexting” or the possession of distribution of pornographic material or material which may be an invasion of personal privacy with respect to the physical appearance of another person (and which may also be a violation of California law) Use of epithets, derogatory jokes, innuendo, comments or slurs of a sexual nature, unwanted advances, inappropriate invitations, or remarks having express or implied sexual content
• • • • •
Non-verbal conduct, such as leering, staring at certain body parts or making sexually suggestive gestures Physical conduct, such as unwanted touching, blocking normal movement or assault Threats or demands to submit to sexual requests as a condition of receiving some benefit in exchange Retaliation for reporting or threatening to report harassment, or for participating in an investigation of alleged harassment Sexual harassment and other related forms of inappropriate behavior can take many forms. It can be blatant and overt, or subtle and indirect. It can occur between individuals of either gender, between peers or between people in a hierarchical relationship. Determination of what constitutes sexual harassment or related inappropriate behavior depends on specific facts and circumstances of a given situation.
The Survey Process
In order to understand the prevalence of sexual harassment and assault in the Menlo community, lead writers Kate Jeffries and Caroline Frantz conducted an anonymous survey of three randomly selected advocacy groups in each grade (9-12). The writers worked with members of the Menlo administration, including Head of School Than Healy, Upper School Director John Schafer, Dean of Students Tony Lapolla, Dean of Student Life Programs and Senior Class Dean Cathy Chen and Upper School Counselors Tracy Bianchi and Jake Fauver, to formulate the survey. Additionally, the writers had multiple meetings with AP Statistics
teacher Lauren Lax to make sure that the format of the survey would produce the most accurate results. Finally, the writers consulted Menlo’s lawyer, Jon Michaelson, to ensure that the identities of the respondents would be kept anonymous and the project was done properly. After the advocacies were selected using a random number generator, the writers reached out to the advocates of each selected advocacy group to provide background information about the survey and to confirm that they were willing to allow the writers to administer the survey during an advocacy session. After each advocate confirmed that they were willing and able to participate, Jeffries and
Frantz went to each of the advocacy groups’ meetings to introduce the project and administer paper copies of the survey to the students. Once the students completed the survey, the surveys were given to the advocate who stored them in a sealed folder until the writers returned to collect them. Before administering the survey to students, the writers emphasized that the survey was completely anonymous and optional if students did not wish to participate. The writers received 109 completed surveys. The survey used a confidence level of 95%. After the writers tallied the data, they consulted Lax about the results, and she helped make the graphs below.
THE Survey RESULTS ARE YOU A SURVIVOR OF SEXUAL ASSAULT OR HARASSMENT?
ARE YOU A SURVIVOR OF SEXUAL ASSAULT OR HARASSMENT?
Freshman Male
GRADE
Survivor No Yes
Junior
Survivor
GENDER
Sophomore
No Yes
Female Senior
0.00
0.25 0.50 0.75 Proportion of Respondents
1.00
0.00
HOW MANY TIMES HAS IT HAPPENED? 11
Percentage of Students
75%
50%
19.25% 4.6% Sexually Harassed
Sexually Assaulted
Margin of error: +/- 6.65%
Margin of error: +/- 3.5%
# of Students out of 109 Respondents
100%
0%
1.00
IF YOU HAVE BEEN SEXUALLY HARASSED,
HAVE YOU BEEN SEXUALLY HARASSED OR ASSAULTED?
25%
0.25 0.50 0.75 Proportion of Respondents
6
4
0
Once
Twice
Three or more
The Survey Results, continued How many times were you sexually harassed by someone you were in a romantic relationship with?
3 # of Students
15
10
2
1
5
0 One
Two
0
Three or more
One
Two
national Statistics
{ { { { {
One in every four girls is sexually abused by the time she turns 18 According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
Age Distribution of Survivors of Sexual Assault in the United States 31% age 35+
15% age 12-17
54% age 18-34
According to RAINN.
every 11 minutes, Child Protective Services finds evidence for a claim of sexual abuse every 92 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted females aged 16-19 are 4 times more likely to be sexually assaulted than the general population only 5 out of every 1,000 rapists will end up in prison for their crime 1 in 10 rape victims are male As stated by RAINN.
{ { { { {
# of Students
How many times were you sexually assaulted by someone you were in a romantic relationship with?
4
20
3
COLLEGE Statistics
-- only 1/5 of female of sexual assault survivors who are also students reported it to law enforcement -- over 50% of sexual assault incidents in college occur in August, September, October and November
-- more than 50% of female college students who are survivors of rape tell no one -- 6-8% of male college students are sexually assaulted during their time in college
According to RAINN.
According to the U.S. Justice Department.
Sexual Assault and harassment continue beyond high school According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, one in five women in college is a victim of sexual assault. To make that number more real: each grade in Menlo’s Upper School has about 150 students, half, or 75, of whom are female. That means that 15 of the 75 young women in your grade are likely to experience sexual assault in college. College women aged 18 to 24 are three times more at risk for sexual assault than women of any other age. Factors such as increased exposure to drugs, alcohol and peer pressure in college contribute to the
by Crystal Bai
pervasiveness of this problem. Only one in five of college women who are sexually assaulted report their assault to the police, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). Common reasons for why victims of sexual assault do not report include the belief that their assault was a personal matter, the fear of reprisal, the belief that their assault was not important enough to report and the belief that the police would or could not do anything to help. So, of the 15 young women in your grade who could experience sexual assault in college, only three of their stories will
ever be reported. The effects of college sexual assault do not end at the scene. Women who experience sexual assault can face health problems such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. They may also frequently see their abuser in classes, dorms or other places on campus. A 2016 study conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice found that among rape survivors who stayed on the campus where the assault occurred, nearly one in three had academic problems and more than one in five considered leaving school as a result of their experience with sexual assault.
Of course, sexual assault in college is not limited to women. According to RAINN, 5.4% of men in college experience sexual assault. However, that is compared to 23.1% of women in college. To increase safety against sexual assault on college campuses, RAINN provides this list of tips: 1) make a plan when you go out 2) make others earn your trust 3) know your limits 4) know your on-campus resources For more information, see RAINN.org.
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LET’S CHANGE THE
CONVERSATION... After reading this special edition of The Coat of Arms, we hope you feel more informed about the prevalence and impact of sexual assault and harassment in our community. We would like to emphasize that, unfortunately, these instances are not unique to Menlo. As demonstrated by the national data presented on page three, sexual assault and harassment are a reality in today’s world. Our hope is that you do not
TAKE ACTION sit passively with this information. We want you all to become active bystanders who are able and willing to intervene when sexual assault or harassment may be occurring. Only when the entire community is educated about this issue and committed to changing it can we move towards a safer and healthier society. The Coat of Arms knows that the Menlo administration would welcome and encourage students
to report any cases of sexual assault or harassment within the Menlo community. They are dedicated to making Menlo as safe as possible. The Coat of Arms feels honored to have been given the opportunity to write these stories, and we hope that in doing so, we have made the Menlo community more aware about the persisting issue of sexual assault and harassment.
resources and support systems Menlo Counselors
Organizations
Phone Hotlines
Tracy Bianchi:
Safe Space
Jake Fauver:
National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC)
National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline:
tracy.bianchi@menloschool.org jake.fauver@menloschool.org
Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN)
800-656-HOPE (4673)
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:
1-800-273-TALK (8255)
VictimConnect Resource Center
A special thanks to... Than Healy, John Schafer, Tony Lapolla, Cathy Chen, Tracy Bianchi, Jake Fauver, Jon Michaelson, Tripp Robbins, Lauren Lax, The survivors who shared their stories with us, Any survivors who are inspired to share their stories in the future
The Coat of Arms
Editor-in-Chief.........................................................................Clara Guthrie Print Editor............................................................................Bridget Quigley Online Editor................................................................................Kate Jeffries News Editor............................................................................Caroline Frantz Arts and Lifestyle Editor........................................................Vionna Eshghi Spread Editor.........................................................................Kate Hammond Opinions Editor.........................................................Elisabeth Westermann Sports Editor......................................................................Samantha Stevens Copy Editor....................................................................................Crystal Bai Staff Photographers..............................................Sadie Stinson, Bella Scola Staff Reporters..............Sophia Artandi, Claire Ehrig, Stella El-Fishawy, Tessa Frantz, Kyra Geschke, Ashley Grady, Emily Han, Ella Hartmanis, Chase Hurwitz, Carly McAdam, Sarah Norum, Parina Patel, Shefali Sahai, Sylvie Venuto, Alexandra Viret, Page Wolfenden, Ryan Young Faculty Adviser........................................................................Tripp Robbins Staff Illustrators ...........................Melody Zhou, Tzy Ying Yee, Nic Garcia
We want to hear your voice!
Mission Statement
Please send us your feedback via a letter to the editor at:
The mission of The Coat of Arms is to report accurately and thoroughly on news that is significant to the greater Menlo School community. We will chronicle in context the different events and perspectives within the school, while ensuring unbiased coverage. We welcome feedback and aspire to create an open dialogue with our audience by being accessible on multiple platforms and by striving to remain neutral in all circumstances.
clara.guthrie@menloschool.org or to The Coat of Arms 50 Valparaiso Avenue Atherton, California 94027 (650) 330-2001 Visit us online at menlocoa.org