This past November, seven women filed a lawsuit against Dartmouth College alleging that they had been victims of sexual assault, discrimination and harassment by three professors. The suit claims that three male professors in the department of psychological and brain sciences “leered at, groped, sexted, intoxicated and even raped female students.” The suit states that the sexual misconduct has been going on since 2002 and that the college did nothing to stop it. The women seek $70 million in damages.
This semester, Dartmouth College launched the Campus Climate and Culture Initiative (C3I), a comprehensive set of actions that aim to create a learning environment free from sexual harassment and abuse of power. This is the third pillar in a set of initiatives established to create a more welcoming, inclusive, and equitable environment for the Dartmouth community. The other initiatives are Moving Dartmouth Forward, which addresses sexual assault and high-risk drinking in the undergraduate community, and Inclusive Excellence, which promotes diversity among faculty, staff, and students.
The C3I will involve conducting climate reviews for all departments, reviewing sexual misconduct policies, creating policies-in-action groups, establishing mandatory Title IX training, providing leadership development training for campus leaders, ensuring graduate students have access to multiple advisors, launching a diversity recruitment fund, expanding the Title IX office, increasing investment in mental health resources, partnering with outside institutions, and measuring progress on campus climate.
“All of us are deeply committed to creating and maintaining a safe, inclusive climate where our community members can fulfill their academic and professional aspirations,” wrote President Philip J. Hanlon in an email to the campus community. “At the start of the College’s 250th anniversary year, we want to set a higher standard for ourselves in creating a more respectful culture across our campus.”