Grace Smith ’19
Tess McMullin ’18:
Sexual harassment has been a hot topic in America since the #metoo movement but college students have been increasingly mobilized around these issues for a long time. Many even refer to the current situation as a problem of “rape culture.” A good working definition of this phrase, from Merriam-Webster, is “a society or environment whose prevailing social attitudes have the effect of normalizing or trivializing sexual assault and abuse.” Rape is a strong word, but in a post Harvey Weinstein world it is the only word some feel is strong enough to describe what women have been enduring for centuries. Such strong language makes it clear that all institutions, including EA, must examine ways to solve problems that can lead to sexual harassment.
Some of my personal experiences, as well as incidents of which I am aware, have led me to offer some thoughts about ways that Episcopal Academy unwittingly perpetuates misogyny and objectification.
There have been a number of incidents perpetuated by students that are by definition, sexual harassment. The majority of these, we believe, are done by boys. While the school handled these situations internally in order to protect those the male and female students involved, we wish that the issue of the way in which boys objectify girls had been addressed to the community. A more open discussion about the underlying issue of objectification should have been encouraged by administrators. If dialogue does not occur following an incident like this, it will continue to occur. While some believed these incidents to be harmless pranks, they are not not. This situation was not funny; it was sexual objectification and harassment. While there were consequences for these actions, I wish more dialogue followed these events. In both of these examples, Episcopal failed to create a safe environment for young adult women and to promote appropriate actions by the young men.
Some community members have dismissed and excused these incidents with the classic “boys being boys” excuse. However, the acceptance of what is actually objectification of women is not limited to students. To be specific, on multiple occasions, for example, the female athletes on the cross country and track teams have complained about the unfair treatment between the girls’ and boys’ teams. The boys are allowed to run shirtless every single day during practice; however, the girls are not allowed to run in their sports bras. This is unfair. It objectifies women’s bodies in ways that men’s are not. Boys should not be given advantages that girls are not granted.
Some female runners feel that the reason for this is that the outfit is too sexual, distracting, and inappropriate for boy students to see. These young women are made to assume their bodies are somehow dangerous and bothersome. By enacting this rule, Episcopal is teaching the young women that is their job to cover up so that boys aren’t distracted, rather than teaching the boys that they should have control over themselves. This is the same type of ideology that is often used to wrongfully justify sexual harassment. Episcopal should either let the girls wear their sports bras, or make boys wear shirts too. We understand why the school does not allow girls to run shirtless, but the same rule should be applied to the boys.
Even though some of these issues are addressed in health seminars and some class exercises, an unhealthy culture nonetheless prevails. In fact in 2015, the Class of 2019 attended one of the monthly health seminars where a speaker, who was male, discussed the importance of being aware in public settings in order to ensure one’s safety. At the end of the presentation, the man started to tell the girls that it is important to be conscious of what they are wearing and that if they dress in a way that is perceived as promiscuous they are more likely to be attacked. This notion is entirely incorrect. It is not okay to tell young women that they can somehow control how the public reacts to them. This is at the very core of what leads to normalization of sexual harassment because it is teaching women to avoid getting assaulted rather than teaching young men not to be assaulters. The man’s presentation supports the age old claim that “she had it coming” because of a woman’s dress or potential intoxication. It implies somehow that it is the woman’s fault for getting attacked, assaulted, or raped. While we realize Episcopal, didn’t knowingly bring in a speaker that adds to this culture, it does highlight the need for more extensive sexual harassment education.
There are interactions and relationships that occur within the school community that faculty are not aware of and are therefore unable to monitor. Situations happen off-campus between male and female students that can be said to be instances of objectification, harassment, and even assault. While the administration cannot control what happens when students are not on campus, they can provide an education regarding these issues to hopefully prevent them from occurring.
Episcopal, like most institutions in the United States, unwittingly submits to perpetuating a sexist culture. Episcopal fails its students, both male and female, by not educating them on these often touchy topics. Female students have felt unsafe as a result of boys being unaware of how to properly interact with young women. We have the Stripes for a reason, and Episcopal often boasts its focus on morality. School is not only for academic development, but also personal development. The school should adopt a preventive approach, rather than corrective. At a school like Episcopal, students should be taught how to treat each other with respect and dignity.