[Are you a student, parent or current community member? See this petition: http://goo.gl/forms/p4J1E0yiyt]

As alumni and of Gustavus Adolphus College, we occupy an unique position as simultaneous insiders and outsiders. In the few or many years since we were on the Hill, we’ve experienced more parts of the world and have been able to reflect on our lives at Gustavus. Online communities have allowed us to stay connected in ways we haven’t been before, and have given us opportunities to remain active in our Gustavus community as alumni.

Our Five Pillars have guided many of us both as students of Gustavus and as alumni. We still believe in those core values: Faith, Excellence, Community, Justice, and Service. We hoped you did, too.

However, recent discussions on the Overheard at Gustavus Facebook page have again raised concerns about the ways the College handles instances of sexual violence. Throughout the years, we have all become aware of situations in which students of Gustavus were found guilty by the school to have committed rape or sexual assault and were allowed to remain on campus, attend parties, and continue their involvement in extracurriculars like Greek organizations and sports - all of which put other students at risk. We know perpetrators are likely to assault more than once. Title IX requires that schools take appropriate steps to ensure students live free of fear in their learning environments, and that is not possible when assailants are in classrooms, in student organizations, and in residence halls.

The refusal of the administration of Gustavus Adolphus College to admit sexual assault is a real issue and take steps to reduce it, as well as its refusal to hold rapists and assailants accountable, has compelled us, the undersigned alumni of Gustavus, to demand that swift and meaningful actions be taken to address the dangerous culture that places students in harm’s way.

We refuse to allow rape culture to become our Sixth Pillar.

We support the efforts of current students to address sexual violence at Gustavus and echo their following demands. We also pledge to withhold any monetary donations to the college until these demands have been met.

Demand One: To be completed by the end of Spring Semester 2016.

Reform the sexual misconduct sanctioning policy to resemble the following policy from Ohio University (as of 3/3/16). Include mandatory expulsions for all findings of rape.

“There are three general questions that will be evaluated as sanctioning decisions are made. The appropriate sanctioning guidelines are included after each one.

Question 1: Was there a sexual misconduct violation? If yes, expect a minimum of 1 semester suspension.
Question 2: Was there physical contact? If yes, expect a minimum of a 1 year suspension.
Question 3: Was there penetration of any form? If yes, expect expulsion*.
*A presidential interim suspension will always be considered in these cases. A presidential interim suspension may also be used in other cases, depending on specific circumstances.

In addition to all three questions, consideration should be given to any additional factors that were involved.  These may include but are not limited to, the use of force or the premeditated use of drugs or alcohol.  In cases where this applies, sanctions should be increased appropriately based on these circumstances.

Students who are eligible to return to campus after fulfilling a suspension will be expected to participate in an educational intervention and will not be permitted to have any form of contact with the other student(s) involved in the case for the duration of their enrollment at Ohio University.”

Demand Two: To be met by the end of Spring Semester 2016.

Develop, publish, and publicize a clear policy outlining the circumstances in which a timely safety warning is issued. Involve the campus community when crafting this policy through online and in-person forums.

Demand Three: Ongoing process to be initiated by April 15th, 2016.

Publish the following aggregate data on the Gustavus website and publicize through campus email. All following data should be included in one cohesive report and updated twice a semester.  The first report should be published by April 15th. The report should include, but is not limited to:
How many cases are reported
How many survivors were denied accommodations they requested
How long cases remained open, on average
How students found responsible were sanctioned
Appeals and success/denial, changing of sanctions

Demand Four: To be completed by the end of Spring Semester 2016.

Reform Sexual Misconduct Board and Sanctioning Board in the following ways:

Separate Sexual Misconduct Board (those to determine responsibility) and the Sanctioning Board.
Screen potential members of the conduct and sanctioning boards for rape myth acceptance and implicit identity bias. Use the results of this screening in the selection process.
Remove students from conduct and sanctioning boards.
Increase training of conduct and sanctioning board members to a minimum of 20 hours and ensure competency in the following areas:

“All persons involved in implementing a school’s grievance procedures (e.g., Title IX coordinators, others who receive complaints, investigators, and adjudicators) must have training or experience in handling sexual violence complaints, and in the operation of the school’s grievance procedures. The training should include information on working with and interviewing persons subjected to sexual violence; information on particular types of conduct that would constitute sexual violence, including same-sex sexual violence; the proper standard of review for sexual violence complaints (preponderance of the evidence); information on consent and the role drugs or alcohol can play in the ability to consent; the importance of accountability for individuals found to have committed sexual violence; the need for remedial actions for the perpetrator, complainant, and school community; how to determine credibility; how to evaluate evidence and weigh it in an impartial manner; how to conduct investigations; confidentiality; the effects of trauma, including neurobiological change; and cultural awareness training regarding how sexual violence may impact students differently depending on their cultural backgrounds.” (OCR, 2014, Questions and Answers on Title IX and Sexual Violence, pg 47)

Demand Five: To be completed by April 29th, 2016.

Develop, publish, and publicize a Survivor’s Bill of Rights to be provided to each survivor with a hard copy upon reporting. The Bill of Rights should outline a survivor's rights at every step of the process and include a clearly published statement that notes that the institution cannot prevent survivors from sharing information about their conduct case under any circumstances. The college should collaborate with survivors and advocates to create this document.  

Demand Six: To be met Monday, March 14th, 2016.

Remove student room assignments and addresses from the Gustavus website and schedules of all community members from the shared Google Calendar. Make this information available only with the affirmative consent of individuals.  

Demand Seven: To be met by the first day of first year orientation for the class of 2020.

Clarify, simplify, organize, and unify the entire sexual misconduct policy.  Use definitions that are comprehensive, clear, and consistent across all college literature and reduce jargon in these definitions. Involve the campus community when crafting this policy through online and in-person forums.

Demand Eight: Ongoing, to be initiated immediately.

Develop and implement a research-based comprehensive prevention strategy that includes goals and outcomes, measure the impact and re-evaluate strategy yearly, work with campus leaders to maximize participation from students, and ensure that sufficient resources are allocated to creating this programming.

Publish an initial comprehensive prevention strategy by May 15th, 2016.


Signed, the concerned alumni of Gustavus Adolphus College: