Letter in Support of Maha Hasan Alshawi

July 24, 2020

To President Hanlon and the Board of Trustees:

The Dartmouth Community Against Gender Harassment and Sexual Violence (DCGHSV) has serious concerns about Dartmouth College’s response to Maha Hasan Alshawi’s sexual harassment complaint and calls upon the College to immediately and unconditionally engage an external investigator in this case. The public record of statements by and about the College raise questions about the College’s response to this case that need to be addressed in a timely and transparent manner.

The College’s response in this case tends to follow its long-standing practices of minimizing sexual harassment and resisting even modest actions to ensure transparent responses. In this case the College publicly claimed that engaging an external investigator was an “extraordinary measure,” which it is not. External investigators are a regular part of contested cases at many different types of institution.

The College has claimed that it is dedicated to changing this longstanding history, including through large initiatives like the Campus Climate and Culture Initiative, which “seeks to create a campus free from sexual harassment and the abuse of power.” If engaging an external investigation in a serious and publicly disputed case is an “extraordinary measure,” then it is unclear how the College can expect any members of the community to believe it is seeking to create a campus free from sexual harassment and the abuse of power.

Sincerely,
DCGHSV
cc:
The Valley News
The Dartmouth

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