Timeline of Key Events

 

Nov 15, 2018: Seven current and former Dartmouth students file class action lawsuit alleging more than 16 years of sexual harassment and assault perpetrated by 3 professors in PBS dept, while administrators turned a blind eye [2].

Dec 6, 2018: DCGHSV sends President Hanlon and Trustees a letter standing with the plaintiffs and with all survivors of sexual violence and gender harassment at Dartmouth, signed by over 800 alumni, students, faculty, staff, family and community members [1].

Jan 2, 2019: DCGHSV sends itemized list of demands to President Hanlon and Trustees, addressing changes to the institutional culture which facilitates sexual violence and gender harassment [9].

Jan 3, 2019: President Hanlon announces “sweeping reforms” of C3I [10].

Jan 15, 2019: Dartmouth issues its answer to the lawsuit, denying all responsibility for the PBS abuses while perpetuating victim-blaming rhetoric [3].

Jan 21, 2019: DCGHSV convenes open community meeting in Baker [11].

Jan 25, 2019: Local DCGHSV members meet with Hanlon and senior leadership, issuing a strong call for transparency, accountability and the reparation of institutional betrayal. Members introduce new demand that PBS department be put into academic receivership [12]. Met with inadequate response to demands.

April 10, 2019: President Hanlon addresses National Summit on Sexual Assault, positioning Dartmouth as a leader on the issue [13].

April 22, 2019: Launch of Dartmouth Speaks, an online platform to amplify the voices of Dartmouth survivors [14-15]. 

May 1, 2019: Two new plaintiffs (Jane Does 2 & 3) join the class action under pseudonyms, alleging further PBS abuses from groping to rape, dating back to 2003 [4].

May 3, 2019: Student and Presidential Committee on Sexual Assault (SPCSA) sends memo to Hanlon demanding new PBS claims be investigated and the department put into receivership [16]. 

May 6, 2019: DCGHSV sends memo to Hanlon and senior leadership reissuing January demand for PBS receivership and noting glaring discrepancy between the optics of Hanlon’s summit address and business-as-usual in PBS [17].

May 9, 2019: President Hanlon responds to SPCSA memo rejecting demands for receivership and investigation of new claims, reiterating the college’s original victim-blaming response to the lawsuit and defending David Bucci [18].  

May 14, 2019: Dartmouth’s lawyers file aggressive answer to the Jane Doe plaintiffs, objecting to their use of pseudonyms [5-6]. 

May 17, 2019: Alumni Council convenes on campus; DCGHSV direct action. 

May 31, 2019: DCGHSV joins with the Dartmouth chapter of the AAUP and the SPCSA to call for College leadership to rescind their opposition to the Jane Doe plaintiffs’ anonymity. In an unprecedented alliance, these three groups circulate a petition in support of survivors. 

June 26, 2019: Over 600 people sign the survivors’ rights petition, including Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Bernie Sanders, Congresswoman Annie Kuster, and NH State Senator Martha Hennessey.

August 6, 2019: Following mediation, the nine plaintiffs and the College reach a satisfactory settlement. Dartmouth agrees to pay $14 million in damages and include the plaintiffs as advisors to the C3I initiative. 

September 29, 2019: Members of DCGHSV meet with Bernie Sanders in Hanover to discuss issues of sexual violence and survivors’ rights.

Materials and references:

  1. DCGHSV initial statement with signees: https://www.nhpr.org/sites/nhpr/files/201812/statement_of_support-final.pdf

  2. November 15, 2018 filing (Rapuano et al): https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2018/11/college-faces-70-million-federal-class-action-lawsuit

  3. January 15, 2019 filing (Dartmouth response to Rapuano et al): https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2019/01/dartmouth-denies-knowingly-permitting-sexual-misconduct-in-filing-stresses-its-prompt-action

  4. May 1, 2019 filing (additional Jane Doe plaintiffs in Rapuano et al): https://www.nhpr.org/post/more-women-say-they-were-raped-assaulted-dartmouth-neuroscience-department#stream/0

  5. May 14, 2019 filing (Dartmouth’s response to additional Jane Doe plaintiffs in Rapuano et al): https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2019/05/college-asks-court-to-deny-use-of-pseudonyms-in-ongoing-pbs-lawsuit

  6. Coverage of Dartmouth’s controversial May 14, 2019 filing: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/05/14/dartmouth-objects-anonymity-plaintiffs/qfoxnb5La2ir2hAfS8GWMI/story.html

  7. Dartmouth News article concerning the decision not to fill the ombudsperson position: https://news.dartmouth.edu/news/2018/04/ombudspersons-role-be-addressed-through-other-services

  8. 2018 NASEM report (see Chapter 6, section “Effective Sexual Harassment Training”): https://www.nap.edu/read/24994/chapter/8#150

  9. DCGHSV itemized demands: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTQoiCeBpb3usXQOR839Qdkv_gSKJ7wgS7XOAhnNlBTNlj6KDI9ukDz3CoizRhN7ruGED0poyNwL9xf/pu

  10. President Hanlon’s announcement of C3I: https://news.dartmouth.edu/news/2019/04/president-hanlon-addresses-national-summit-sexual-misconduct

  11. DCGHSV convenes open community meeting in Baker: https://news.dartmouth.edu/events/event?event=55125#.XN12pC3My8U

  12. DCGHSV meets with President Hanlon and senior leadership, issues receivership demand: https://www.vnews.com/Dartmouth-Administrators-Met-With-Advocates-for-Ending-Sexual-Harassment-and-Violence-at-the-College-23078163

  13. President Hanlon addresses National Summit on Sexual Assault: https://news.dartmouth.edu/news/2019/04/president-hanlon-addresses-national-summit-sexual-misconduct

  14. Launch of Dartmouth Speaks: https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2019/05/website-for-sharing-sexual-harassment-experiences-launches

  15. Dartmouth Speaks: www.dartmouthspeaks.com; www.instagram.com/dartmouthspeaks

  16. SPCSA memo to President Hanlon RE: receivership and new PBS allegations: https://www.unionleader.com/news/education/dartmouth-groups-demand-changes-after-new-accusations/article_1bade9e2-7fbc-564f-8850-15ce71b0c8f0.html

  17. DCGHSV memo to President Hanlon and senior leadership RE: reissuing receivership demand: https://www.unionleader.com/news/education/dartmouth-groups-demand-changes-after-new-accusations/article_1bade9e2-7fbc-564f-8850-15ce71b0c8f0.html

  18. President Hanlon’s response to SPCSA memo RE: receivership and new PBS allegations: https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2019/05/hanlon-responds-to-concerns-raised-about-pbs-department