Another Open Letter to the Franklin and Marshall College Administration was written by the entirety of The Sexual Assault and Violence Elimination Executive Board. If you have any specific questions or comments regarding the content of this letter, please email co-presidents Lauren Peeters at lpeeters@fandm.edu or Brittney Flaten at bflaten@fandm.edu.
Four months ago, the S.A.V.E Executive Board published an op-ed in The College Reporter regarding student allegations of assault and harassment against employees of the third-party security vendor MProtective.
In spite of these allegations, MProtective remained in Franklin and Marshall College’s employ until March 30, 2018.
It is widely held by the student body that the ideologies expressed by MProtective are not representative of the inclusivity we celebrate as an academic institution. S.A.V.E is in agreement with the arguments raised in the March 29th op-ed regarding third-party security.
However, had the allegations made in our November 12th op-ed been taken seriously the incendiary views articulated by MProtective would have been discovered by the college’s administration months ago.
When S.A.V.E members spoke with the administration in the fall, we were chastised for voicing our concerns publicly in the College Reporter; chastised by the same administrators that responded to the March 29th op-ed with an open letter. In our initial meeting, the S.A.V.E executive board was assured that Franklin and Marshall would conduct an investigation into MProtective. Evidently, this thorough investigation of the aforementioned allegations did not include a Google search.
The extent of MProtective’s misconduct should have begun and ended with the inappropriate touching of female students. As F&M students we have the right to be treated with dignity and respect at all times, by every single person that the school employs — regardless of one’s gender.
The institution does not care about our bodily integrity or protecting us from male violence (as long as we do not file a lawsuit).
This predictable response from the administration is just another reminder that even when female students are brave enough to speak out, our voices are smothered.
As an institution under Title IX investigation for mishandling sexual assault allegations, Franklin and Marshall cannot afford to alienate and marginalize its female student population. We are waiting. We will not be silenced.
-S.A.V.E Club Executive Board