Berryman and Smith recruit students to join committee on sexual misconduct policies
by Casey Macolino ’21, Contributing Writer
Catherine Berryman, Hamilton’s Director of Community Standards and Title IX Coordinator, and Cori Smith ’17, the College’s Title IX Education and Compliance Coordinator, are recruiting students from the classes of 2021 and 2022 to evaluate services and policies related to sexual misconduct on campus. Though Berryman and Smith mainly want to work with first-years and sophomores, they say that they are also open to feedback and communication with juniors and seniors during this process.
Berryman and Smith spoke at length about the new committee during the Student Assembly meeting on Monday, Feb. 25. They said the committee will work to engage all members of the community by allowing faculty, staff, and students to interact directly with the Dean of Students office. The reason that students in their first two years are being prioritized is that this will be a multi-year process and hopefully those students will be present for the duration of the committee, which Berryman says will last “about two calendar years and three academic years.”
Additionally, an outside group, called “Culture of Respect,” will work with the committee. Culture of Respect was founded in 2013 by parents of college students. It has an advisory board made up largely of college administrators from all over the country and is staffed by experts in public health and violence prevention. The partnership with Culture of Respect will focus on processes of self-evaluation the committee will use to assess the College’s current Title IX policy in terms of campus issues and potential changes to policy at the national level. Berryman emphasized to Student Assembly that the committee will mainly focus on “Hamilton community members coming together and working in this group.” She added that all issues within legal limits of policy is up for discussion in the committee’s meetings.
According to Smith, providing a platform for a broad variety of students and open discussions is the committee’s goal. She encouraged all who are interested to get involved, regardless of what they do on campus. In order to ensure that everyone will be informed and able to contribute, everyone entering the program will be asked to watch a one-hour webinar and familiarize themselves with the school’s current policies surrounding sexual misconduct. Otherwise, there are no limitations to who can participate. Juniors and seniors, although unable to participate in every part of the program, can still give input and contribute to the committee’s larger conversation. Berryman added that anyone who would like to participate in the process by meeting with her in private or talking over the phone is encouraged to do so.
The committee will not be limited to simply discussing issues of sexual misconduct either. There is a larger goal of implementing policy within the two-year period so students who are involved can have sustained involvement in the any actions that the College takes in the future. Once the major self-evaluation of current policies occurs in April of this year, the strategies for implementing changes will be discussed.
Meetings are monthly and will last about an hour, so there is hope for large student turnout. For anyone interested in participating, reach out to Catherine Berryman at cberryma@hamilton.edu or Cori Smith at cmsmith@hamilton.edu. They can answer any further questions and add members to the committee. Although anyone may contribute, they say space is limited in the working group so students considering getting involved should reach out soon.
