We examine sexual harrassment on campus, its consequences and why it’s often unreported, plus why you should tell someone if it happens to you

Sexual harassment exacts heavy toll shield the School, professional counselors urge people to talk about instances of abuse to a ‘safe adult’

EVELYN GRIFFIN staff reporter

High school has always been a time for teens to experiment, test limits and break boundaries. However, some poor decisions are much more serious than sneaking out late or cutting a class or two. Even though it is often not reported, sexual harassment is an issue at McCallum, at high schools across the nation and in adult life as well.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission defines sexual harassment as “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature … [that] explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.” Because not everyone defines sexual harassment the same way, it can be difficult to discipline sexual harassers.

“I have had students in my office who have openly discussed with me being groped by another student, being called certain names or being catcalled,” guidance counselor Mickey Folger said. “It seems to me that the largest issue seems to be inappropriate touching.”

One female student said that during the fall semester she was physically harassed when getting food from one of the vending machines in the breezeway.

“Someone asked me if they could borrow a dollar, and I said no, and by the time I turned back to the vending machine, someone was grabbing my neck and kissing me on the back of my head,” she said. Because she could not identify the person who harassed her, she did not report the issue and wishes to remain anonymous.

“When I turned around to see if they were there they were gone.”

She said the experience has affected how safe she feels at school.

“It makes me feel weird when I’m walking in the hallways alone.”

Another student claims that she has been harassed by a group of students for months but has not reported anything. She is not sure if she will, so she requested anonymity.

“It really hurts me because there’s not anything I can do to stop it,” she explained. “I’m basically being objectified in a way that I can’t do anything about [it].” For McCallum students, the punishment for committing sexual harassment is fairly severe.

“I can tell you, based on my experience, that [offenders] would be removed from school,” Folger explained. “They would be required to go to ALC for 21 days, and they would have to go through some [sexual harassment] classes there with their parents before they would be allowed to come back to campus.”

In the long run, the consequences go even further.

Kate Carmichael, a licensed professional counselor who specializes in working with adolescents, said the

consequences can be life-altering.

“If you are a perpetrator of sexual trauma you can face jail time, probation and community service, as well as a permanent record where the incident will follow you for the rest of your life, making it difficult to find jobs, apply for loans or buy a house.”

Although the consequences are serious, Carmichael said that some students face social pressure that also strongly influences their behavior. “There is pressure to be sexually active and ‘cool,’ which means having many sexual experiences by graduation,” Carmichael said. “This kind of pressure is also insidious and hard to identify as it is happening in a group. It can feel isolating and shaming if you don’t feel you are far enough along sexually, which causes low feelings of self-worth.”

One McCallum student said he has witnessed these pressures firsthand.

“I think [harassment] is [a] normal [occurrence], but it shouldn’t be,” he said. He claims to have witnessed many of his friends talk about and treat women with disrespect. Although he wishes to remain anonymous to protect his friends, he does not support their behavior.

“The culture that we’ve established, the media saying what guys can and can’t do is influencing all this behavior.”

Carmichael also stated that some harassers might hurt others as a way to heal themselves.

“Many offenders have been abused in some form in the past as well and act out on others as a way of managing untreated trauma,” Carmichael explained. The current generation faces a new challenge when it comes to sexual harassment: social media. Now, it is easier than ever for anyone to become a victim or an offender, and unlike in person, messages over social media can be erased with the swipe of a finger, and consequences are much less likely. When it comes to minors, this form of harassment can be very dangerous. If a student is sexually harassed Sources: American Association of University Women, National Sexual Violence Resource Center. Graphic by Evelyn Griffin. over social media, what they do in response can lead to legal issues on both sides, possibly felonies.

“[People] are less scared to say things over social media because they won’t get as harsh of a reaction,” said one student who told The Shield she is sexually harassed in person and over social media every other day.

Around the beginning of the school year, she started getting regular Snapchat messages from another student that she didn’t know very well.

“He Snapchatted me and told me that I was luring him in, then he told me, ‘You should send [pictures],’” she said. “He tried to make me feel sorry for him.”

These messages made her uncomfortable, but because she sees him at school regularly, she has not reported the issue and requested to remain anonymous. “Maybe I should report it, but it’s just how it is,” she told The Shield. “I’ve accepted it at this point.” In a 2002 survey conducted by the American Association of University Women on 2,064 students in eighth through 11th grade, 83 percent of girls and 78 percent of boys claimed to have experienced sexual harassment at some point in their lives. If this is such a prominent issue in society, then, why do so few people report it?

“Many do not ever speak about the event for fear of being shamed further,” Carmichael said. She told The Shield that many of the teens she has talked to who experience sexual harassment deal with trauma long after the incident.

“[They] often bottle up these feelings, causing other side effects such as self-harm, drug dependence, isolation, anxiety and depression,” she said. “Untreated sexual trauma causes difficulty forming healthy relationships with others, a lack of trust in relationships, and, ultimately, further feelings of isolation and loneliness.”

Oftentimes, Carmichael states, the punishment for the offenders is not what concerns the victims when they are considering coming forward. They are more concerned with their own consequences.

“As a victim,” she said, “you will have to face the emotional pain of navigating a legal system that is often not well-organized and can be retraumatizing as you are asked to recount your story over and over.”

In some cases, students do not think that talking to an adult is necessary or that adults can offer the right kind of help.

“I don’t think that going to a trusted adult is necessarily the right move, just something you’re told to do,” a student who claims to be a victim of sexual harassment told The Shield. Nonetheless, Folger and the other guidance counselors encourage students to come forward if they are having these issues, even if they feel uncomfortable talking with an adult.

“I think that there’s a level of shame that comes with opening up to an adult,” Folger said.

She and her fellow counselors are trying to break that stigma.

“Use your voice. Articulate your boundaries. Be firm in them,” Folger said.

According to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, sexual harassment can be interpreted as child abuse and failing to report child abuse is against the law. In encouraging people to report harassment, the department also points out that if someone reports an incident with good intentions, they are not legally responsible if the report turns out to be untrue.

Whether or not the incident is reported right away, Carmichael urges anyone who knows someone who has been a victim of harassment or violence to listen to and support them.

“Becoming a safe person to talk to allows people to share and find the help they need,” she said. “Know the signs of sexual abuse and talk to a safe adult. Nobody needs to navigate this time alone.”

—with reporting by Kennedy Weatherby

How to be a ‘mate’ from miles away Effort to aid communities devastated by bush fires extends all the way from Australia to Austin shield the

SAMANTHA POWERS staff reporter

Email to Michelle Heustess from Paul Laws: Subject: Cry from smoky, smoggy Melbourne Hello Michelle, The last few days, it’s like fog here, 24 hrs a day. Except it’s smoke from the bush fires that are still burning in so many places.

The elderly and very young are being warned to minimize [outdoor] activities. As far as air pollution is concerned, we are one of the worst cities in the world at the moment.

For the past few weeks, as news feeds have been flooded with headlines similar to the email above, you might be asking yourself, “How can I help?” It may seem difficult to make a difference from 8,464 miles away, but there are many ways Americans, Austinites, and even McCallum students have been getting involved.

Someone who knows a little bit about this is all three. Junior Helen Heustess is a citizen in Australia as well as the United States. Her mother is an Australian native, and her grandfather is currently living there in Melbourne.

“Melbourne is actually one of the worst-hit cities other than anywhere in New South Wales,” Heustess said. “It’s not a lot of open fire, but the smog over the city is pretty incredible. And by incredible, I mean devastating.”

Heustess and her family are keeping a close eye on her grandfather. For their family, as well as anyone concerned who lives far away from this disaster, the distance can be frustrating.

“There’s not a whole lot to do other than donate to any of the charities that are helping out with relief and the effort to stop the fires, which is part of what makes it so difficult: it feels like there’s not much you can do,” Heustess said.

Heustess recommends a number of reputable charities that you can donate to, including the Australian Red Cross, First Nations Communities, and Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal.

“I personally donated to the Australian Red Cross because they’re the organization I’m most familiar with, and the one I know will spend the money responsibly even if it’s not right now,” Heustess said.

Chris Bennett is a native Texan who now lives in Australia and manages the WA/NT region of Crawford & Company Australia, an insurance relief program. His company has been busy with the mass of disaster-stricken families who have been displaced from their homes. As of Jan. 20, they had received 1,284 bush fire claims.

“We’re talking thousands, plural, nationwide,” Bennett said. “These are just the people who have filed insurance claims that have made it to us. There are people who may not have insurance.” Bennett explains that although there are a number of charities that people at home can donate to, it takes time for that money to trickle down to the people who need it. Bennett recommends that to make an immediate impact, concerned citizens should donate directly to people in need.

“The idea is you do a smaller amount of 13 feb. 2020

money straight away,” Bennett said, “so someone could have a hotel, they can have a place to live, they’ve got clothes for their kids. They can [meet] immediate needs that they have.”

Insurance companies all across Australia have set up recovery centers with information desks to aid anyone who needs it.

“One of my crew will sit in that office just to answer the question that someone may or may not know,” Bennett said, “and we don’t care if you are with us or with somebody else or you’ve got an insurance policy or not. We’ll tell you how you [can] get help.”

This unconditional compassion that Australians are showing for one another reflects a broader theme of friendship in the “land down under.”

“Australia is one of those countries where you look out for your mates,” Bennett said. “When something happens, you’ll find people who will give you time off from work to go help. When we’ve had floods, the whole town is shut down. They still paid salaries, and everyone went out and just dug people’s houses out. You really look out for your mates, and her mates and his mates.”

This generosity does not stop at the Australian coast; it reaches across the ocean all the way to Austin. Australians have “mates” living right here, and they are eager to do all they can.

Many local Austin companies, including The Little Darlin’, Antonelli’s Cheese and LOVE Cycling Studio, have been hosting benefits for fire relief. Through these benefits, citizens can get involved and feel like they’re doing more than just pressing a “donate” button on a web page.

On Jan. 26, Austinites gathered at the Little Darlin’ for drinks, live music and a silent auction. A portion of the proceeds was donated to the Red Cross and the World Wildlife Foundation. A group of former teachers called Charity Craft Collective organized the event. One of the organizers, Libby Brennan, explained why they got involved.

“Whenever something comes up, we’re just really lucky to have the resources and connections that we do to be able to host things like this,” Brennan said. “It’s just about giving back to our community.”

The event was well-attended by many Austinites eager to do their part. Dads in baseball caps sipped on beers and listened to the live music, moms in sunglasses perused the silent auction, and young children hula-hooped A lone kangaroo stares down the camera amidst a burnt forest. This kangaroo is one of many Australian animals affected by the fire. The animal death toll is estimated at 1 billion. The Key Club is selling Candy Grams to raise money for Port Macquarie Koala Hospital. Photo by Richard Brailsford.

news 7 in the yard.

“The city of Austin, as you can tell, has no problem showing up in one way or another,” Brennan said, “whether it’s physically or if it’s through their donations.”

Even closer to home, the Mac Key Club is selling Valentine’s candy grams, which will be distributed today. The proceeds will go to the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital in Australia.

Through the devastation many Australians are facing, there is comfort in the fact that they have “mates” looking out for them all across the globe. Austinites enjoy a silent auction, live music and drinks, all to raise funds for Australian fire relief. Charity Craft Collective, a local charity group, partnered with the Little Darlin’, a local restaurant, to organize this benefit. “We all were teachers or parents of students and have known each other for the last eight years, and in the last three years [we] have started hosting benefits,” organizer Libby Brennan said. “[There are] usually one or two a year, and it just seems so seamless.” Photo by Samantha Powers.