the Quadrangle THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MANHATTAN COLLEGE | SINCE 1924
Volume XCVI, Issue 14
DECEMBER 5, 2017
Campus Talks Sexual Assault, Title IX and #MeToo
www.mcquad.org
COLLEGE SENATE APPROVES MINIMUM WAGE RESOLUTION UNANIMOUS VOTE TO RAISE WAGE
Jack Melanson & Daniel Molina Editors
Take Back the Night is a campus organization that has been hosting annual events in the spring semester. AARON MAYORGA / THE QUADRANGLE
Tara Marin Editor
In the last few months, the #MeToo movement has changed the national conversation around sexual assault and harassment, but legislation that mandates how we confront these issues remains uncertain. Here on campus, there are multiple organizations and people who are promoting awareness about sexual assault and harassment. Samantha Monfils, a junior sociology major, is the president of Take Back the Night (TBTN), a campus organization that honors those who have survived sexual assault and works to combat sexual violence on and off campus. The club has a yearly event in Smith Auditorium. Monfils joined TBTN’s committee as a freshman and is passionate about its cause. “Take Back the Night is so important to me because I simply cannot tolerate the existence of rape culture any longer, and for me this event is a way to raise awareness that we are in fact living in a culture where women walk home at night with keys in between their fingers, where women get asked what they were wearing the night they got assaulted, and where 1
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out of 5 women students on college campuses will experience sexual assault,” she said. Monfils also feels that the current political climate intensifies TBTN’s mission, as sexual assault is so prevalent in the news, on college campuses, and on social media. “This year our committee is adjusting to this environment by coming up with more promotional opportunities and more mini events to increase campus consciousness and let people know that this is why we have Take Back the Night in the first place,” she said. Title IX, a federal law which requires schools that receive federal funds not to discriminate on the basis of sex, and requires schools to address sexual violence among students. Since the law’s passage in 1972, it has been popularized by equal opportunity, most notably within athletics, and has also gained traction in the last two decades as an assurance to victims that their assaulters will not go unpunished. In 2011, the Obama Administration released the Dear Colleague Letter which highlighted the measures that an institution of higher education must take to protect students. The letter itself was not a legal obligation, as it was issued without the process of public comment that would allow its
IN FEATURES: A Semester in Review on p. 6
statements to be legally binding. Yet in investigations and enforcements, the Department of Education treated the letter as if it were law. In September, Education Secretary Betsy Devos delivered a much anticipated policy speech in which she promised to rollback many Title IX enforcements. Devos acknowledged that sexual misconduct must be confronted, the due process must “incorporate the insights of all parties.” Devos, who has held low profile meetings with men’s rights groups, is essentially rescinding Obama-era policies but has not named what they will be replaced with, only that they will pay attention to the accused, not just the victim. Monfils, who is well informed of these practices and policies, she explains that this change is driven by the fear of false rape allegations ruining someone’s life, but false allegations are “exceptionally rare” and the people who do make them are “destroying the credibility of true sexual assault victims.” Monfils also includes that men are actually more likely to experience sexual assault than be accused of it, in a study con-
Just before the College closed for the Thanksgiving holiday, other doors were seemingly being opened for students. Student Government’s revamping of Government Professor Margaret Groarke’s minimum wage proposal met the Manhattan College Senate on Nov. 21, passing unanimously. The proposal specifically called for the following, which was stated as the rationale behind the bill. “The Manhattan College Student Government propose that the minimum wage for all student college employees at least meet that of New York State standards, which shall presently incrementally increase to $15.00 by December 31st, 2018.” Currently, student employees are making less than New York State standards. “This is really happening,” said Ryan Quattromani, senior class vice president. Quattromani also noted that this proposal was the first of the year to pass successfully. The passed proposal, however, was slightly reformed by Engineering Dean Tim J. Ward in a way that appeared to respect Student Government’s initial draft. “[Student Government’s] proposal in its exact form wasn’t the proposal that passed. Dean Ward had written his own resolution,” said Quattromani. “In more broad terms it still said the same thing, but it was a summary. I was fine voting on it because it seemed like it was
easier for people to comprehend.” Jimena Gonzalez, Ph.D., assistant professor of economics and finance in the School of Business, commented on the issue while providing insights on minimum wage. “When there is a minimum wage, the government imposes a wage that it is above the equilibrium [between labor demand and labor supply],” he said. “When that happens, the labor demanded is less than the labor supplied, which means that there are more workers willing to work at this higher rate than what is demanded, which causes unemployment.” With that said, the professor continued to share that he feels this would be different at the college employment level. “Economically, the College matching the city’s minimum wage is not as disruptive because the alternative for students would be to work off campus and they would make above what they got paid before.” Trying to grasp all possible setbacks and ramifications, Student Body President Micaela Bishop spoke on the issue. “We understand that there is going to be difficulties, but we’ve asked Dean Satterlee in particular, and the people that he’s working with, to let us know which departments can budget for this in the spring, and who can actually pay their students this increased wage,” said Bishop. Although this process could become more lengthy than anticipated, Bishop and Quattro-
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IN SPORTS:
Fall Sports Highlights on p. 10