NY Times
8.26.15 | Opinion
To the Editor:
Re “Rape Trial Puts Focus on Culture of a School” (news article, Aug. 19):
As a recent graduate of St. Paul’s School and a woman, I understand exactly what pressures girls at the school face regarding sexual encounters. The unfortunate trial of Owen Labrie seems to be a case of a boy who should have known better and a girl who failed to say a clear “no” until days later. It’s a shame that this incident was taken to court, and a yet greater shame that The Times would attribute it to predatory traditions at St. Paul’s School.
You describe the school as a place of “secret rites and sexual conquest,” and yet sexual intimacy is neither part of the culture of the institution, nor is it any more prevalent among St. Paul’s students than at any other school. In fact, sexual intimacy is explicitly banned at St. Paul’s.
However, since sexual intimacy is banned, sexual conduct is never openly discussed. It is time for boarding schools to recognize that some sexual encounters are inevitable and to facilitate discussions of healthy relationships. Boarding schools should teach a “yes means yes” affirmative consent policy, as many colleges now do. Perhaps if they did, these two students would not be in the devastating situation in which they find themselves today.
CHEYENNE SMITH
Bronxville, N.Y.
To the Editor:
The consequences of the prep school trial will be borne by the two participants. But the issue is less about who initiated the encounter than about the environment that encouraged it. What are the ethical values of an esteemed school that explicitly or implicitly abides and perpetuates such a bizarre ritual where young girls are rewarded if senior men choose them, and senior men are rewarded for their sexual “scores”?
