Hundreds of students protest Pat Hall allegations

Chants echoed outside of the Reef as an estimated 400 students, faculty, staff, and monastic members gathered on Oct. 21 to call for change following reports of a sex competition among some residents of St. Patrick Hall at SJU. The Institute for Women’s Leadership organized the protest.

Following the protest, CSB President Laurie Hamen and SJU President James Mullen met with the IWL on Monday to discuss the IWL’s demands that inspired the gathering. The demands include further RA training, required participation in the Men as Peacemakers BEST curriculum for SJU athletes, RAs and senators, increased security presence on the Link, guaranteed transportation between campuses for students who miss the last bus, and the reestablishment of the Men’s Development Institute.

A complete explanation of the demands can be found in a link on the IWL’s Instagram page. A “Students for Action” petition created by the IWL had over 1700 signatures as of Wednesday morning, including over 600 in the first 24 hours after it was published.

The protest started at 1 p.m., with students encouraged to walk out of their classes to attend. Many faculty members canceled class to allow students to go to the protest. Speakers at the event offered prayer, led chants, and shared their own stories of sexual assault and harassment.

“This is not what St. Ben’s and St. John’s stands for, and this is not what the students stand for,” said Julia Geller, CSB senior and IWL director. “So, it was really amazing to have so many people come out and say this is not what we’re about.”

The sit-in lasted for nearly an hour, with groups of protestors staying after to talk to each other. For many, the number of those in attendance, including professors, staff and monastic members, gave them some hope.

“It shows that there are supporters, and it’s not just us,” CSB senior Lucy Keefe said. “It’s these people who are paid by the institution that are willing to step up for their students and for their friends, as well.”

Groups of Johnnies also participated in the event, both to show their support for CSB students and condemn the actions of those involved in the sex competition.

“I think those Johnnies don’t accurately represent the community and shouldn’t be given the title of Johnnie, because I think being a Johnnie is something you should carry with honor,” SJU sophomore Zach Staver said. “It’s not just like St. John’s is for the Johnnies and then the Bennies come over here every now and then. They’re as much a part of this community and this campus as we are.”

The presidents responded quickly to the protest, as they spoke with the IWL five days after the sit-in.

“The meeting went super well,” Geller said after the Monday meeting with the presidents. “I really have honestly been super impressed with the presidents’ and administration’s response, and I can really tell that this is something that they are invested in.”

Hamen sent an email to CSB students in the evening following the protest offering thanks to the IWL and a commitment to “create the best possible plan moving forward.”

“From our founding monastic community to our mission statement, it’s really about listening to students and creating a community that they want to be in,” Hamen said in an interview on Monday. “I think if you miss these kinds of events, you won’t be able to listen to students in a way that they’ve chosen to speak.”

Mullen was unable to attend the sit-in due to a long-scheduled alumni event in Chicago, although he indicated that he wanted to be there himself, if possible.

The schools are working with an external investigator to investigate the alleged misconduct. The investigation is being carried out as a Title IX issue, meaning much of the process is done confidentially according to school policy.

Both Hamen and Mullen expressed their disapproval of the actions of those involved in the alleged competition.

“It’s deeply disturbing,” Mullen said. “We have a very serious Title IX investigation taking place. I can tell you it’s moving, and it’s moving very seriously, but, again, the investigation is going to run its course. We have a process in place, and we’re going to follow it.”

As the investigation continues, Hamen stressed the importance of building a better community.

“We have a responsibility to set the expectation and to make sure that in every way we can that we do something to make the institution safe,” Hamen said. “But I’m not going to be every place, and Jim isn’t going to be every place, and the staff and the faculty aren’t going to be every place, so we want to create that mentality in the minds of Bennies and Johnnies that you can stand up.”

While the administration looks to improve, some students believe not enough is being done.

“A lot of people showed up to see if administration would listen to them or if administration would move on,” CSB sophomore Aisha Sadik said. “You know how they sent out the email saying, ‘Oh, we’re doing an external investigation.’ But what are you doing internally to support these students?”

During the protest, several speakers called for students with knowledge of those involved in the competition to tell administrators what they know.

“If you know someone who is a part of this situation, then you’re just a part of the problem,” Sadik said. “I feel like this situation is bigger than just ‘Oh, I might lose my friends.’ You can’t really support people who are the problem.”

As the situation continues to develop, the IWL plans to host dialogue and discussion groups, along with posting resources on their Instagram.

Geller also encouraged students to come into the IWL office in the Multicultural Center during their office hours, which go from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For many who attended the protest, it’s important that those there continue to keep conversations about campus culture alive.

“So many people I feel are like, ‘Well, I’ll go to that sit-in,’ and think that that’s enough,” Keefe said. “This isn’t going to be fixed just by the sit-in. This is going to be continued activism that’s needed, continued demands.”