SMOC

Chair

Margaret Hunt, Winkley Professor of History and Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies; Chair of Women's and Gender Studies

Membership

Trustees:

  • Andrew Nussbaum
  • Paula Rauch

Faculty:

  • Margaret Hunt, Chair, Winkley Professor of History and Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies; Chair of Women's and Gender Studies
  • Marisa Parham, Associate Professor of English
  • Jack Cheney, Samuel A. Hitchcock Professor of Mineralogy and Geology, Associate Dean of the Faculty

Students:

  • Liya Rechtman ’14
  • Robert Wasielewski ’14

Staff:

  • Sarah Barr, Director of Academic Engagement Programs

Administration:

  • Suzanne Coffey P ’04, Director of Athletics and Title IX Coordinator

Of Counsel to the Committee:

  • Gina Smith, Ballard Spahr
  • Stephanie Pindar-Amaker, McClean Center, Harvard Medical School
  • Lori Berquam, Dean of Students, UW-Madison
  • Marian Matheson, Director of Institutional Research and Planning

Charge

The Special Oversight Committee on Sexual Misconduct was charged with making recommendations to President Martin for improvement in the College’s efforts to prevent and address sexual assault on campus, and to advise the President as she sought immediate changes. Those recommendations were shared with the Board of Trustees at the January 2013 Board meeting. The committee considered the following five key areas:

  • Campus environment: taking stock of Amherst’s campus culture, and identifying ways that it impedes or facilitates sexual respect among students.
  • Resources: examining the structure and mission of Amherst Student Affairs, and making recommendations for how to restructure and redistribute its resources. This includes the Dean of Students office, the Health Center, and the Counseling Center.
  • Education: recommending improvements to Amherst’s sexual education programs, to better promote gender equity and healthy sexual behavior on campus.
  • Recent history: distilling lessons learned from recent instances of sexual misconduct at Amherst, as well as from the experiences of other institutions.
  • Policy and Title IX: providing a summary of recommendations for policy changes throughout the school, including those associated with Title IX.