Students have a 3 term suspension following a hazing incident that involved heaving drinking. There was also one sexual assault reported. The students include males and females.
http://www.southernminn.com/northfield_news/news/article_8d80ba9d-207c-5607-9ee1-dcd2dad57089.html
Seriously?!.. This is not what I remember
Should I be concerned as a parent of a daughter wishing to attend the school? I didn’t believe it was a party school. Am I wrong?
It’s not a “party” school, but kids drink on every college campus.
Not a party school at all. The shock at this secret society shows this.
I ave been checking the local papers about this. A July 19 article has information about the assault as well as details as to how the hazed students were recruited.
http://www.southernminn.com/faribault_daily_news/news/article_99b21d9f-8ccc-5677-a3e7-9a509135bf0c.html
If your student ever receives anonymous messages to meet behind a building at 2 a.m., tell them it is a bad idea.
This is very disturbing. Definitely shakes my perception of Carleton. I have not been there (yet) but we are encouraging one of our kids who wants to apply there precisely because it looked like the kind of place where things like this would NOT happen.
@momcinco This stuff happens on every college campus. Sometimes it’s reported, sometimes not. And the majority of incidents involve heavy drinking and other types of irresponsible behavior (“meet me at 2 AM behind Watson”). If your kid doesn’t drink heavily, doesn’t hang out with those who do, and exercises good judgment, the chance of being sexually assaulted on a college campus anywhere is virtually zero.
You are right, CodyChesnutt. After my initial reaction it occurred to me that I am actually glad to learn that the administration is actively dealing with it. Confronting it head on speaks well of the college, even if the events are reprehensible.
This said, the chances of being sexually assaulted for my son are probably zero…but I do worry about my daughters.
Thanks for your post.
The hazing incident was crazy for everyone on campus, most people had never even heard of the secret society at all. The incident was terrible, but the school was at least fairly open about what happened and made sure the students were informed. Consent and responsible drinking is something that the college and community put a lot of time into educating the students about. Personally, as a female student I’ve never felt unsafe on campus and my friends and I have walked back to our rooms on campus in the early hours of the morning many times without feeling unsafe. Although, while similar incidents are usual, it should be mentioned that drinking is a pretty big part of the party culture on campus. However, there is no shame or judgement from abstaining and I know plenty of people who don’t drink.
Thanks asdf97. Good to hear!
"most people had never even heard of the secret society at all. "
Because it’s secret.
@asdf97 Do you know if the punishments held or were they quietly diminished later? I heard rumors of the latter but nothing that I felt was authoritative.
Twelve of the 13 suspensions were reversed in July. See the following link to Carleton’s student newspaper (If the link does not work for you, please let me know):
https://apps.carleton.edu/carletonian/?story_id=1634909&issue_id=1634906
The Carleton student newspaper has always been behind a login wall.
Thanks for that update.
The update is so disappointing.
It goes against everything I thought I knew about Carleton - I cannot read why 12/13 sanctions got lifted but it makes no sense, it only serves in empowering the perpetrators and any followers they might want to keep.
How can further secret societies be stopped - and how can adcoms “screen out” kids likely to form them?
BTW, I get the appeal of secret societies, as a 10 year old I created one, but I’m guessing it wasnt all that secret despite its super clever morse-like secret language and super hidden secret places (bathrooms, yard corners, hedges you crawled through). That “just us, on an adventure” feeling must be universal. It is, also quite different from the hazing described. So, is there a way for benevolent, ‘secret’ (aka discreetly monitored) societies to exist without the students knowing, with immediate stamping put of anything remotely sadistic or humiliating?