In Response to “Say Her Name, Hamilton: Stand with Charlotte Bennett”

To the Editors of the Spectator,

In recent years and throughout our nation’s history, several politicians from both sides of the aisle have been accused of sexual harrassment, assault, pedophilia, and rape. New York now has to face accusations of sexual harassment against Governor Andrew Cuomo, who clearly used his position of power to create an uncomfortable and dangerous work environment for three aides. One of those aides is Charlotte Bennett, class of 2017.

It is a shock to the system to see a familiar face, someone you personally know and love, on the pages of the

New York Times

. It is more shocking to read what people have to comment on this very sensitive situation. Many have stepped forward to show support for both Charlotte and her bravery. This is not the first time Charlotte has used such a personal and difficult experience to help others; those of us who participated in SMART sponsored protests and workshops would not have been able to have those experiences without Charlotte.

While the outpouring of support for Charlotte is refreshing to see, the politics surrounding who is being held accountable by whom is exhausting. Lelan O’Brien ‘23,, wrote an opinion piece about Cuomo and the allegations against him, from skewing the number of deaths in nursing homes to sexual harassment in the workplace. First and foremost, we are incredibly concerned and frustrated by

the Spectator

’s choice to publish O’Brien’s article as the first word on the subject in any campus publication as opposed to reaching out to any activist organizations — namely SMART, the organization that Charlotte founded to support survivors of sexual assault and harrassment — student advocates for sexual assault and harrassment survivors, or people who know and love Charlotte for comment. The journalistic choice to publish O’Brien’s article instead of conducting the proper outreach to any of these groups was both tone deaf and completely ignorant to the situation at hand. Organizations such as SMART have historically faced backlash and silencing in our nation and on our campus. Survivors are routinely silenced and their experiences are often overlooked and not taken seriously. While everyone has a right to their opinion and for that opinion to be heard, having such an opinion piece published without also publishing a news piece about the accusations against Governor Cuomo further perpetuates the silencing of survivor experiences. An opinion piece should not exist in a vacuum and

The Spectator

has an obligation to contextualize opinions and provide factual information in a timely manner. We sincerely hope that

The Spectator

will continue to learn and grow from this.

While O’Brien voices several important points — the need to be bipartisan when holding predators accountable and the surprising lack of response from Hamilton’s administration — the piece falls short in following its own advice. O’Brien’s article calls out the Hamilton College Democrats for seemingly not making any statements related to Governor Cuomo’s allegations. O’Brien then briefly calls out other organizations, such as the DMC and Student Assembly, but quickly moves on. There is no mention of which organizations have or have not made a statement; no mention of the Hamilton College Republicans or activist organizations. Further, where is the call to action to support SMART at this time? The very nature of his criticism is deeply troubling to us, especially given his past articles showcasing his criticism of the Hamilton College Democrats and his clear conservative politics, making it seem that he wants only the groups that he is not a part of to step up and do something.

What O’Brien also fails to acknowledge is that this is not a political issue. Gender-based violence and discrimination is not political, but rather it is deep and systemic. With many institutions — from government to higher education — having worked throughout history to silence the voices of all survivors no matter their gender or political leanings, we are first and foremost concerned about justice. This means that there must be justice in every part of Hamilton. The liberal political organizations on campus and the Student Assembly are not the only groups that should be making statements. Rather, every single professor, administrator, student, and alumni should be vocalizing their support for Charlotte and calling for the resignation of Governor Cuomo. This should be the case nationally any time a politician has allegations brought against them, no matter their political party. Hamilton — the institution and the community — needs to act.

Sincerely,

Kavya Crasta, Class of 2021(SMART E-Board)

Katherine Barnes, Class of 2020 (Former SMART E-Board)

Hannah Fink, Class of 2019 (Former Womxn’s Center President, Former SMART E-Board )

Madison Lazenby, Class of 2023 (Sunrise Hamilton Hub Coordinator)

As of publication time (03/31/2021), the Editors-in-Chief have met with the Authors of this LTE to discuss its contents.