The Skidmore student accused of sexually assaulting another student back in April of 2014 will not be allowed to return to the college for several years.
The college investigated and found that student had violated the schools sexual and gender based misconduct policy. He was subsequently suspended for a year, and Thursday’s decision means he can’t request to return to Skidmore until 2017.
“I want to thank the Administrative Hearing Board for their careful consideration of my case and the seriousness with which they approached this very important decision. Their determination that the responding student cannot request to return to Skidmore until 2017 brings me a tremendous amount of relief and assurance that my remaining time at the college will continue without the stress and fear I have experienced over the past year. I also want to thank the entire Skidmore community for supporting me and bringing so much activism and sensitivity to the issue of campus sexual assault. Together we all really made a difference, not only in my case, but in building a community of mutual respect and understanding. I hope everyone realizes that this is not the end but really just the beginning of making Skidmore a place which treats sexual assault and sexual harassment seriously. It’s everyone’s responsibility to make sure that nothing like this happens again. If you are found responsible for sexual misconduct including penetration by incapacitation you should be expelled. Only by making sexual assault a priority on our campus can we make sure Skidmore’s policies reflect our values,” said Kiefer in a statement released Thursday.
“The bottom line with Reina’s case: Skidmore has to change its policies and practices. I know it’s an ongoing process, but this was not a difficult scenario. If you find someone responsible for this level of sexual misconduct, the only sanction should be expulsion. It’s that simple,” said Kiefer’s lawyer, James Marsh.
NEWS10 reached out to the college for comment on the decision and received the following statement:
“Skidmore College remains firmly committed to maintaining a safe environment for our students and to policies that are fundamentally fair. Federal privacy laws and institutional practice—which are designed to safeguard student confidentiality and the integrity of our hearing process—prohibit public comment on cases that are being handled in the campus conduct system.”