Statements have been received from Skidmore College student Reina Kiefer, her attorney James R. Marsh, and Skidmore College regarding the school’s Administration Hearing Board’s readmittance hearing involving an unnamed male student who Kiefer accused of sexually assaulting her in early 2014. The male student was suspended for one year and was seeking to be readmitted to the college. No criminal charges have been filed.
Statement from Reina Kiefer:
“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.”
Statement from James R. Marsh, of the Marsh Law Firm:
“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.”
Statement from Skidmore College:
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.
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