I am currently in my second year here at Arcadia University, and when I first heard about the Title IX incident, I was shocked and immensely disappointed with the university. I chose to come here because I believed it to be a safe and welcoming campus. I loved the environment, and felt that I could trust the campus to help me transition into life as an adult. This situation not being public knowledge to incoming students that are making extremely important life decisions is absurd. From reports and documents about the sexual harassment investigation that are readily available on ed.gov, I have read that these allegations have been reported multiple times since 2018. Title IX did the right thing in 2020, but the university closed the investigation when the accused person was allowed to retire. All of the steps were done up until a certain point, and it suddenly stopped being evaluated. The main problem I see in this is how after that point, there were multiple reports that had been shoved down and deemed that “there was nothing else that could be done” or “no further action can commence”.
It is crazy to think that while I was looking into coming to this campus for its safety and welcoming community, there were tricks being set up that I would have never imagined. Once proud to say I attended this University, I cannot bring myself to say anything positive about Arcadia. I feel ashamed because of these horrible mistakes that have been made by the people we were told to trust.
As a resident assistant, I was put through tons of training, especially within the area of mandated reporting, AEDI, and Title IX. Working for this university, my job is to point other students, my own peers, in a direction of safety and trust. We are here to listen to their concerns, and help find the best solution in order to ensure their safety and satisfaction. However, all of our strenuous training and constant work feels betrayed due to the lack of professionalism that is coming from our higher-ups. I am constantly on edge, trying to make sure everyone is safe and all of my work is done, but I feel like the university has not been making the same effort. Being a full-time college student on top of this campus job has an unbelievable amount of weight on my back that seems to be getting heavier every time any staff member is relieved from their position. This faculty seems to be crumbling before our eyes, and the structure cannot be held up by only a handful of hardworking people for so many students that do live on campus.
Over the summer, I was also an orientation leader. I applied for this position because I loved this university, and I loved promoting it to anyone and everyone around me. I, along with my other coworkers, worked together to convince prospective students and welcome the new incoming class. We believed in this university enough to spread our love for it with others, and worked extremely hard to show off all of the amazing parts of the campus. However, no one was aware that this situation even existed, and we were all fooled and betrayed. I see the freshman on campus, and feel such guilt for being part of the reason they might have connected with the campus.
A current senior in high school reached out to ask me about campus a few weeks ago. I answered a lot of their questions about campus life, food, community, activities, and residence life. Next thing I know, my campus friends are sending me links to an article saying the US Department of Education is looking through a Title IX breach in Arcadia University. I felt absolutely embarrassed after just praising this campus to a prospective student, and coming back into the conversation to send them the link as well. These incoming groups deserve to know what is going on around here, but wouldn’t it have just been better if our staff just did their job?
Other perspectives on this issue:
> Arcadia University’s Title IX Investigation by Natalie Tursi
> Statements from Arcadia University students, Social Justice Society leaders, and Faculty
> Exposing Cracks in Higher Education as a Student Journalist by Ethan Rodriguez
Featured image of staff member Klaudia Wrona, illustrated by Anna Stevens.
