[S]even current and former Dartmouth College students are suing the school, accusing administrators, faculty and staff members of failing to protect students from three former professors who they say sexually harassed them and other women for years, turning their research department into a “21st Century Animal House.”
According to the students’ complaint filed in U.S. District Court in New Hampshire Thursday, the former professors — who all left the college this year following allegations of sexual misconduct — together made up a “predatory club.”
The professors “leered at, groped, sexted, intoxicated, and even raped female students,” the complaint states. The women filing suit allege the men, who taught in the college’s department of psychology and brain sciences, tied the academic success of their female students to their “willingness to tolerate unwanted sexual attention.”
“All three professors favored students who accompanied the men on their frequent drinking binges and engaged in sexual banter or submitted to unwanted touching and sexual contact,” the filing says.
The professors — Todd Heatherton, William Kelley and Paul Whalen — no longer work at the college. In October 2017, they were each placed on administrative leave over allegations of sexual misconduct. The New Hampshire Attorney General’s office also announced last year that it was investigating the allegations.
The women say the college had received complaints about the professors and known about their behavior for more than 16 years.
“But Dartmouth did nothing and ignored these complaints, thereby ratifying the violent and criminal acts of its professors,” the lawsuit says.
The seven plaintiffs are seeking $70 million in punitive damages.
In an emailed statement, Justin Anderson, a spokesperson for the college, said the school “respectfully, but strongly, disagrees with the characterizations of Dartmouth’s actions” in the lawsuit. He said the college will be responding to the lawsuit with its own court filings.
“We applaud the courage displayed by members of our community within the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences (PBS) who brought the misconduct allegations to Dartmouth’s attention last year. And we remain open to a fair resolution of the students’ claims through an alternative to the court process,” Anderson wrote.
According to court papers, in addition to sexually harassing students the professors promoted a “party culture,” and pressured female students to drink with them at bars and other locations. Kelley and Whalen hosted parties at their homes which centered on binge drinking, the students allege.
“Female students who were willing to partake in these activities were rewarded with academic attention, while those who refrained were ignored and neglected academically,” the complaint states. “Kelley publicly labeled one female student ‘a bitch’ for refusing to participate in drinking events.”
In one incident, the lawsuit alleges, Kelley sexually assaulted one of the plaintiffs, Kristina Rapuano, while she was his student and the two were at a conference in San Francisco in March 2015. Court papers state he had sexual intercourse with her during the conference, “when he knew she was too incapacitated to consent.”
The lawsuit claims the professors had an “obvious bias” toward hiring young, attractive female students to work in their labs.
“Kelley and Whalen treated this endeavor as a competition and openly debated who had ‘the hottest lab’,” court papers say. “Women ultimately felt that their looks were significant in their being hired rather than their academic achievements.”
Kelley and Whalen could not be reached for comment.
In a statement, Julie Moore, an attorney representing Heatherton, said the professor “denies playing any role in creating a toxic environment at Dartmouth College” and that none of the plaintiffs filing suit were his graduate students.
“Many of the allegations that attribute knowledge or conduct to Professor Heatherton are patently false,” Moore said.
“Professor Heatherton also did not regularly socialize with graduate students, and he did not attend any of the parties or events mentioned in the lawsuit. Lab meetings with his graduate students did not involve alcohol. Professor Heatherton did not drink shots with underaged students,” she added.
In addition to seeking monetary damages, the plaintiffs also want the college to enact reforms.
They hope Dartmouth will make changes “that will permit women to engage in rigorous scientific study without fear of being sexually harassed and sexually assaulted,” the lawsuit says.
