By Lev D. Zilbermints
SOUTH ORANGE – A petition on change.org alleges that Seton Hall University (SHU) has done nothing to protect current and former students from sexual violence on campus. The petition was put online by Protecting Pirates in April 2022. Since then, the first petition has received at least 765 signatures.
“Local Talk” reported about this in its May 19, 2022 edition. This story is the continuation of the one from last year.
According to the April 21, 2022 online issue of the Setonian, the student newsletter, Protecting Pirates was formed in March 2022. According to an interview done in May 2022 with former SHU student and sexual violence survivor Emily Archibald, Protecting Pirates is a coalition outside of the university. Administrators have not met with Protecting Pirates.
New Petition Asks for Assistance
According to the new petition on change.org, Seton Hall University is not only doing nothing to address sexual violence, but actively blocking proposed changes.
The new petition, dated September 2, 2023 reads:
“We need your help once again.
“It has become clear to us that Seton Hall University will only change its ways if it feels continued pressure from the university community. Since our last protest in April 2022, our members have been in communication with students who served in the Student Government Association and attempted to implement changes outlined in our petition, shy of demanding an apology from administration for consistently failing survivors of sexual violence. For no logical reason, there was pushback against these proposed changes.
“We persist in our fight for an alternative to the Bilateral No Contact Order.
“These orders have been exploited by perpetrators seeking revenge against those who have requested them based on stalking, harassment, and sexual violence. There have been instances where assailants, who were subject to No Contact Orders, reported their victims when they entered buildings while Resident Assistants (RAs) were on duty. Perpetrators have even reported survivors who implemented No Contact Orders after coincidentally sharing class halls or bumping into survivors by happenstance on Seton Hall’s small, gated campus. Perpetrators are often irrational and vindictive, and they can – and will – abuse Bilateral No Contact Orders to further torment their victims. Other universities provide the option of one-way No Contact Orders; Seton Hall should do the same.
“Faculty members have not taken accountability.
“(Dean) Karen Van Norman has not stepped down, nor been removed, for explicitly discouraging rape survivors from pursuing investigations against their perpetrators. There has been no acknowledgement of administration’s failures to support survivors with the accommodations they should be provided under the law, nor any expressed desire to do better by the student community.
“Here’s what you can do – every step takes no more than five minutes!
“1. Share this petition. We can get to 1,000 signatures if everyone who receives this update shares it!
“2. Email this petition to Title IX staff members at Seton Hall University. Tell them that you are a concerned community member, and urge them to acknowledge and implement our demands as soon as possible.
“3. Follow us on Instagram @protectingpirates to keep up with our social media updates.
“4. Email us directly at protectpiratesnow@gmail.com if you have a connection with a media outlet that can help us spread the word about Seton Hall’s failures and our efforts to hold the university accountable. You may also email us directly if you are interested in helping us organize.
“5. Make sure you’re free on October 22nd. Hint hint.
“Your small actions to help our initiative will have an enormous, positive ripple effect. We need you!
“Stay safe. Email us at protectpiratesnow@gmail.com or direct message us on Instagram if faculty violated Title IX during your report and/or investigation. Depending on your circumstances, we may be able to help you take action.”
SHU Strategy Criticized
When it comes to dealing with pressing matters, many have accused Seton Hall University’s leadership of talking platitudes and delaying matters as much as possible without taking any action. Both critics and history say that the university has not done enough to move faster when crises arise. Only when the SHU students, alumni, outside groups, and the media create an outcry does the university seemingly start to respond.
Delay caused the Seton Hall Fire of Jan. 19, 2000
The infamous Seton Hall Fire of 2000, in which three students died and 58 were injured, six critically, came about as a result of SHU administration doing nothing. Since 1996, there were calls to install sprinklers in the dorms, yet this was not done. At the time, there was a tradition of creating fake alarms.
On Jan. 19, 2000, two freshmen set fire to a couch in Boland Hall. Despite the alarm, few took it seriously. It got to the point where a student, Dana Christmas, went around, knocking on doors, telling people to evacuate. She was badly burned and spent months in a hospital. Later on, Ms. Christmas was lauded as a hero for saving lives.
The fire and smoke grew to the point where people jumped out of windows to avoid being burned. All this could have likely been prevented had the university installed sprinklers in Boland Hall.
To make a very long story short, the university ended up paying millions of dollars in damages to the victims of the fire. The two freshmen who started the fire were sentenced to five years in prison. The state of New Jersey passed the strictest law in the nation, mandating that sprinklers be in all dormitories.
Instagram posts by Protecting Pirates
Protecting Pirates has been active on social media. According to an Instagram post by Protecting Pirates, “There are no reasons outside of laziness and apathy to refuse providing a one-way NCO (No Contact Order) option.
“Since our inception, we have worked with multiple contacts within SGA to attempt to implement a new NCO from the inside instead of applying external pressure. These efforts have not been successful.”
According to another Instagram post, “Seton Hall administration has repeatedly pushed back against suggestions to implement a one way No Contact Order option for survivors of sexual violence.
“Bilateral No Contact Orders place pressure on survivors and perpetrators alike to avoid one another. Perpetrators can use accidental run-ins with their victims as a basis to report a violation of the NCO, and seek disciplinary action.
“Due to perpetrators having the ability to retaliate, a one way option must be made available.”
“Local Talk” will keep its readers informed about how the SHU administration responds to Protecting Pirates.
