New York City private schools have proven time and time again that they are not above covering up sexual assault and sexual misconduct allegations. It’s often pushed to the back burner or dismissed altogether. It seems the wealth and reputation of a beloved institution are more important than the safety of undergraduate and graduate students.
The New York Post released a story two days ago in regards to a professor that participated in a student filled orgy and sexually harassed a number of his students. Emanuele Castano was a psychology professor at The New School. The administration allowed him to silently resign after the allegations and stories became public. A student Castano was seeing became pregnant and eventually terminated the pregnancy because she was receiving treatment for lymphoma. She chose to keep her identity private, but revealed that Castano took advantage of her on numerous occasions and even attempted to bribe her so that she would get an abortion. She reported to New School administrators that she had intercourse, unwillingly, with her professor over ten times. Back in 2012, the young woman went to administration with complaints of sexual harassment, but the school failed to do anything about it. The misconduct that defines this case is only now being taken into consideration by The New School because they are lawfully being held accountable.
I think that sexual relationships between students and professors shouldn’t be tolerated. This is because a teacher often takes advantage of their students when sex becomes a part of the dynamic. Simply put, sex doesn’t belong in the academic dynamic that is formed between a teacher and student. Boundaries are crucial and protect both parties from unwanted interactions.
Male professors are usually not held accountable for inappropriate behavior. I often wonder how many students have reached out about sexually unethical treatment perpetrated by a professor and have been failed by the system. By not taking reports seriously, administrators are allowing trauma to become an inherent burden that one will simply have to cope with, even though trauma induced by sexual misconduct is actually incredibly serious and needs to be dealt with immediately. I feel strange saying this because it’s very apparent. I fear that New York City private schools are becoming breeding grounds for untouched cases of sexual assault. I say untouched because they are often ignored and then forgotten about even after being reported. I fear that this is becoming overwhelmingly normal.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Her Campus Media.