<p>As a Williams parent, I am delightedly surprised to see Williams on the side of the angels in any discussion of campus culture that includes booze, masculinity, etc.</p>
<p>But that is the exact reason I feel it vital to stand up for Amherst.</p>
<p>Our competitiveness, chauvinism, whatever should not goad us into jumping on a bandwagon that isolates Amherst.</p>
<p>We know what influences rape culture: alcohol, frats, and athletes.</p>
<p>I don’t believe Amherst has frats, so it’s the alcohol and athletes. </p>
<p>We won’t get rid of the former and we don’t want to get rid of the latter. </p>
<p>So, our solution always needs to be education. That’s what these schools are there for. If the president can create an environment of no tolerance, this will filter down to the population of the school pretty quickly.</p>
<p>We’re all in this together. I don’t think sexism, abuse of alcohol and abuse of women is leaving any time soon.</p>
<p>It’s unfortunate that the administration at Amherst responded in a non-supportive way. Perhaps I should even go beyond unfortunate all the way to shameful.</p>
<p>However, I think the administration is taking strong steps to redress that.</p>
<p>As long as our images of masculinity include control and power sexual assault will continue to be a problem as will domestic violence and a host of other maladies in terms of foreign policy.</p>
<p>I just don’t want Amherst singled out and villainized for widespread, negative behaviors and beliefs.</p>
<p>Our time is better spent combatting this beliefs by practicing understanding and compassion and standing shoulder to shoulder with Amherst.</p>
<p>It was really discouraging how Columbia students vilified Barnard students because Obama chose to give the commencement address at Barnard, not Columbia. The insults hurled at Barnard women were really vile; most of the them were of a sexual nature. No, that’s not sexual assault, but it does show that misogyny is alive and well in many places.</p>
<p>My daughter, a Barnard alum, was shaken by the vitriol in his these attacks.</p>