In the Fall of 2011, the Evergreen campus erupted in controversy over a student who has been accused twice of sexual assault and once of kidnapping/imprisonment. Protests were held on campus, literature on the alleged perpetrator was distributed, and the Evergreen administration was quick to punish those who dared to publicly question the school’s decision to allow this person to enroll here and live in campus housing. One of these people who was hurt during this crackdown was activist and student leader Matt Pfeiffer.
On the first week of school, Students for Democratic Society, the group that Matt has been a coordinator for during the last two years, put on a series of events called “disorientation week”. These events focused on introducing new students to organizations working for positive social change in the area, local activist history, and what they’d need to know to make it at Evergreen. Between workshops, there were events such as capture the flag to keep the mood light. These games involved large amounts of physical contact and the people in the game didn’t want to play with the alleged perpetrator. Approximately 20-30 people asked the individual to leave because they didn’t want him touching them due to his history and Matt was singled out of this group and served with an emergency suspension for “disrupting a college event” by refusing to let the unnamed individual touch people who didn’t consent to it. Matt was forced through a closed-door hearing and appeal process during which no witnesses were allowed and summarily suspended for the rest of the school year.
Matt and SDS have undergone good faith efforts to end the suspension; however, members of the administration including Art Constantino (VP of student affairs) and Andrea Seabert-Olsen (Campus Grievance Officer) have steadfastly refused to lift the suspension even after a quarter. Matt’s continued suspension constitutes a grave threat to values that many members of the Evergreen community hold dear including the right to free speech, free association, and consensual physical contact.
As student groups, we have composed this open letter to bring attention to this issue and make the following demands of the Evergreen administration:
- Matt’s suspension be lifted and allow Matt to attend classes during spring quarter.
- All student conduct charges against Matt related to this incident be dropped so as not to restrict future campus leadership opportunities.
- An end to all intimidation of people who wish to exercise their free speech rights to discuss allegations of sexual assault in general and against this particular individual and discuss what we should do about them as a community.
- An end to the “investigation” of Students for a Democratic Society as a result of this incident.
- An end to the stalling on public records requests seeking information on incidents involving Matt’s suspension and the alleged perpetrator’s history at Evergreen.
By taking these steps, Evergreen can reduce the harm caused by this unjust suspension and indicate their willingness to address sexual assault on campus in a reasonable, transparent way. We call on students to become active on this issue and pressure Evergreen financially and publicly to allow Matt back on campus.
Sincerely,
SDS (Students for a Democratic Society) – Mideast Solidarity Project – The Evergreen Bike Shop – The Evergreen Infoshoppe – LASO (Latin American Solidarity Organization) – CISPES (Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador)
Update: Feb 28, 2012 we were informed on Wednesday that the investigation of SDS has been officially ended.
Justice for Matt 