BishopAccountability.org

Phillips Exeter official 'brought to tears' by alumni messages regarding sexual misconduct

By Jason Schreiber
UniLeader
July 18, 2016

http://www.unionleader.com/education/phillips-exeter-official-brought-to-tears-by-alumni-messages-regarding-sexual-misconduct-20160718

Eunice Panetta is the president of the trustees at Phillips Exeter Academy.

EXETER – The president of the trustees at Phillips Exeter Academy says she’s been brought to tears by many of the messages received from alumni in the wake of an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct on campus.

In a message to alumni posted on Facebook last Thursday, Eunice Panetta said trustees were grateful to those who were speaking up.

The school administration has faced harsh criticism from many alumni who claim officials mishandled sexual abuse claims for years.

“We hear your criticisms, and we sincerely welcome your involvement, particularly that of our most recent graduates, who can shed the most light on what our current students may experience. We will organize ways for you to share your stories, your views, and your suggestions. I have already received scores of passionate, thoughtful, and constructive messages from Exonians of all generations, many of which have brought me to tears,” Panetta’s message said in part.

Her statement came on the same day that alumni revealed publicly that an open letter to trustees had been signed by hundreds threatening to withhold financial support for the academy and demanding the board take action to address sexual misconduct issues.

The letter was submitted Monday and was signed by more than 1,000 alumni, including Lawrence Jenkens, a 1977 graduate who claims he was molested by former faculty member Arthur Peekel in 1973. Peekel was arrested in May and has pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual assault.

The letter from alumni blasts the administration for what they call “breathtaking inadequacy on sexual assault” and accuses the academy’s most senior administrators of being “asleep at the wheel.”

The board of trustees has not yet formally responded to the letter, which was drafted last week after alumni learned about the June arrest former PEA student Chukwudi Ikpeazu, 18, of Parkland, Fla., who was charged with misdemeanor sexual assault.

Ikpeazu is accused of fondling a then-17-year-old female student in the basement of Phillips Church last October.

Alumni were outraged when they learned through a Boston Globe report that the academy initially tried to handle the incident without going to police. The alleged victim agreed to a proposal by the school’s minister, the Rev. Robert Thompson, to meet with Ikpeazu at the church to resolve the incident.

According to the Globe story, Thompson encouraged Ikpeazu to agree to an “act of penance” that involved baking bread for the teen for the remainder of the school year. The two agreed to the deal, but the bread deliveries reportedly left the alleged victim feeling anxious and the incident was recently brought to the attention of police, who investigated and charged Ikpeazu.

The arrest followed an ongoing investigation into sexual misconduct claims involving students and faculty that began after the revelation in late March that former academy history teacher Rick Schubart was forced to resign in 2011 and had admitted to sexual misconduct with two female students in the 1970s and 1980s.

Academy photography teacher Steven Lewis was later terminated from his position in April for sexual encounters with a student more than 30 years ago, the academy said.

Panetta wrote in her message that the academy’s trustees were “disturbed, saddened, and deeply concerned by recent events” and that their hearts go out to the alleged victim in the most recent case against Ikpeazu.

She added that principal Lisa MacFarlane and “her team” have launched important initiatives related to sexual respect and violence prevention this year and that “we now need to redouble our efforts.”

“Every Exeter student must feel safe on our campus, and have the resources available to help with matters large and small—and most importantly, to assist them if they feel they have been harmed. The trustees are and will be accountable to this community for student safety and well-being,” Panetta wrote.

Contact: jschreiber@newstote.com




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