My encounter with George Tyndall at USC scarred me. The settlement will help me heal.

By Elisabeth Treadway
USA TODAY Opinion
March 04, 2019

https://news.yahoo.com/encounter-george-tyndall-usc-scarred-081500374.html

In this Tuesday, May 22, 2018, file photo, people enter the University of Southern California's Engemann Student Health Center in Los Angeles. Nearly 100 women who contend that they were sexually harassed or abused by a former University of Southern California gynecologist, Dr. George Tyndall, are suing the school, arguing it ignored decades of complaints. The filing of new lawsuits on behalf of 93 women against the university was announced Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018.

I spent only 10 minutes with George Tyndall during my sophomore year in 1999 — an accused sexual predator employed by the University of Southern California as the sole gynecologist at the student health center. That short, seemingly insignificant amount of time would prove detrimental to my self-esteem and self-worth for the next 20 years of my life. 

But those 10 minutes will not ruin the next two decades of my life.

No amount of money will ever change our past or heal our pain, but the settlement USC has agreed to is an important step in holding the university accountable. By finally acknowledging the hundreds of survivors, this settlement has allowed me to find purpose in my pain — to promote healing and to prevent this from ever happening again.

During my sophomore year, I noticed a small outbreak of bumps around the top of my bikini line. I was concerned and scheduled an appointment at the USC health center. While alone with Tyndall, he asked me to undress completely from the waist down, ignoring my suggestion that the bumps were visible with my underwear on. I was left completely exposed, the standard sheet to cover myself was not provided.

After causing extreme physical pain twice by pushing on the bumps with enough force to have me yell out, Tyndall inserted his fingers inside of me and felt around for what felt like forever. He also commented on a piercing I had at the time and played with it.

As the appointment concluded, Tyndall said that I should never tell anyone about the bumps or the piercing; between the two, "people would know what kind of girl (I was)" and would reject me. Feeling ashamed and violated, I never went back — not even to find out the test results. I was too ashamed and embarrassed to make a complaint. Tyndall had convinced me that I would not be believed, and worse, that I deserved to be treated this way.

Those 10 minutes changed everything. The way I viewed my body and my self-worth, my relationships with family and friends and particularly with the opposite sex. This traumatic experience conditioned me to believe that is how I deserved to be treated.

For the last 20 years, I thought I was alone, which confirmed my belief that Tyndall's behavior was my fault. When news reports began to publicly expose Tyndall for his sick and abusive conduct, as well as USC's failure to prevent such abuse, I realized that it wasn't just me. After processing the news, I knew that I needed to use my voice to speak out and hold Tyndall and USC accountable for the abuse of thousands of women, including me.

Before deciding to join a lawsuit against USC and Tyndall, I questioned how much of this horrible experience I could handle reliving and for how long. But settling this matter and finally being acknowledged would allow me to continue further my healing. To see a fair and compassionate settlement proposed has been a relief.

Many of us have been carrying this burden for decades. We want, need and deserve to move forward.

The settlement holds USC accountable for their failure to protect female students under their care and supervision. The process for receiving compensation is straightforward and gives victims the choice on how much of their story they want to share. While I am ready to speak publicly about my experience, I understand many women are not. Importantly, this settlement acknowledges all of us.

The fact that the settlement includes real, long-term reforms at USC is crucial. Having an independent watchdog oversee USC will ensure they make real changes to their policies and procedures to create a safe environment for the next generation of Trojan women.  Going forward, these reforms will ensure women are admitted solely as students, not as potential victims for a sexual predator.

Through this settlement, we are standing united as women and survivors to hold USC responsible and demand change. I cannot change those 10 fateful and traumatic minutes when I was subjected to Tyndall but I have found new purpose in working to ensure that this never happens again. This settlement is the first step in doing just that.

Elisabeth Treadway is a USC alumna who attended the university from 1997 to 2001. She currently runs a transitional house for women in the state of Florida.

Editor's note: Neither the University of Southern California nor George Tyndall have admitted liability. Tyndall has maintained his innocence and has not been charged with a crime.