harvey – The Hilltop Monitor

Weinstein Accusations Unveil a Disturbing Pattern of Institutionalized Sexual Abuse

Christina Kirk — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 13:00:57 +0000

On Oct. 5, the New York Times published an investigatory article by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey that revealed accusations of sexual assault, harassment and rape perpetrated by world-renowned film producer Harvey Weinstein. Upon its release, several more women came forward to detail their own experiences with Weinstein, including such actresses as Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie.

As of Oct. 23, over 50 women have come forward with accusations against Weinstein ranging from exhibitionism to rape. The earliest cases are alleged to have occurred in the early 1980s, just at the time Weinstein rose to prominence in the film industry.

After taking a short leave of absence from The Weinstein Company, Weinstein was officially fired Oct. 8 in response to the allegations. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences removed him from the board Oct. 14.

Although no charges have officially been filed, there is an open investigation into the allegations. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced Oct. 23 that his office would be looking into civil rights violations within The Weinstein Company. The Civil Rights Bureau sent a subpoena requesting any documents concerning sexual harassment, assault or abuse and hiring and firing procedures from the company.

Because he has been a prolific donator to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Weinstein’s connection to the Democratic Party attracted much attention in the wake of the accusations. The DNC donated $30,000, the amount Weinstein contributed in the last campaign cycle, to EMILY’s List, an organization supporting pro-choice female politicians, and Higher Heights, an organization supporting black women running for office. However, $30,000 is estimated to be only 10 percent of the total amount Weinstein has donated to the DNC. Many people found the DNC’s attempt at reparation lackluster and disingenuous. The public pressured Democratic politicians to denounce Weinstein, and many responded by donating Weinstein’s contributions to nonprofit groups that support female victims of abuse.

Weinstein’s response to the allegations transformed as accusations accumulated. Initially, Weinstein attempted to evade fault for past actions by releasing a statement Oct. 5 attributing his actions to his mid-20th-century upbringing. Later, he used lawyers as a medium to relay a strong denial. When actress Lupita Nyong’o released an essay about Weinstein’s unsolicited advances upon her, he responded saying that he had a “different recollection of events.”

As actresses detailed their traumatizing encounters with Weinstein, the hashtag “#MeToo” flooded popular social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, where users recounted their own experiences with sexual assault and harassment. This movement drew attention to the pervasiveness of the issue and created a web of support and solidarity for victims.

The Weinstein revelation unveiled institutionalized abuse of power that extends far beyond the entertainment industry. Many notable figures in spheres ranging from sports to politics used the “#MeToo” as a venue to speak about abuse they’ve encountered. Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney detailed her harrowing experiences with a team doctor who sexually abused her and other gymnasts under the guise of “medical treatment.” Sens. Claire McCaskill, Heidi Heitkamp and Mazie Hirono spoke of the abuse and harassment they endured throughout their professional lives.

Oftentimes used as a depraved means of career advancement, sexual assault permeates hierarchical structures everywhere, victimizing those who seek upward mobility. Actresses met with Weinstein under the pretense of networking or possibility of career advancement only to be compelled into engaging in some sort of sexual act with Weinstein.

Many are asking about the seemingly abrupt exposition of institutionalized sexual abuse and particularly of Weinstein’s alleged crimes: Why now? Reports against Weinstein were filed as far back as the late 1980s. Other women never spoke out about attacks that occurred years ago until the story entered the mainstream.

The issue with so many of these cases is that they are perpetrated by individuals in positions of power. Victims are usually subservient and in roles where they would face detrimental blows to their careers should they attempt to “undermine” a far more influential individual within the industry, so they stay silent. In Weinstein’s case, his encompassing power stifled the voices of victims either by means of fear or force. Now, with such grand demonstrations of support among victims in a multitude of industries, consequences of speaking out seem far less damaging, and silencing by higher-ups is far less simple. That’s why more victims come forward every day.

The significant amount of publicity the Weinstein case is receiving reflects the public’s shock at the magnitude of the issues involved. Now that mass attention is being drawn to the severity of sexual assault and harassment, especially within American industries, many are hopeful investigations will be more quickly executed and reparations more efficiently made. Despite the dark circumstances of the Weinstein revelation, optimism can still be found for those who expect a resultant cultural shift in attitudes toward sexual assault and harassment.

Photo courtesy of Rolling Stone.

Jewell Students Help with Hurricane Harvey Relief

Hania Osman — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 13:00:35 +0000

Over fall break, 10 William Jewell College students and two staff members made their way to Houston, Texas to help with Hurricane Harvey relief. The group left Jewell Wednesday Oct. 11 at 3 p.m. and returned at midnight Sunday Oct. 15.

The ten students were Jonathan Morris, senior psychology major; Rylan Schuster, senior accounting major; Aaron Brake, senior biology major; James Hobbs, first-year history and English major; Mason Bake, junior nonprofit leadership and business administration major; Tana Pottorf, senior biology major; Seki Anderson, senior biochemistry major; Hannah Keeney, sophomore chemistry major; Melissa Ward, sophomore pre-nursing and psychology major; and Zandie Mehlhaff, sophomore nursing and Applied Critical Thought and Inquiry major. They were accompanied by Jeff Buscher, College Chaplain, and Daniel Ramirez, Assistant Director of International Admission and Transfer Recruitment.

Buscher organized the trip and connected with contacts in Houston.

“Over the course of three years, we took about five trips including Katrina. So when Harvey hit Houston, it was not long after school started and since we had fall break coming up in five weeks, I kind of put [forward] that possibility and I didn’t want it to be just my idea. So I put out a list to see who is interested in going and I started working finding a location, a place to stay, finding all the logistics work to do. The idea really came from disaster trips that came from the past. We did Katrina, we worked on cutting tree limbs after an ice storm in Springfield, we went to Florida one time after some hurricanes. We have a history of trying to respond to natural disaster when it is feasible at Jewell,” he said.

The group partnered with Butch Green, a cooperative Baptist fellowship missionary in that area, who works primarily with immigration and human trafficking issues. Green is currently working with disaster relief and is helping groups coming into Houston. He works with several different agencies to find projects and connect groups with residents who need help.

The Jewell group stayed at Temple Baptist Church, which supplied them with air mattresses, snacks, toiletries and shower trailers.

Students who participated were fueled by the desire to help those in need.

“One of my future career goals as a person in the medical field is to use my knowledge gained from schooling and experience to be able to get up and leave if a natural disaster or man-made catastrophe arises. Although this hurricane relief trip was not medicine based, I had two hands that worked and a caring heart. I had no reason not to go and help,” said Pottorf.

The group worked with a Cambodian community that relies on growing water spinach for a living. The group cleaned the steel poles of the destroyed greenhouse so that the community could rebuild a new one. The volunteers also partnered with the Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation to clear damaged items from houses. The group then organized and managed donations for Home Depot that would help residents rebuild and restore their furniture.

Later, they helped individuals empty their houses and tear up ruined wooden floors. The houses required full gutting. The group also removed kitchen cabinets and tile walls from bathrooms.

Students had an overall positive experience and were proud of the contributions they made to the communities affected by Hurricane Harvey.

“My personal favorite part of the trip was talking with the families we helped during and after the projects. The stories they told were very eye-opening and impacted me to want to help in as many ways as I can in the future with people in similar situations,” said Morris.

“This trip has affected me as a person by showing me that people of natural disasters are optimistic and thankful. The storm took a lot of their material things away from them, but they cared more about the people. As long as family members and friends were safe, the material things did not matter as much. This is a very good message for everyone who takes life for granted. It’s not about what we have, but it’s about the people we have that matter,” said Ward.

Buscher gave advice to students who want to help out but are not sure where to start.

“If folks want to go to Florida or Puerto Rico to help out in these disaster relief locations, the best thing I can recommend is that you make some connections. Find an agency that is handling volunteers and can help find a meaningful project. And if people [at Jewell] need help finding those agencies, I am happy to help. Besides, there are Baptist groups, there are nonprofit agencies who are trustworthy and will give you good work to do.”

A previous version of this article was published with inaccuracies.

Hurricane Harvey Ravages the South

Christina Kirk — Fri, 15 Sep 2017 15:00:09 +0000

Hurricane Harvey crashed onto the shores of Rockport, Texas Aug. 25 breaking the 12-year streak of no hurricane landfall in the U.S. Harvey was a Category 4 storm, reaching wind speeds of 130 miles per hour. The hurricane wrought havoc on southeast Texas and Louisiana before dissipating Sept. 2.

Harvey left 300,000 Texans without electricity and ruined billions of dollars worth of infrastructure. As of Sept. 11, 71 people have died. Thirteen thousand people were rescued and approximately 30,000 were displaced.

Areas across Texas were significantly damaged. The large size means that recovery time will be quite significant.

Although no official estimate has been made, it is sure to take years. Recovery from 2005 storm Hurricane Katrina is still underway, so the effects are expected to be incredibly long-lasting.

There is an estimated $200 billion of damages. President Donald Trump made a request for $7.85 billion of federal funding to be directed to Harvey recovery efforts, most of which will go through Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

After FEMA’S inadequate preparation for Hurricane Katrina left Louisiana in ruins 12 years ago, it began developing more efficient rescue efforts. FEMA administrator Brock Long said during an interview with ABC News that FEMA was focusing on “long-term mass care, sizeable individual assistance in housing effort as well as being able to mobilize life-saving and sustaining commodities.”

Though FEMA’s federal status ensures mass funding and superior mobility, smaller rescue efforts by independent organizations have been of great assistance in affected areas. One example of these organizations is SBP, a non-profit disaster relief organization that sends out relief personnel to assist in clean-up and recovery efforts. SBP engaged AmeriCorp members to team with an AmeriCorp Disaster Response Team (A-DRT) in Houston, Texas that was sponsored by FEMA, and they independently deployed another team to the Corpus Christi, Texas area.

William Jewell College alumnus Bruce Rash is currently in the Corpus Christi area assisting with recovery efforts as an AmeriCorp member working on a 10-month engagement with SBP. Though the destruction is enormous, Rash notes, “the people here are incredibly resilient.” Despite the optimism, Rash remarks that there is a deficit in volunteerism in the area. Massive effort and time is needed in order to restore the area, especially since the area affected is so large.

Campus chaplain Jeff Buscher is currently in the process of organizing a relief trip in Houston. The trip is expected to be taken over fall break and a cost less than $150. More information will be released as student interest is expressed.

This article was originally published with inaccurate details. The Monitor has updated it to include these corrections.

Photo courtesy of ABC News.