2020s Timeline
2020s Timeline
The Title IX office churns, and Carleton fights another survivor lawsuit.
The Title IX office churns, and Carleton fights another survivor lawsuit.
Embedded Files
Jan 2020
Student Input Sought for Prevention Programming
Carleton’s Physical Education, Athletics and Recreation department (PEAR) establishes a student committee whose opinions will be solicited on programming to address sexual assault prevention. Associate athletic director Heidi Jaynes says this is partly in response to NCAA education requirements that have been in place since 2017-’18.
Jan 2020
Doe v. Carleton: Dance Teacher Begins Salsa Class, Earlier Had Requested Guidance on “Boundaries”
Administration employee Don Smith, who earlier had sought advice from Title IX coordinator Laura Riehle-Merrill on whether he could tell students their dancing was “sexy,” begins teaching salsa through the PE department. A student who will go on to sue Carleton as “Jane Doe” in June 2024 is one of his students, and at the end of the term he asks her to co-teach his next class.
Jan 16, 2020
Op-Ed: “Carleton, Is this how you want the faculty and staff sexual misconduct process to work?”
A student writes in a Carletonian op-ed that she is shocked and angered by the leniency of the sanctions imposed on SOAN professor Jay Levi, the subject of reports of inappropriate behavior from multiple students and at least one alum. She also expresses her concern that cases brought against staff or faculty are adjudicated by only one individual.
March 2020
Covid-19 Clears Campus
As the coronavirus takes hold, most Carleton classes switch to being taught remotely and all PE classes are canceled.
May 2, 2020
Title IX Office Rename
Carleton’s Title IX office announces it has been renamed the office of Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response. Laura Riehle-Merrill and sexual violence prevention coordinator Nora Peterson continue to report directly to dean of students Carolyn Livingston.
May 6, 2020
Stricter National Title IX Guidelines Released
U.S. secretary of education Betsy DeVos, who has asserted that the rights of students accused of sexual assault need to be protected more vigorously, announces new Title IX guidelines that narrow the definition of sexual misconduct and offer colleges the option to apply the “clear and convincing evidence” standard of proof–a higher bar than the existing “preponderance of evidence” standard. Carleton opts to continue using the previous, Obama-era guidelines.
Aug 28, 2020
Poskanzer Gives Notice
President Poskanzer announces he will step down at the conclusion of the 2020-’21 year.
Jan 20, 2021
Harris Becomes First Woman VP
Kamala Harris is sworn in as the first woman vice president of the United States.
May 6, 2021
Title IX Team Encourages Students to Think About Sex
Co-author Jennifer Hirsch gives a virtual talk at Carleton about her book Sexual Citizens: A Landmark Study of Sex, Power and Assault on Campus. Carleton’s Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response team distributes 150 free copies and runs separate book discussions for students and faculty. In addition, student peer educators offer a workshop to introduce and discuss the idea of a “sexual project,” or assessing what objectives you may have with regard to sex, a key concept of the book.
May 9, 2021
Campus Survey Gets Good Turnout
After a month’s worth of heavy advertising on campus, the college reports that 38 percent of Carleton students responded to the HEDS survey. The college had incentivized participation by promising to donate $1,000 to a local nonprofit for each 10 percent of students who completed the survey. The resulting $3,000 has gone to the HOPE Center, which provides direct services to survivors of sexual violence in Rice County, including free legal counsel to Carleton students going through campus adjudication. The college says the results of the survey will be released later.
Aug 1, 2021
Byerly Begins
Alison Byerly begins her tenure as Carleton’s 12th and first woman president.
Sept 2021
Doe v. Carleton: Private Dance Lessons for Two
Jane Doe frequents Don Smith’s administration office for private salsa practice in anticipation of becoming his TA.
Oct 22, 2021
Annual Consent Seminar Gets Dropped
Students complain that CarlTalks during new student week omitted the usual seminar on consent. One peer leader who “found it extremely concerning that the freshman class wouldn’t have an explicit conversation about what sex and consent look like in college” collaborates with other student leaders to present ad hoc talks instead. The office of Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response explains that it wanted to shift the focus to “broader themes” but says they have heard the feedback and “created a ‘Consent and Boundaries’ workshop that student organizations and groups may request this year.” They also promise the CarlTalk seminar will return next year.
Nov 24, 2021
Doe v. Carleton: Smith Fills a Housing Gap
When the dorms close two days before Jane Doe can return home overseas, Don Smith invites her to stay with him and his wife at their house near campus.
Jan 28, 2022
Doe v. Carleton: A “Birthday Surprise”
Don Smith invites Jane Doe to his house to celebrate her 21st birthday. He shows her a table where he has arranged 21 strips of paper, each with a “reward” or“punishment” on its reverse. One punishment she draws is “spanking,” which he does aggressively over her clothes. When Doe draws one even more sexual in nature she redirects him, suggesting they practice dancing. While they dance, she alleges, Smith bites her on the shoulder, and when she tries to pull away, he bites her ear and pins her wrists to her sides, then grabs her by the throat and asks how she can resist him. She leaves.
Feb 9, 2022
Doe v. Carleton: Future Jane Doe Starts Asking School Officials for Help
Jane Doe tells her therapist, who tells associate dean of students Trey Williams, that she was attacked by a Carleton staff member at his house. Doe meets with Williams to let him know her academic performance is suffering and asks for accommodations. Williams meets with the administration’s CARE Team and they decide that Title IX coordinator Laura Riehle-Merrill will contact Doe to inform her about available support services. Williams himself then tells Doe that if she wants to receive academic accommodations, she should speak to each of her instructors individually. Riehle-Merrill invites Doe to meet but when she doesn’t reply, Riehle-Merrill doesn’t follow up. By the end of the winter term, Doe has failed two courses.
Mar 2, 2022
Doe v. Carleton: Dance Chair Notes Red Flags
Smith offers to work with Jane Doe on an independent study to help her make up lost credits. He proposes this to theater and dance chair Judith Howard. She asks for a dance demonstration, and afterward she emails Riehle-Merrill to request a consultation about “boundaries between students and teachers.”
Mar 4, 2022
Doe v. Carleton: Title IX Coordinator Laura Riehle-Merrill Again Notified About the Inappropriate Student-Instructor Relationship
Howard meets with Riehle-Merrill to discuss concerns about a student’s relationship with her teacher. It’s unclear if their names are revealed at this point, but Riehle-Merrill’s notes from the meeting include “Judith feels this is grooming” and “Teacher ‘gets off on this.”
Mar 15, 2022
Biden Increases Support for Sexual Violence Investigations and Survivors
President Biden signs and renews the Violence Against Women Act, which expired in February 2019. The law provides grants to local, state, and tribal law enforcement to investigate and prosecute violent crime and prioritizes domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and sex trafficking. More severe sentencing is mandated for repeat federal sex offenders, as is restitution to victims for specified federal sex offenses. A new item in the program will provide funding to address the backlog of untested rape kits.
Apr 7, 2022
A SCOTUS First
Ketanji Brown Jackson is confirmed as justice of the U.S.Supreme Court, the first Black woman and first former public defender appointed as justice.
Apr 12, 2022
Doe v. Carleton: Independent Study Approved Despite Concerns
Howard approves Jane Doe’s independent study with Don Smith as her instructor after they make some adjustments she requested. She informs Riehle-Merrill of the “good results” after the problem they’d discussed. This time she certainly identifies both Doe and Smith by name.
Apr 13, 2022
Doe v. Carleton: Falling Grades Lead to Probation
Jane Doe receives official notice that she is being placed on “academic review,” or probation, and is at risk of suspension.
Apr 18, 2022
Doe v. Carleton: “Asking for a Friend”
Jane Doe’s boyfriend meets with Riehle-Merrill on behalf of another unidentified student to ask about the process of reporting a staff person for sexual misconduct.
Apr 22, 2022
Doe v. Carleton: Yet Another Administrator Notified of Assault by Teacher
Jane Doe tells associate dean of students Cathy Carlson she’s been having problems with her studies because she was sexually assaulted by an instructor and asks to have her academic probation lifted. Carlson says this should be possible and instructs her to email dean of students Carolyn Livingston and tell her what happened.
Apr 22-28, 2022
Doe v. Carleton: Academic Struggles Par for the Course With Survivors
Jane Doe emails Dean Livingston to plead for assistance, and is asked for a second email with additional details that might help LIvingston decide. Doe asks to meet in person instead and receives no reply.
May 9, 2022
Doe v. Carleton: Desperation Trumps Doe’s Fears
Jane Doe meets with Riehle-Merrill, identifying Smith and accusing him of harassment and assaults. Riehle-Merrill determines that the case should be treated as an employment matter, telling HR that Doe does not want to go through a lengthy investigation or hearing process.
May 10, 2022
Doe v. Carleton: Coordinator Seeks Help on Court Order of Protection Request
Riehle-Merrill tells Jane Doe they can file for a restraining order in civil court and asks a local nonprofit women’s center for guidance.
May 12, 2022
Doe v. Carleton: Judicial Restraining Order Denied
The application for a restraining order is rejected, with the reason given that it was improperly completed. Riehle-Merrill says they’ll simply reapply, but then tells Doe that a new order cannot be filed until an additional assault has occurred.
May 13, 2022
Doe v. Carleton: Advice from Security to Doe: If You See Smith, Run
Smith is fired. Doe asks Riehle-Merrill what to do if she sees him and is instructed to ask the director of security for advice. Security tells Doe that Smith has been banned only from campus buildings: without a restraining order they can’t remove him from sidewalks, streets, or outdoor places like the Arb, where he walks daily. She learns that Smith’s ban from campus expires in a year, when she’ll be finishing her senior year, unless she returns to security to renew it. She asks what to do if Smith approaches her and is told ”Run.”
May 15, 2022
IDE Plan Not Up to Snuff, Students Say
At a board of trustees meeting, students from Carls Talk Back hold a silent protest over the recently released plan for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity. After George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020, the Ujamaa Collective, which is a collective of of Black student organizations, and an organization of alumni of color had collaborated on a list of demands for a plan, but they now say their voices were not included in the process of devising it and that it fails to support Black students and students with disabilities.
Jun 24, 2022
Roe v. Wade Struck Down
With their decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade (1973) and disallows Americans’ constitutional right to abortion.
Aug 30, 2022
Sexual Misconduct Stats Released for the Year 2021
Carleton releases the results of its 2021 Higher Education Data Sharing (HEDS) Consortium survey on sexual assault and campus climate. Fifty-two of the 710 respondents (or just over 7 percent) indicated that they had been sexually assaulted (nonconsensual kissing, fondling, grabbing, or genital penetration of mouth, vagina, or anus) at Carleton. In addition 48 percent of women and 50 percent of men said that they had experienced multiple sexual assaults. Despite an increase in confidence since 2018, only 45 percent of respondents said they believed that action would be taken against the offender.
Oct 13, 2022
Byerly Defends IDE Plan
President Byerly releases a statement on progress made toward the IDE plan’s five goals, including the ongoing search for a vice president for IDE, who will oversee increased funding for low-income students, including DACA and Pell Grant recipients.
Jan 2023
College-Sponsored Review Applauds Carleton’s Title IX Coordinator
Eight months after firing Don Smith for attacking Jane Doe, Carleton retains two consultants to review its approach to Title IX cases–Ben Bradley, assistant director (now director) of violence prevention at Dartmouth College, and Danielle Hermanny, associate vice president of equity compliance and Title IX coordinator at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul (now president of a Catholic girl’s prep school). They conclude that Carleton’s greatest strength is “the leadership of the Title IX Coordinator and the collaborative commitment to sexual misconduct and response across the Division of Student Life.” Among their findings of certain challenges to consider: a reporting structure that “creates risks of insufficient case communication to the Coordinator.”
Jan 31, 2023
Abortion Certified a “Fundamental Right” in Minnesota
Minnesota governor Tim Walz signs a bill into law guaranteeing rights to all reproductive health care, including but not limited to contraception, sterilization, maternity care, abortion care, family planning and fertility services, and counseling regarding reproductive health care.
Feb 23, 2023
Grade: F for Follow Up
At a large meeting between students and Byerly, someone stands up to reiterate the story she told in a Carletonian op-ed: after she’d reported to administrators that she was suffering from serious depression, she says, that rather than offer her medical leave, they simply suggested she withdraw. After she attempted suicide her mother came to see her in the ICU, and while she was there, her mother received notice that she should come to campus to pack up and remove her daughter’s belongings.
May 9, 2023
E. Jean Carroll Jury Sides With Her Against Trump
A jury finds that Donald Trump sexually abused writer E. Jean Carroll in the mid-1990s and subsequently defamed her.
June 2023
Doe v. Carleton: She Persisted
Jane Doe graduates on time from Carleton.
Sept 29, 2023
No More Passes for Nepo Babies
Carleton announces that it’s ending legacy admissions.
Oct 3, 2023
Stepping Up Safety for Students in Geosciences
AdvanceGeo, a national initiative housed at Carleton’s Science Education and Research Center, announces a partnership with FieldSafe, which provides online training. Begun in 2017, the initiative works to improve working conditions and eliminate harassment for women and LGBTQ+ people in the geosciences, especially for those out in the field. The announcement references a 2022 National Science Foundation report that says women scientists have problems with sexual harassment and assault on the job even in Antartica.
Jan 26, 2024
Trump Must Pay
Former president Donald Trump is ordered to pay more than $80 million in damages for sexual abuse and defamation against E. Jean Carroll.
Mar 5, 2024
The Cost of Protecting Your Predators
Liberty University pays the highest fine ever levied by the Clery Act, $14 million, for creating a culture where sex offenders went unpunished and students avoided reporting sexual violence in fear of retaliation.
Apr 2024
We Choose Bear
The “man or bear” meme emerges as online shorthand for women’s fear of male sexual assault. "Would you rather be stuck in a forest with a man or a bear?" asked the original TikTok video, with seven out of eight women replies choosing the bear.
May 8, 2024
Student PE Teachers Dropped
Eight students who are paid to teach social dance through the Physical Education, Recreation and Athletics (PEAR) department are informed that two of the three classes they planned to teach in the fall have been canceled.
June 2024
Title IX Coordinator Riehle-Merrill Out
Riehle-Merrill leaves her position as Carleton’s Title IX coordinator. No announcement is made about the departure.
July 2024
Title IX Pros Supply Title IX Temp
Consultant Kari Hohn is appointed interim Title IX Coordinator. Hohn is a contractor with Ballast, a consultancy spun off by Somermeyer Sullivan, the firm Carleton has regularly retained to defend it in sexual assault cases.. Ballast provides clients with training, investigations, interim staff, and other services related to Title IX.
June 17, 2024
Doe v. Carleton: Federal Lawsuit Alleges Negligence in Smith Sex Assaults
Jane Doe sues Carleton for liability in her sexual abuse.
Aug 1, 2024
Biden Lowers Bar for Sex Abuse Liability
Biden administration changes to Title IX go into effect, including the direction to respond to sex discrimination “promptly and effectively” and dropping the “actual knowledge” restriction, meaning colleges can now be held liable if the complainant reports abuse to any employee, not just the Title IX department.
Aug 6, 2024
Doe v. Carleton: Amended Complaint Filed
Doe amends her complaint to drop the Title IX counts.
Aug 19 2024
Doe v. Carleton: College Files Motion to Dismiss
In its motion to dismiss in Doe v. Carleton College, Carleton says it did what it could to protect her as soon as she revealed his name.
Fall 2024
Carleton’s Title IX Temp
Kari Hohn begins as interim Title IX coordinator.
Sept 27, 2024
Mysterious Catalog Changes
One of the students still slated to teach a dance class for PE finds out that it, too, has been canceled when one of the enrollees is notified it’s no longer being offered. The teacher has to schedule a meeting with associate athletic director Heidi Jaynes to confirm. Jaynes tells the Carletonian without elaboration that the change is primarily in response to the recommendations of an external review team.
Oct 19, 2024
Frat Party From Hell
An undergraduate at Cornell University is intoxicated when she goes to meet a friend at his fraternity. In his room upstairs, he and another frat brother pressure her repeatedly to snort ketamine, give her marijuana and liquor, and have oral and vaginal sex with her, all according to the lawsuit she later files. They are joined eventually by a third man who has sex with her as well. Meanwhile, one of the men texts a Snapchat blast to “Chi Phi Activities” announcing that there’s “free pussy” upstairs. At least one more man has penetrative sex with her. The incident lasts for a total of six hours.
Oct 22, 2024
Cornell Campus Doctor Fails to Respond to Possible Report of Sexual Assault
The undergrad, later identified as Jane Doe in the lawsuit she files against Cornell, goes to Cornell Health. She has a urinary tract infection and asks for testing for sexually transmitted diseases, which, she explains, she may have contracted “in a traumatic way.” The doctor does not follow up other than suggesting she find a therapist.
Nov 8, 2024
Cornell Doe Reports Gang Rape
Jane Doe reports to the university police that she was gang raped. The fraternity is temporarily suspended, as are the seven students Doe names as the men in the room with her.
Nov 25, 2024
New York State’s Loose Definition of Consent
Tompkins County district attorney Matthew Van Houten, who hasn’t interviewed Doe, decides that because the victim initially reported that she had engaged in “voluntary, conscious, and consensual” sex, there is not enough evidence to file criminal charges. Under New York State law, a person is considered capable of consenting even if they are so incapacitated they can’t walk or speak coherently.
Nov 15, 2024
RAs Still Not Checked for Sex Assault History
The Carletonian reveals that the college appoints RAs and other peer leaders without checking for previous Title IX violations. This problem was brought to administrators’ attention twelve years earlier by a student who sued the college unsuccessfully in 2016 after she was raped twice on campus. (Here’s our story on that case). Several months after she reported one of the perpetrators, he was offered a position as RA, prompting her to remind administrators that she had identified him as a rapist. The college did rescind the RA offer but apparently still hasn't instituted a system to review peer leader candidates’ records in 2024.
Nov 26, 2024
Cornell Temporarily Suspends Accused Rapists
Cornell University president Michael Kotlikoff issues a statement saying that the fraternity and the students involved in the alleged gang rape a month earlier have been issued temporary suspensions and the university will investigate Doe’s claims..
Dec 23, 2024
Clery Act Expands to Include Hazing as a Crime
The Stop Hazing Act is passed, changing the name of the Clery Act to the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act and adding hazing to the list of crimes reportable under the law.
Jan 9, 2025
Trump Take Title IX
A judge invalidates Biden’s changes to Title IX, reinstating the first Trump administration's 2020 regulations (described in our entry for May 6, 2020).
Jan 14, 2025
Cornell Doe Turns to Title IX
Jane Doe files a Title IX complaint at Cornell University.
Feb 7, 2025
Cornell Takes a New Look at Sexual Assault Policies
Five months after Doe alleges she was gang raped at the fraternity, Cornell announces it has created a new task force on sexual assault prevention and response.
Apr 2025
Sex Education by Students for Students
Carleton students hold annual “Sexploration,” a multi-organization event initiated in 2019 to work toward sexual positivity and openness and provide campus-wise sex education. The wide-ranging program includes talks, testing, book clubs, movie nights, workshops, zines, and bringing in outside presenters.
Apr 14, 2025
Carleton Has to Revamp to Follow State Sexual Misconduct Laws
College Council approves changes to sexual misconduct policy introduced by interim Title IX coordinator Kari Hohn and two other staffers. According to the college’s History of Policies and Procedures page, these changes are made “in response to amendments to the Minnesota Campus Sexual Misconduct Law.”
May 16, 2025
Carletonian: Still No Background Checks for RAs
Carletonian reports that six months after it revealed that applicants for peer leader positions (such as RAs) receive no background checks for Title IX violations, there is still no policy to conduct them.
Dec 1, 2025
First Permanent Title IX Coordinator Appointed Since Riehle-Merrill Departure
Carleton student activities staffer Nathan Riel-Elness is promoted to Title IX coordinator.
Jan 12, 2026
Carleton Cracks Down on Public Protest
In past decades sidewalk graffiti was used to protest sexual assault policies, for example, “We will not be silenced” in 1994 and “Carleton coddles rapists” in 2008. Now Carleton proposes its first ever postering and chalking policy, which will limit where either will be allowed and require those who post to identify themselves. Carletonian reports that students raised objections at a student association town hall, including one who said, “There were some anti-ICE posters up, which were anonymous, that were taken down by Security, in addition to the weekly SJP chalk outside of Sayles.”
Sept 18, 2026
Cornell Student Paper Gets the Scoop
Student journalists at Cornell report that the woman alleging she was gang raped at the fraternity in 2024 has filed suit against the university, the fraternity, and the seven men she accuses of assaulting her.
Sept 21, 2026
Student Editors Take Bold Step
The Cornell student newspaper publishes on its front page the names of the seven male students who participated in sex with Doe at the frat and demand an explanation for why they were allowed to continue their education at Cornell. In a scathing assessment of Cornell’s handling of the case, they assert that the university has an obligation to provide physical safety as a component of education.
Sept 28, 2026
Back to Step One for County Investigation in Two-Year-Old Cornell Rape
DA in Tompkins County, New York, announces the reopening of the investigation into Jane Doe’s rape claims.
Sept 28, 2026
Undo, Redo, Undo
The Department of Education once again removes Title IX regulations explicitly protecting LGBTQ+ students from sex discrimination, which were removed during Trump’s first term, then added back under Biden.
Sept 30, 2026
Carleton’s 2025 Rape Report
In its report mandated by the Jeanne Clery Act, the college says that in 2025 there were four rapes on campus in 2025 and 2024, thirteen in 2023. Four incidents of fondling are reported for 2025, eight for each of 2024 and 2023. An earlier report listed five rapes and eleven complaints of fondling in 2022. The outcomes for these offenses are not indicated. ■
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