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Owen Labrie of St. Paul’s School NH

CONCORD, N.H. – A graduate of an elite prep school who was convicted of having sexual contact with a 15-year-old classmate as part of a game of sexual conquest will be required to register as a sex offender for life, a punishment his lawyer likens to being branded and legal experts and reform advocates say exceeds the crime.

Owen Labrie, 19, of Tunbridge, Vermont, was convicted Friday following a two-week trial full of lurid details that exposed a practice at St. Paul’s School known as Senior Salute, in which graduating students try to have sex with younger classmates. Besides a felony conviction for using a computer to invite the girl to the encounter when he was 18 years old, he was convicted of misdemeanor sexual assault and child endangerment. He faces anywhere from probation to 11 years in prison when he’s sentenced in October.

EARLIER COVERAGE:

Senior Salute tradition in spotlight

Under New Hampshire’s 1992 law that established the sex offender registry, the felony conviction mandates lifetime registration, though a change made in 2008 means Labrie, of Tunbridge, Vermont, can petition the court to be removed from the list 15 years after the end of his sentence. The misdemeanor charges put him on the list for at least 10 years before he can ask to be removed.

Labrie had been accepted to Harvard University and planned to take divinity courses. He testified that he and the girl had consensual sexual contact after he invited her to participate in Senior Salute, but he denied having intercourse. The girl acknowledged going willingly with Labrie to an academic building on the Concord campus two days before graduation last year but said she was unprepared when he became aggressive.

Professor Stephen Saltzburg, from the George Washington University Law School, said Labrie’s registry registration could be viewed as excessive.

“There’s a good case to be made that, while the young man may have taken advantage of a considerably younger female, the idea of lifetime registration seems over the top,” Saltzburg said.

The public list of people who have committed sex crimes against children, which is posted online, includes an offender’s name, age, address, photograph, crimes and, sometimes, a victim profile.

After the trial, Labrie’s lawyer said the convictions “forever changed” his life and will be like “a brand, a tattoo” that will follow him. Lawyer J.W. Carney declined to comment on Monday. Labrie is free on $15,000 bail as he awaits sentencing.

Amanda Grady Sexton, director of public policy for the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, said the registry law was properly applied in Labrie’s case. She said the practice of Senior Salute is built on the idea that older students target underclassmen emotionally incapable of consenting to sexual contact.

“In our assessment, Owen Labrie used planned, predatory behaviors to entice a vulnerable child, and that is exactly what we know is the behavior of a sexual predator,” she said. “We certainly think he has earned his place on the registry.”

The scandal cast a harsh glare on the 159-year-old boarding school, which has been a training ground for America’s elite. Its alumni include U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, former FBI Director Robert Mueller, at least 13 U.S. ambassadors and sons of the Astor and Kennedy families. Students pay $53,810 a year in tuition, room and board.

Wanda Duryea, a victim of child molestation and sexual assault and a board member at the Citizens for Criminal Justice Reform-New Hampshire, said the sex offender registry needs to be changed and there’s “no discretion on the judge’s part, it’s legislated.”

“It is the most egregious thing I’ve ever seen that they’re going to register this 19-year-old child for the rest of his life,” Duryea said.

The Associated Press usually doesn’t identify people who are victims of sexual assault, but Duryea has spoken publicly about her story.

State Sen. Sharon Carson, a Republican who chairs the Judiciary Committee, said any bill to change the registry law would get a full airing in the legislature.

“It hasn’t been changed in a while. Do we need to update it?” she said. “It is a law that is currently on our books, and that is how the court has interpreted the law. I’m open to taking a look at it.”

Here's What St. Paul's Is Telling Alumni About The Owen Labrie Rape Case

St. Paul's School Rector Michael Hirschfeld on Friday tried to reassure alumni that the elite New Hampshire boarding school is taking strong steps to protect students in the wake of a high-profile sexual assault case. Hirschfeld staunchly defended the survivor of the alleged assault, but his words also suggest that St. Paul's leaders are still struggling a bit with the concept of "consent."

Former St. Paul's student Owen Labrie was acquitted of felony sexual assault charges on Friday, but convicted of misdemeanor counts involving sex with a minor. Labrie had been accused of assaulting a freshman girl when he was a senior, as part of a sexual score-keeping ritual known as the "senior salute."

"The trial has been deeply painful for all of us in the St. Paul’s community, but especially for the young woman who has suffered through this nightmare," Hirschfeld wrote in an email that was also signed by Board of Trustees President James Waterbury Jr., and obtained by The Huffington Post.

"From the beginning – some 15 months ago – to the conclusion of the trial, she and her family have shown remarkable moral courage and strength. Her resolve and unwavering commitment to the pursuit of the truth have been inspiring to us and to many outside our School community."

The letter from Hirschfeld and Waterbury details the steps the school has taken in response to the case. While it does not directly address the idea of consent, it does reference "teen hookup culture," appearing to suggest that 21st century sexual norms have somehow made sexual assault a more complicated issue than it was in past decades.

"We have learned that what was once termed 'dating' or 'courting' behavior has been inverted in some instances from our traditional sensibilities – sexual contact is now seen as the point of origin of many relationships, not a part of an emotionally developed relationship," the email reads.

Read the full text of the letter below.

August 28, 2015

Dear St. Paul’s School Community,

By now you have likely learned of the verdicts in the trial of Owen Labrie ’14. The trial has been deeply painful for all of us in the St. Paul’s community, but especially for the young woman who has suffered through this nightmare. From the beginning – some 15 months ago – to the conclusion of the trial, she and her family have shown remarkable moral courage and strength. Her resolve and unwavering commitment to the pursuit of the truth have been inspiring to us and to many outside our School community.

In June of 2014, when we first learned about these disturbing events, and informed you of the arrest of Owen Labrie, we pledged that we would use this case and the issues raised by it to learn more about ourselves and to make our School better. We began more than a year ago by conducting a comprehensive review of the safety of our School environment and of our reporting procedures to ensure they continue to meet the highest standards. We also made policy changes and enhanced programming in several key areas to further support our students in making St. Paul’s the healthiest residential learning environment possible. In addition, we invited independent experts and researchers to our campus to advise us on the best ways to strengthen the trust, respect and understanding that is so critical for a tight-knit, fully residential community like ours. More information about the speakers and the topic areas they covered can be accessed on the “From the Rector” page of our website under the “Focus on Healthy Community” section.

With advice and guidance from a team of public health professionals, we developed and began implementing additional programming to strengthen our community through enhanced education and prevention efforts in such areas as harassment, bullying, gender-based violence, and substance abuse. Our work continues as we strive to strengthen our Living in Community curriculum, develop new bystander intervention training for all students and heads of house, and conduct a review of School policies and practices surrounding student conduct and discipline. Our expectation is that these efforts will allow our faculty, staff, administration, and students to continue to be engaged in critical introspection with an eye to improving how we live together.

The topics raised by the trial have been an area of focus for the School for some time, and these same issues have been highlighted for the broader St. Paul’s community through testimony in court and recently in the press. To the frustration of many, the public discussion of the trial over the past two weeks has inaccurately portrayed St. Paul’s School and our culture. The allegations about our culture are not emblematic of our School or our values, our rules, or our student body, alumni, faculty, and staff.

Many terms, including “senior salute” and “score” that are part of the student vernacular, have been discussed as part of the trial. These terms, and the behaviors they suggest, have and will continue to be addressed by the School community. There is no place for inappropriate and hurtful behavior that disrespects any member of our School. Conduct that is damaging to the fabric of our community and inconsistent with our values has never been – and will not be – tolerated.

The Rector first heard about the “senior salute” in the spring of 2013. It is not a decades-old “tradition” as some have alleged. As you have learned throughout the trial, the phrase “senior salute” describes a wide range of behaviors. It was never understood to include the conduct engaged in by Owen Labrie. That behavior was never condoned by the School, and we took action when it surfaced. Owen Labrie was banned from the School and his Rector’s Award was rescinded. We also revised the Student Handbook to state more explicitly that participation in any “game” of sexual conquest by any name or unauthorized possession of School keys or swipe cards would be grounds for expulsion.

During the last 15 months, we have continued to learn much about our School and the students it serves. We have learned that we must do more as a School community, students and adults alike, to support those who stand up for themselves when they feel they have been wronged. Our ongoing work will be even more difficult having witnessed the challenges of the trial, but it remains our responsibility to make our School the safest place possible.

We have been painfully reminded of the fact that social media can provide an adult-free space for negative student culture to form and perpetuate itself. We have learned that what was once termed “dating” or “courting” behavior has been inverted in some instances from our traditional sensibilities – sexual contact is now seen as the point of origin of many relationships, not a part of an emotionally developed relationship. These issues have highlighted some of the differences in educating students in the 21st century.

We need to continue to teach all our students about self-respect as well as respect for others. The lessons we have learned are critically important to our growth as a School community. The mark of our success in this area will be a School in which each child feels comfortable being him- or herself, a goal we have been pursuing and will likely continue to pursue forever.

The School has changed in a number of ways over its 159-year history, but it has never wavered in the expectations it has of its students – that they live honorably and respectfully and that they never forget to be kind. These are our core values – ones that will continue to guide us.

Sincerely,

Michael G. Hirschfeld ’85, P’14,’17
Rector

James M. Waterbury, Jr. ’75, P’11
President, Board of Trustees

NPR's Rachel Martin talks to sociologist Michael Kimmel about the male culture at prep schools that may contribute to sexual assaults, like a recent alleged rape at the elite St. Paul's School.


RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Saint Paul's is the elite boarding school in New Hampshire that educated Secretary of State John Kerry and many other prominent alumni. And that school is now at the center of a rape trial. More than a year ago, as Owen Labrie was finishing his senior year, he took part in a school ritual known as the Senior Salute. Older students are supposed to sexually proposition younger ones. Labrie chose a 15-year-old girl and then allegedly raped her. He has pled not guilty and says their encounter was consensual. This past week, his accuser took the stand to make her case. Michael Kimmel is the director of the Center for the Study of Men and Masculinities at Stony Brook University. And in a couple of weeks, he will address the faculty at St. Paul's School. He joins us on the line from Chicago. Thanks so much for being with us.

MICHAEL KIMMEL: Nice to be with you, Rachel.

MARTIN: What's your message to the faculty when you visit St. Paul's next month? Do you know what you're going to say?

KIMMEL: Well, yeah. What I'm going to talk about, of course, is two things. The specifics of the case, I think, are going to be adjudicated in court. But they raise some very troubling issues about the culture of the school. And so if those are true, that there was this ritual that people knew about that they were participating in, then that raises some other kinds of issues that I think we need to talk about and how certain ideas about masculinity get these guys into these kinds of competitions with one another about scoring with girls.

MARTIN: Do you think that kind of competition happens more often at prep schools like this? Is there something about these schools?

KIMMEL: No. I'm not so sure that it has anything to do with the school. I think it has a great shock value that it's one of our most elite private schools in the country that has educated some of most famous and wealthy Americans in our history. But some years ago, there was a public school in California where there was a group of boys called Spur Posse. And they kept score with how many girls that they had had sex with by using the numbers of the jerseys of the San Antonio Spurs. And so that was clearly a competition. So when a guy said, oh, I made it to Manu Ginobili or I made it to Tim Duncan, the guys knew what their number on their jersey was. And they knew then how many girls they had had sex with. And so this reveals, I think, the first issue that I find really troubling in this case if these allegations about this ritual are true, which is that the girls were really a currency by which boys were competing with each other.

MARTIN: So what is a school like Saint Paul's to do in order to create a more equal culture or a culture that doesn't, as you say, use these girls as currency, at least in this kind of ritual?

KIMMEL: Well, this has to be a coordinated effort among all of the different interested parties. That includes students and faculty and administrators and parents and, most crucially, alumni - because remember, this was an all-boys school. So you have a large number of guys who are the benefactors of the school, who contribute the most money to the school, who remember when it was an all-male school. And they don't want that tradition to be tampered with. And so they have to be brought in to this as well it seems to me. So that requires a kind of concerted effort because this culture of entitlement that these young males may feel to girls' bodies, to do what they want with these girls, they may feel that. But they do so within a bubble. And the first part of that bubble is there's a code of silence among the boys. If this was a tradition, as is alleged, it is scandalous that this is just coming to the fore now. People have known about this. And they have looked the other way.

MARTIN: And you're saying this isn't just specific to elite institutions that can create this kind of cultural bubble.

KIMMEL: No, I don't think it's specific to these elite schools. But I do think, you know, there are certain structural features of the elite private school. It's residential. It's away from cities. It's away from the scrutiny of parents. That may make it more of a bubble, so to speak.

MARTIN: Michael Kimmel is the director of the Center of the Study of Men and Masculinities at Stony Brook University. He's also the author of the book, "Guy Land." Michael, thanks so much for talking with us.

KIMMEL: My pleasure, Rachel, nice to be with you.

MARTIN: We should add, in a letter to parents, Saint Paul rector Michael Hirschfeld called the allegations disturbing and said he is determined to learn if they represent a broader issue.

Rape Trial Raises Questions About 'Senior Salute' At N.H. Boarding School

[url]http://www.npr.org/2015/09/03/437132821/rape-trial-raises-questions-about-senior-salute-at-n-h-boarding-school[/url]

前几天看到电视新闻关于Owen Labrie of St. Paul’s School，今天早上路上正好听到后续评论，找到文章，贴上来。

这让我又想起孩子令家长头大的一些问题之一：米弟的一些杂碎文化:funk:

当孩子无力鉴别时，家长该如何防范问题的发生，如何保护未成年女孩子？

这也是我同事曾经跟我提到的读寄宿学校的一个concern。其实，走读学校也不能完全避免不接触到这些问题~

坦白说，我对米弟的一些杂碎问题感到非常可怕:funk:

从8年级起，我基本上是送孩子上学，放学她有时坐校车。进入高中，我们家决定是上学放学我们都不再坐校车。
米弟有杂碎孩子，防患于未然吧。

[[i] 本帖最后由 pp_dream 于 2015-9-3 22:45 编辑 [/i]]

Elite New Hampshire prep school, has sordid “sex culture”

这是判决之前的一篇报道

[url]http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/n-h-prep-school-sex-culture-revealed-rape-suspect-article-1.2328166[/url]

St. Paul's School boasts a glittering roster of alumni that includes senators, congressmen, a Nobel laureate and the current secretary of state. The elite prep school also allegedly has a sordid tradition of sexual conquest where graduating boys try to take the virginity of younger girls before getting their diplomas.

Details of a practice authorities say was called the "Senior Salute" were spelled out in stark terms by a former prefect at the New Hampshire school who is charged with raping a 15-year-old girl on the roof of a campus building in May 2014

Owen Labrie, now 19, has pleaded not guilty to several felonies. When his trial begins Monday, prosecutors are expected to call current and former students to testify about the sexual culture at one of the country's most selective boarding schools.

Labrie, of Tunbridge, Vt., talked openly about the tradition when he was interviewed by Concord police. On a campus where upperclassmen studiously avoid their younger peers in most settings, Labrie told a detective some students "take great pride" in having sex with younger students before they leave school.

Labrie also told the detective of a contest where boys compete to "score" with the most girls, keeping a running tally written in indelible marker on a wall behind washing machines. The school kept painting over the scoreboard so it eventually was moved online. He acknowledged to the investigator that he was "trying to be number one," the detective wrote.

A counselor who contacted police after hearing from the alleged victim's mother also told an investigator about the tradition, the Concord Monitor reported last year, citing a police affidavit. The same affidavit said the school had been trying to educate students against "sexual scoring."

Prosecutors have not indicated how far back they believe the "Senior Salute" goes.

A student leader honored at graduation —two days after the alleged assault — with the Rector's Award for "selfless devotion to school activities," Labrie was accepted to Harvard but the school said in September that he is no longer enrolled. He told the detective that he tried to educate other students not to engage in "Senior Salute" and that the school wasn't doing enough to curtail the tradition.

"The school has to put its foot down on this culture," Labrie is quoted in a police affidavit. "It's not healthy."

Founded in 1856, St. Paul's is an Episcopal school nestled on 2,000 pastoral acres on the outskirts of downtown Concord, New Hampshire's capital. It enrolls about 530 students and admitted girls for the first time in 1971. Tuition, room and board currently clocks in at $53,810.

The school belongs to the Eight Schools Association, a sort of Ivy League for prep schools that includes Choate Rosemary Hall and Hotchkiss in Connecticut, Phillips Academy Andover, Deerfield Academy and Northfield Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts, The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey and Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire.

Secretary of State John Kerry graduated from St. Paul's in 1962, alongside former FBI Director Robert Mueller. Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau is an alum as are 13 U.S. ambassadors, three Pulitzer Prize winners, two World Series of Poker winners, actor Judd Nelson and sons of the Astor and Kennedy families, according to the school's website.

The school also has a robust international presence: 17 percent of the 2014-15 class came from 25 countries and notable alums include Bernard Makihara, the former CEO of the Mitsubishi Corporation, and Edmund Maurice Burke Roche, a conservative member of the British Parliament and the maternal grandfather of Diana, Princess of Wales.

The school's rector, Michael Hirschfeld, told The Associated Press in an emailed statement that "breaches of school policies or the trust upon which they are founded, are addressed swiftly and judiciously."

Hirschfeld declined to address questions about "Senior Salute."

"St. Paul's School has policies in place to ensure that our students are safe, secure, and treated equitably," Hirschfeld's statement said.

During a speech at family weekend at St. Paul's in October 2014, Hirschfeld said the sexual assault allegation "has provided us with an important opportunity to reconsider elements of our shared life that do not appear in our strategic plan."

"Are we confronting the transmission of unhealthier elements of school culture as effectively as we could?" he asked rhetorically.

Labrie's lawyer, J.W. Carney Jr., declined to comment, including on whether Labrie will testify or if his defense would raise the issue of the school's sexual culture. Carney, who recently represented convicted mobster James "Whitey" Bulger, is at least the third lawyer retained by Labrie.

Prosecutors say Labrie took his victim by surprise, before she could resist or flee, and raped her repeatedly. He is charged with three counts of aggravated felony sex assault, endangering the welfare of a child and using a computer to lure the girl to the on-campus meeting.

Labrie denied having intercourse with the girl, telling police that they partially disrobed, kissed and touched. He also acknowledged putting on a condom. Labrie said the freshman girl was eager to have sex, but the aspiring divinity student said he had a "moment of self-restraint" and stopped.

"He stated it was a moment of 'divine inspiration,' " Det. Julie Curtin wrote in her affidavit.

Asked why the girl would lie about having sex with him, Labrie said it's a "great source of pride for younger students" to have sex with seniors.

真是杂碎文化！:@ :@ :@

Damn the rape culture!:@ :@ :@