Flier: ‘Sexual Assault Enabler’ Jeff Flake Not Welcome At Occidental 

By Ryan Sartor

I live near Occidental College and work in their library sometimes. I saw a flier in the library last week protesting former Senator Jeff Flake’s appearance at Occidental College, where he is scheduled to speak on Wednesday, February 5. The flier read: “Jeff Flake Approved Kavanaugh. We Believe Dr. Ford.” Another flier read: “Oxy Is Uplifting a Sexual Assault Enabler.” The fliers contained an email address: NoFlakeAtOxy@gmail.com 

Jeff Flake is best known for his actions during Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination hearings. Flake called for an FBI investigation into accusations Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted Dr. Christine Blaisey Ford and other women. Flake ultimately voted to confirm Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. 

In an email sent out to students on January 24 announcing Flake’s lecture, Occidental College Dean Wendy Sternberg described the lecture series that Flake is a part of as  “an opportunity for our community to hear from speakers whose political viewpoints are not as well represented on our campus. Understanding across difference is one of the core principles of a liberal arts education.”

After some students expressed concern about Senator Flake’s appearance on campus, Occidental College Dean of Students Rob Flot followed up Sternberg’s email on February 1 with a note to students: “Given the current state of political polarization in U.S. politics and society at large, Senator Flake’s visit is both timely and relevant.”

Flot went on to write that “the College recognizes that given the senate’s role in the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh, for survivors of sexual assault in our community, Sen. Flake’s visit has a different meaning.”

I reached out to Occidental College for comment, but they did not respond to emails. I spoke on Monday February 3 with three students organizing the protest against Flake at Occidental: Cassidy Evans, Chelsea Evans and Chandler Luebbers-Rivera, all members of the class of 2021.

The following are excerpts from our conversation.

Ryan Sartor: When did you first find out that Senator Flake was going to be speaking at Occidental?

Chelsea Evans: We received an email 10 days prior to the event.

Chandler Luebbers-Rivera: We read the email from Wendy Sternberg.

Cassidy Evans: Who is our Dean of Academic Affairs. 

Chandler Luebbers-Rivera: It was a really off-putting portrayal of a person who so blatantly disregarded a sexual assault survivor. The way that she wrote the email was very generous towards [Flake]’s accomplishments and with his record and with this time as a Senator, kind of idealising the Republican position he was coming from in a hyper-partisan time.

Chelsea Evans: Our original idea was to put up these posters and have the email next to it but we edited some of the email to reflect the reality of the situation. She was writing about how he was this champion of bipartisanship and we crossed it out because he actually voted with Trump’s policies eighty-four percent of the time. He’s not actually what he portrays himself to be.

Chandler Luebbers-Rivera: When you vote eighty-four percent of the time with a Republican president, it’s not exactly playing both sides or reaching across the aisle. It’s really staying in your own camp and going with the general concensus of the presidency at the time. 

[Note: The eighty-four percent number is from December 2018. Flake’s final tally was voting with Trump eighty-one percent of the time by the time Flake left the Senate in January 2019.]

Sartor: Flake got some positive attention because he called for… 

Chelsea Evans: He called for the FBI to investigate [Brett Kavanaugh]. But it obviously wasn’t a real trial or investigation because--

Chandler Luebbers-Rivera: They didn’t allow other people to—

Cassidy Evans: Speak to it and it was kind of a sham. 

Chandler Luebbers-Rivera:: It was performative. “I might have confirmed this guy, but also, I’m asking for a full investigation.” When really we knew what was going to happen with the investigation. We knew that it was just for the show of it. When you got they were going to continue with Brett Kavanaugh.

Sartor: I remember hearing a This American Life interview where Zoe Chace was following Jeff Flake and she said, “You're still going to vote to confirm Kavanaugh anyway, right?” And he was like, “Yeah.” Before they finished the investigation.

[Note: The exact exchange was Flake being treated like a celebrity by Democratic who wanted to take pictures of him.  Zoe Chace said: “Do you think they know that you're going to vote for Kavanaugh?” And Flake responded: “I don't know. I think that will all go away if I do.”]

Sartor: You get the email and what happens next? You all start talking to each other?

Chandler Luebbers-Rivera: Three of us--me, Cassidy and Chelsea--were together when we receive the email and we all agreed, this is so awful, the way that it's written. This is so gross to read him being idealized on a campus that we pay tuition to, that we are proud to attend. Bringing this person onto campus who has such a disregard for sexual assault survivors and doesn't represent our our personal values, and also I would venture to say the greater Oxy community.

Sartor: Was the school transparent about their reasons for inviting him?

Cassidy Evans: Steinberg wrote, “The lecture series Represents an opportunity for our community to hear from speakers whose political viewpoints are not as well represented on our campus. Understanding across difference is one of the principals of a liberal arts education. Given the current state of political discord in the US and at-large Senator Flake's visit is both timely and relevant.”

Sartor: So, “We are edgelords.”

Chandler Luebbers-Rivera: Particularly at Occidental where the administration has been covering up sexual assaults. There was a huge scandal involving underreporting sexual assaults.

[Note: In April 2013, Occidental College was accused of failing to take campus sex crimes seriously by improperly reporting and adjudicating sexual assaults and covering up rapes. Occidental students and faculty filed two federal complaints against the College, alleging violations of Title IX of the US Education Amendments of 1972 and the Clery Act].

Cassidy Evans: When Occidental was underreporting sexual assaults, that’s a big factor in where people go to college and they weren’t being transparent about it. And they weren’t keeping people safe by not reporting these things and silencing survivors. And now they’re bringing someone to campus--

Chandler Luebbers-Rivera: Who also silences survivors. 

Chelsea Evans: It just seems like a pattern.

Chandler Luebbers-Rivera: Instead of bringing in someone who represents a different core belief, they’re bringing in someone who represents their values perfectly, given Occidental College’s history with sexual assault. 

Sartor: Have you tried reaching out to the school?

Chelsea Evans: We contacted Project Safe and they work with a Title IX office. They said they couldn’t help us because they’re part of the administration and can’t be seen participating in any acts of protest against the school or the school’s decisions. Project Safe is having a separate event for students who are triggered by Jeff Flake being here. 

Sartor: Have people been reaching out to the email address? [NoFlakeAtOxy@gmail.com]

Chandler Luebbers-Rivera: Yeah, we got a pretty good amount of responses just for posting fliers up around campus. People were voicing their support, saying they wanted to help and participate if we’re planning anything for the day of the event. 

Chelsea Evans: They sent out another email today saying that you can’t bring posters or fliers into the event and they’re also checking everybody’s bags, which is just absurd. 

Chandler Luebbers-Rivera: [The school] knows how polarizing it is bringing this person onto the campus and not even just polarizing but disrespectful, if you have to have a survivor advocate readily available. Maybe you shouldn’t bring [Flake] if you have to have all of these other precautions to make sure things go smoothly. 

Sartor: Not to put myself on blast, but anybody can walk into the library at any time during the day. There’s no security. But if you’re gonna see Jeff Flake, you’ve gotta get your bag checked. 

Chandler Luebbers-Rivera: We’re gonna be outside the lecture hall, but our original plan was to bring people into the event and stand up with posters or just ask questions of him because there’s going to be a Q&A session at the end.

Sartor: I wonder what would happen if you snuck in posters. What are they gonna do? 

Chelsea Evans: I think they’ll kick people out.

Chandler Luebbers-Rivera: Forcibly remove us. That’s not a good look.

Chelsea Evans: Jeff Flake doesn’t represent our values. That’s why we wanted to voice our concerns in a slightly disruptive way. We weren’t seeing our concerns being represented in the community and we thought we might as well do something to show the school, “This person is coming to our campus and we don’t agree with it.”