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NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT · FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2023 · VOL. CXLV, NO. 13 · yaledailynews.com · @yaledailynews
Greek orgs reckon with LEO rape allegation
Yale School of Public Health
Salovey announces YSPH dean Megan Ranney will begin her term in July amid a historic transformation of the YSPH
The alleged assailant has since been expelled from LEO and evicted from the fraternity house / Marisa Peryer, Senior Photographer
LEO has expelled the accused member from the fraternity BY SARAH COOK STAFF REPORTER Yale’s chapters of the Alpha Phi, Kappa Alpha Theta and Pi Beta Phi sororities have all suspended social events with Yale fraternity LEO after sexual assault allegations were raised against a member of the fraternity. A female student — who has been granted anonymity to protect her privacy — told the News that she was raped in the LEO house on Sept. 23, 2022 by the fraternity’s then-vice
president, who she encountered for the first time during a “crush” party held at LEO that night. The News has obtained texts sent by the female student to two friends on the night of the event which corroborate her account of the night. The alleged assailant did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The alleged assailant has since been expelled from LEO and evicted from the fraternity house. But the female student, who passed LEO brothers on the stairs before and after the alleged assault, said that she finds all members of the fraternity who attended the event to be at fault for their inaction. “I don’t excuse any of them,” the female student told the News. She described an “anything goes” party environment at LEO, where members are often willing to overlook the problematic behavior of their peers. At the fraternity,
L+M staffing shortage Inside a staffing shortage at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital BY KAYLA YUP AND SAMANTHA LIU STAFF REPORTERS A patient sat in her own urine and feces for over two and a half hours at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital (L+M). She could not find somebody to take her to the bathroom. The patient’s daughter called Connie Fields, an administrative assistant at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, who said that the mother’s assigned patient care assistant, or PCA, was feeding another patient and was
not free to help her. PCAs look after a patient’s basic needs, from taking vital signs every hour or two and documenting updates, to assisting with personal care and feeding. But at L+M, a shortage of PCAs and other healthcare workers has raised concerns over employee burnout, patient safety and recent employee contract negotiations. Fields is the president of American Federation of Teachers Local 5123 (AFT Local 5123), a union representing healthcare employees at L+M. This includes certified nursing assistants, patient care assistants, environmental services workers, patient transporters and “everything that the registered nurses and the technicians are not,” Fields explained. “It's embarrassing for the patients, it’s inhumane what they're doing,” Fields said. “Well where is the rest of the staff? They’re SEE L+M SHORTAGE PAGE 5
she said, it feels like some members implicitly endorse a hostile environment through their reluctance to intervene when female partygoers are made to feel uncomfortable. In a collective statement to the News, LEO leadership claimed that the alleged assailant’s actions were not representative of the fraternity as a whole, adding that LEO does not tolerate sexual misconduct by its members. The female student said that the months since the alleged assault have been the worst of her life. She explained that she has experienced anxiety, depression and insomnia — making it difficult to complete schoolwork or go about everyday activities. “I was severely distressed and having panic attacks,” the female student said. “My
Megan Ranney, a professor of behavioral and social sciences at Brown University, will serve as the next dean of the Yale School of Public Health. In a Tuesday email to students, University President Peter Salovey announced
SEE LEO PAGE 4
SEE RANNEY PAGE 5
Megan Raney / Courtesy of Stephanie Ewens
BY WILIAML PORAYOUW STAFF REPORTER
YCC holds referendum Students vote on Yale Corporation democratization BY JANALIE COBB AND EVAN GORELICK STAFF REPORTERS In the early hours of Monday morning, banners appeared across campus in support of a Yale College Council referendum calling for the democratization of the Yale Corporation’s elections process. The banners, which read “Democratize Yale Corp. Vote Yes,” were placed at Payne Whitney Gymnasium, Phelps Hall and on a Berkeley College Wall, heralding in the student bodywide referendum, which opens on Monday at 9 a.m. and will close at 9 a.m. Friday. Set in place by legislation that passed the YCC Senate on Nov. 16, this referendum will
consist of two yes-or-no questions: “Should the board of trustees for Yale Corporation consist of democratically elected trustees?” and “Should students, professors, and staff be eligible to vote for candidates for the board of trustees for Yale Corporation?” “The referendum, at least for me, comes from the understanding that there are so many problems that students face, yet we have no way to bring about solutions,” Kyle Hovannesian, who leads current YCC efforts to reform the Yale Corporation, wrote in an email to the News. “The right to vote is essential for change, and since we are denied the right to vote, we can not bring about serious change.” The Corporation, also known as the University’s Board of Trustees, consists of the University President, ten “successor trustees” appointed by the current board of trustees, six alumni trustees elected by SEE REFERENDUM PAGE 5
YCBA to close until 2024 BY KAYLA YUP AND JANE PARK STAFF REPORTERS The Yale Center for British Art will close on Feb. 27 for at least a year to pursue building maintenance and energy conservation efforts. The roof and skylights will be replaced, with a new LED lighting system to be installed throughout the gallery. Until the YCBA reopens to the public in 2024, access to the collections will be permitted on a case-by-case basis. Over 60 works from the museum will migrate to the Yale University Art Gallery for viewing throughout the closure. “Even though the museum will be closed, my colleagues and I are eager to continue to make our collections, programs, and resources accessible to our
audiences,” said Courtney J. Martin GRD ’09, the Paul Mellon Director of the YCBA. “In addition to our online conversations and talks, we look forward to utilizing other spaces on campus and institutions across the country.” The Yale Center for British Art, a museum, is home to the largest collection of British art — from the 15th century to present — located outside of the United Kingdom. The museum opened for public viewing in 1977 after the building, artworks and endowment were donated to Yale University by art collector and philanthropist Paul Mellon ’29. After Feb. 27, the YCBA will be closed through the remainder of 2023 and reopen sometime in 2024. Beyond that estimate, SEE YCBA PAGE 4
CROSS CAMPUS
INSIDE THE NEWS
THIS DAY IN YALE HISTORY, 1965.
UPROAR IN NEW HAVEN OVER TYRE NICHOLS
The News begins their their heeling competition for the spring term. Nearly 100 interested freshmen will go through rigorous editor training and some will be elected based on a new point system.
PAGE 7 NEWS
Starting Monday, students will be able to vote on two yes-or-no questions regarding the election process for the Board of Trustees; voting will close Friday at 9 a.m. / Tim Tai, Photography Editor PAGE 3 OPINIONS PAGE 6 NEWS PAGE 13 BULLETIN PAGE 14 SPORTS PAGE B1 WKND
HISTORY An in-depth look at Local 33's three-decade long fight for recognition. PAGE 6 NEWS HUMOR The Yale record put on a screening of their satire film, Citizen Kane 2. PAGE 2 ARTS