Content Warning: Sexual Abuse, Grooming, Gaslighting.
This week, the second episode of Dr. Helana Darwin’s #MeToo PhD story drops. For those who did not catch the first episode, our guest, Dr. Helana Darwin–author, mother, award-winning scholar, qualitative research specialist–has entrusted us with her story of abuse at the hands of her own dissertation advisor.
As with last week’s episode, you’ll hear two distinct parts: The first part is in the usual format: Adam and Andrew conversing with Helana and listening as she tells her story. After that, Adam and Andrew are joined by Erika and Mary for a roundtable discussion in which the four of us try to process what we have heard. The roundtable discussion is a way for us to curate and emphasize certain themes that were brought up, but it’s also a way for us to engage in self-care; to take time to process the emotional difficulties raised in ourselves by listening to Helana’s story. We extend this invitation to our readers a second time: as you listen, please be aware of your emotions, and don’t be afraid to listen in sections. This recording will be too much for some people, for others it will be difficult but doable, and for others–particularly for people who have not had to endure this kind of trauma–it will be all too easy not to emotionally engage. All we ask is that you give Helana Darwin the fair hearing she has been denied by the university, the greater community of sociologists, and the justice system.
If you have a story you would like to tell, please do not hesitate to reach out to us on twitter (@ivoryboilerroom) or facebook.
A final note. Andrew and Adam reached out for comment to the administration of Stony Brook University. In the course of the roundtable discussion for part 1, Andrew, who is himself a sexual assault survivor, discussed his frustration with the SBU administrators’ response. For the sake of full disclosure, we are including all of our correspondence with the SBU administration here, with only the names and titles of our correspondents redacted.
In addition to the resources we brought you yesterday (which are available here,) the following additional links are discussed in the interview:
US women’s rights campaigner accused of sexual harassment (The Guardian, August 15, 2018)
More than Rumors (from Inside Higher Ed, August 10, 2018)
What We Need From Accused Perpetrators Like Michael Kimmel
@ExposeProf on Twitter
The Professor is In also @ProfessorIsIn
Dr Darwin can also be found online, on Twitter, on Instagram and on her website.
You can follow Dr. Darwin on Twitter (@HelanaDarwin) and see more about her work at helanadarwin.com.
The correspondence between the Ivory Tower Boiler Room team and the Stony Brook University Administration is linked below: