Investigations into allegations of sexual misconduct involving three faculty members in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences will soon move from the investigative stage to consideration of any disciplinary action where appropriate, President Phil Hanlon ’77 told faculty, staff, students, and other community members in an email yesterday. 

“As our consideration of these cases proceeds, I have confidence in the process that governs faculty at Dartmouth. Out of respect for that process, I anticipate that we will refrain from further comment until the cases are concluded,” wrote President Hanlon.

Separate College investigations against Faculty of Arts and Sciences professors Todd Heatherton, Bill Kelley, and Paul Whalen are being conducted by an experienced internal investigator who is close to concluding her work. In addition, the New Hampshire attorney general’s office in October announced that it had begun a criminal investigation into allegations against the three men.

The three faculty members have been on paid leave with restricted access to Dartmouth property during the investigations.

As College policy indicates for arts and sciences faculty, once each internal investigation is complete, any disciplinary process would follow the procedures set forth in the Organization of the Faculty of Dartmouth College (OFDC), the rules and regulations that govern all faculty at the institution.

In his email, Hanlon wrote that Dartmouth is “committed to ensuring the rights and protecting the safety of all members of our community.”

“I want to emphasize what I’ve said throughout the course of these investigations—sexual misconduct and harassment have no place at Dartmouth and we will not tolerate such behavior,” the president wrote.

Hanlon reminded the College community about support services available to all, which can be found on Dartmouth’s sexual respect website. “Please do not hesitate to seek help,” he wrote.

The College last week made appointments to the Presidential Steering Committee on Sexual Assault, which is charged with identifying areas where Dartmouth should consider improvements to policies and procedures regarding sexual misconduct and consensual relationships, ensuring greater clarity, consistency, and coherence among these policies, and incorporating best practices for educational and training opportunities for all campus constituencies.