A letter left in senior music education major Angelina Scolari’s student mailbox – allegedly written by tenured professor of music Chandler Carter – expressed romantic affection for her and prompted her to file a report claiming sexual harassment.
In the spring of 2018 Scolari found the letter attached to her graded final project in an envelope that read, “Confidential.” She said, when she opened the letter, her eyes “zoom[ed] in on the words ‘foolish and dangerous attraction.’” The letter appeared to have been signed by the professor.
“I would consider what Carter did sexual harassment,” Scolari said.
The University’s updated definition of sexual harassment, as per Hofstra’s Harassment Policy, includes the following: “Sexual harassment is conduct that exploits power or authority in order to elicit sexual submission, or inappropriate sexual conduct that creates an intimidating, hostile or abusive environment for working, learning, or enjoying other opportunities and activities.”
The Chronicle reached out to Senior Forensic Document Examiner Dennis Ryan for an official analysis of the letter. He is certified by the American Board of Forensic Document Examiners. After comparing the letter to confirmed writing samples of Carter’s class notes, he said, “There are indications or evidence to suggest that the author of the ‘confirmed’ writing may have written the two page letter.”
The letter read, “I could call it a school-boy crush, but I’m not a school boy. It’s more a mid-life crisis, I suspect, which may have little to do with you. Regardless, I’ve felt this way for well over a year, but have tried to conceal it to protect both you and myself, but also everyone around us. Such feelings from a teacher toward a student – while inevitable given that we’re only human – are usually toxic to all involved when expressed openly. For that reason, I ask that you keep this to yourself.”
Scolari responded to the letter by writing “No” on a post-it note and placing it on Carter’s mailbox a few days after she had received the letter.
She decided to come forward and report the letter, despite her apprehension. Scolari brought the letter to the attention of Philip Stoecker, a professor of music and the department chair. “I was terrified to report it,but I knew that I had a responsibility to,” she said.
After Scolari met with Stoecker, he reported the letter to Title IX.
Stoecker was contacted various times and could not be reached for comment.
Scolari also confided in Cindy Bell, the chair of graduate studies in music education, about the letter. Scolari said Bell told her that she is a thoughtful, enthusiastic student and that it didn’t come as a surprise to her that a faculty member would take an interest in her.
“I want to be myself as a student and not feel like that’s going to put me in danger. [Bell] was trying to help me see [Carter’s] side,” Scolari said.
Bell was contacted various times and could not be reached for comment.
Scolari was contacted by Chief Human Resources Officer Denise Cunningham after she reported the letter to Stoecker. Scolari said that Cunningham was very supportive and completely took her side.
The following week, Scolari said that Title IX officers informed her that they had a conversation with Carter, and that he was “remorseful and apologetic.”
When reached for comment, University Relations said, “While an unsolicited letter in which a faculty member requests a relationship with his former student, who is still an undergraduate student at the University, may not constitute sexual harassment under the law, the University does not condone such behavior. In collaboration with faculty, the University is proposing changes to our formal policies on such matters. The University is committed to fostering a climate of mutual respect and trust in faculty/student relationships, which is an essential component of our academic mission.”
Other music department students got word of Carter’s actions and a few chose to write anonymous letters to Dean Benjamin Rifkin of the Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, expressing their concerns about Carter’s employment at Hofstra.
They expressed that their concerns “should be seen immediately,” according to the cover letter. Approximately 30 students signed the cover letter and over 10 students wrote anonymous, individual letters that were attached. Names of students who signed the cover letter were withheld for fear of retribution.
“These students find the University’s response to Professor Carter’s actions, or lack thereof, to be detrimental to the music department, and the student body, as a whole,” the cover letter detailed. It further read, “It’s on us to create a learning environment where ideas are challenged, yet students feel welcome and safe; with this in mind, we implore you to re-examine Professor Carter’s place here at Hofstra University.”
Other students who heard about the letter have responded on the record to The Chronicle.
“I am definitely not okay with him still working here,” said Kathryn Pericak, a sophomore drama performance major who had Carter for a section of the Honors College Culture and Expression lecture class in 2018.
“I think it is irresponsible of the administration here at Hofstra to ignore a situation of this severity. It enables predators like him on campus to prey on women who feel like their voices will be disregarded,” said Claire Feasey, a sophomore English major with a concentration in publishing studies.
Another anonymous student who has to take a class with Carter as a requirement for her degree said, “I have to be with this professor for three days a week next semester, which makes me super uncomfortable and distracts me from learning.”
Scolari was also involved with the writing of the anonymous letters. In the final few sentences of her letter to Rifkin, she stated, “For every moment that passes by with men like Dr. Carter enjoying the benefits of a career at this University without ever facing meaningful consequences for the violation of women’s boundaries, the administration fails the women of the music department, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the University as a whole.”
Scolari received an email from Rifkin on Friday, Feb. 1, saying that he received all of the letters.
In the email he said that he and Provost Herman Berliner met with Carter toward the end of the fall 2018 semester to address the matter, but due to the confidentiality of the case, he could not provide any information beyond that.
When The Chronicle reached out for comment, Rifkin responded, “The University and our academic departments followed all established policies and procedures for any and all complaints. The exact disposition of any report that has been filed is confidential.”
The consequences for Carter’s actions are unknown due to the confidential matter of the case. University Relations confirmed that Carter is still a professor of music at Hofstra.
“Nobody would know about Dr. Carter if I didn’t talk about it,” Scolari said. “It makes me really worried about what other concerns might have been raised about other professors that no one even knows about.”
The Chronicle attempted to contact Carter various times, through various methods, but he could not be reached for comment.
[email protected] • May 4, 2019 at 2:09 am
I do not believe that this guy at any point actually thought that he had a chance with this student. He even said it in his own letter, he was just "going through a mid-life crisis." So in order to get over his own life problems, he asked a question that he KNEW would be considered horrifying and inappropriate by 99% of young women, but he decided to go for it anyway. Did he break any rules? No. But does that make it right?? Hell no! It makes him selfish, inconsiderate, and very very dangerous. A very simple metaphor for those males in this comment section who just cannot understand this: you go up to someone, and you ask "may I shove this pencil up your ass". Did you break any rules or laws? No. Is there a one in a million chance that this person would actually agree?? Yeah, sure. But was that offensive, and super disrespectful?! Hell yeah, and thus you deserve to be punched in the face or at least yelled at. Again, seriously, men: I don’t care if you happen to know a few young women who like older guys, because MOST OF US in our 20s DON’T. So don’t ask unless you reeeeeally feel a two-way love, don’t ask, you’re just offending people.
[email protected] • May 3, 2019 at 9:32 pm
Also this "he didn’t really break any rules, so you guys can’t talk about him" argument is BS. If you’re gonna do that, then: Us talking about this and calling it gross also didn’t break any rules. Double standard much? Snowflakes
[email protected] • May 3, 2019 at 9:28 pm
I see that the #MeToo movement bothers the living F out of some men. The thought of women standing up for themselves and reporting these incidents really scares you that much huh? Geez I wonder why.
[email protected] • May 3, 2019 at 9:24 pm
Hi B. McGee: How about you talk when your 18-year-old daughter receives love letters from 60-year-old men, and in this case, teachers?! It’s gross, end of story. It grossed out the poor girl involved, it grossed out the rest of us females. I’m going to guess the thought of "when I’m old I’m going to get with young chicks too" is somehow in your head?! "Age-ism"? How about the idea of old men seeking pride in getting young girlfriends/wives as a sign of success is age-ism?
Speakup • Apr 30, 2019 at 10:20 pm
Relationships between persons of authority with subordinates are inappropriate. All faculties are in positions of power over their students and the adult should be mature enough to understand that appearance of impropriety is almost as bad as having an actual affair. Going to bars, drinking with students, having dinner dates (even in the Hofstra cafeteria), and having alcohol in one’s desk is not professional behavior. It is not only compromising to the students involved, but also makes other students uncomfortable.
Faculty fraternizing with students has been going on for decades and is evident when one examines the relationships and hiring patterns in the University. Chandler Carter is the unfortunate one who was caught and is being made the example. It is too bad that other victims are not coming forward.
Not A Bus Buddy • Apr 29, 2019 at 2:36 am
For several years, I’ve ridden the Hofstra shuttle bus with Chandler Carter. Since my first shared ride with him, long before this latest news, my instincts identified him as a self-righteous, entitled, misogynist. It’s a funny thing to explain because politically, well-educated men like him know what to say and not to say (well, most of the time that is!) And yet, long before news of his sappy, scribed note on loose-leaf paper, Chandler’s demeanor revealed his true character.
On morning rides, we are subjected to his oratories. In a booming baritone, he shares his latest musings on intellectual pursuits, mistaking his forced audience for enraptured devotees. On the few occasions that I’ve chimed into the conversation, I’ve been rewarded with nasty side-eye suggesting I have no right to participate. “I am entitled to dominate this space, and I determine whose ideas have worth” is the subtext of Chandler’s behavior. Though his obnoxious behavior might sound simply frivolous, to me, it always reeked of more. It’s not a social tic, it’s the manifestation of a despicable, toxic male ego which unfortunately, society and especially academia favor.
My observations were just opinions devoid of hard evidence until last week, when we all learned of Chandler’s humiliating misstep. I thought idiotic love notes stuffed with hubris and feigned shame, were only relics of the 1970’s or the cliché literary tropes of Jonathan Franzen or Philip Roth, but no! These stories are borne of real, modern life! Oh how dumb entitled men can be…and yet, not so dumb after all. Look at how few professional consequences confront the deviant: not 24 hours after the story broke, there was Chandler and his resounding thoughts riding the shuttle bus as usual.
Time has revealed Chandler Carter to be exactly what my instincts always knew him to be. He is the creation and beneficiary of a biased system, and he goes on benefiting. What happens to Chandler is of no real concern to me, but this incident has struck a nerve. It has acutely captured what is churning in the current zeitgeist. So much of life is made of grey areas, subtleties, and ambiguities. There are the Harvey Weinsteins, sure, but most offenses are far more elusive. When it comes to equivocally inappropriate male behavior, we women have traditionally held our tongues, because of course the only real thing making these offenses debatable is who’s in power and our gender. But we hold our tongues less often now and it’s shocking, absolutely shocking to find out how many men find this threatening, claiming things are “going too far”. So prevalent is this chauvinism that at times, it creeps under my skin, grabs my gut, and for a very fleeting moment I think, “Am I being unfair?” Inevitably though, something comes to light, The Hofstra Chronicle swoops in and assures me, for example, that I am not being unfair. I didn’t misjudge Chandler, I judged him exactly right. The guy is an entitled bully. He’s not pummeling anyone with his fists and he’s willing to use whatever appropriate language the times dictate—he knows that much at least—but make no mistake this is not a midlife crisis, this is classic, toxic male ego run amok.
As a mere spectator in all of this, at least I’ve been gifted a valuable reminder that my instincts are keen and I can continue to trust them.
[email protected] • Apr 27, 2019 at 8:16 pm
For the most part, the media coverage of this situation has been excellent.
Many of the comments are another story. They demonstrate the irrational and exaggerated outrage that has come to mark the once-focused #MeToo movement.
Whether it’s a defense of women that somehow meanders into ageism and essentializing the female experience (see the comments from "Mandy"), or automatically declaring this "sexual harassment," it’s sad that we’re lumping "misguided" expressions of interest in with pervasive, malicious abuses of power.
I know many happy couples in academia who previously had a teacher-student relationship–including several where the woman was in the position of power. Whether there is shared attraction during the teacher-student relationship which is set aside, or whether they discover each other later, at some point, the teacher-student relationship ends.
In the case of Dr. Carter, would the reaction be different if he had waited another month? Another year? Until the student had graduated? If he had handed her such a letter (or said something similar) at an off-campus bar? At what time/place is it acceptable? These are questions worth exploring, and perhaps Hofstra should revisit its policies. But it does not appear that Dr. Carter broke any rules. He’s now been named and shamed (I guess that’s the world we live in), and this will follow him for the rest of his life. He will have a difficult time being promoted or assuming a leadership position at Hofstra or in disciplinary associations. He may find it difficult to publish. All for…writing a letter foolishly expressing "attraction" to a former student, and having that student determine that it is inappropriate.
MeToo has done great things in exposing people who use their power to commit heinous acts of abuse. This letter is not such an act. Where #MeToo goes #TooFar is when we allow a person’s outrage–reasonable or unreasonable–to become the determining factor in handing down punishment.
Sarah Plavner makes an excellent and well-reasoned comment. There is a problem with sexual harassment on campus (and beyond). A simple expression of interest, which is then dropped upon hearing "no" (and likely would have been dropped had the response been silence), is not harassment. Poor judgment? Sure. Worth ruining someone’s life over? No.
#MeToo • Apr 28, 2019 at 9:57 pm
Your comment is excellent and well-reasoned. I would like to expand upon why I think the current faculty sexual harassment policy is insufficient and why I believe the situation highlighted in this article is getting so much attention. The power position of professors extends beyond the classroom. For instance, the professor may sit on a scholarship committee or on a fieldwork placement committee and have the ability to influence the student’s future. In many cases there are required faculty-student interactions outside the classroom and a student could feel disenfranchised from participating in certain activities. Is this appropriate?
In the Zarb School, in the article that I referenced, the allegations involved professors pursuing international students, who may or may not have been their current students. If the students were not their current students, then the professors did not violate the current policy. However, international students are exceptionally vulnerable.
I know a female international student who accepted the advances of a male professor and engaged in a relationship because of the promise that he would use his professional connections to assist her in getting an internship and full time position. As an employee of Hofstra, I was very uncomfortable with the knowledge of this relationship. (The student informed her friends, who informed me.) The professor ultimately used his connections to assist the student, and the relationship ended shortly after she graduated. Would he have assisted her if she had resisted his advances? Did another student miss out on an opportunity because she declined his advances?
The administration, as I stated, has been aware that the policy needs to be revisited for quite some time. I blame them for the current negative media attention, which could have been avoided. As you point out, this professor did not violate Hofstra’s current policy. He probably would have been careful not to violate a better articulated policy either.
I would trust a group of faculty and students to sit down and revisit the policies and put a revised policy to the faculty for a vote. I encourage you to look at the policies regarding faculty-student relationships at other schools. Take a look at NYU, for example.
[email protected] • Apr 30, 2019 at 4:58 am
I appreciate your response and agree with almost all of what you wrote. I trust reasonable people to sit down and revisit policies. And I wouldn’t dream of pushing back against your perspective regarding power dynamics and appropriate behavior.
For about 20 years, my adviser has been married to a former graduate student. The curious looks when people first learn about that never go away, regardless of how clear of "the line" their relationship was/is, and no matter how much the test of time has proven that it truly was a matter of genuine mutual affection.
There will always be debate about the appropriateness of such relationships, and (for understandable reasons) we will always raise our eyebrows higher depending on how close those relationships come to "the line."
But you are right. Campus environments will always raise concerns over power dynamics, even if there is not a supervisory role during the relationship. It’s worth discussing those policies, but those engaged in the discussion should also be wary of the fact that power dynamics exist everywhere. Influence, connections, etc., are all around us. And the more we set up walls, the more people will feel constrained–and the more we will see legitimate interest come into conflict with "the rules."
Some people argue that waiting until one party is no longer connected to the school (e.g., graduation or taking a new position) is a better cut-off point. But even then, people will always talk. When did it start? Was there unrequited interest back when they were teacher/student? Is the power dynamic still being exploited? Who made the first move? Even if everything’s on the up-and-up, people like Mandy will throw out shallow jabs about the age difference.
Most people who’ve held faculty positions or supervised younger people are VERY wary of starting a relationship–even long after the fact.
Eric • Apr 30, 2019 at 6:08 am
Thank you for your comments. After reading some articles on Hofstra Chronicle, I find F. Zarb Business School is such a swamp that I, as a former student, do not want to be associated with it any longer.
[email protected] • Apr 26, 2019 at 1:52 pm
For all your information: females like us go to college for the purpose of learning, maybe date guys our own age, NOT because we want to serve as mistress candidates for male professors. Males have no idea how disgusting it is to receive a love letter from your 60-year-old married professor that reminds you of a GRANDPA. If YOU’re okay with 60-year-olds hitting on your daughters and sisters, go ahead, set your sisters and daughters up with ole guys, but it’s freaking disgusting for the rest of us.
Eric • Apr 26, 2019 at 6:41 am
We are living in MeToo generation. Anything could be sexual harrassment. All men shoould be careful.
[email protected] • Apr 26, 2019 at 5:56 am
This is ridiculous, definitely not sexual harassment. All he did was say he liked her and told her he’d respect her response now this poor guy is having his name dragged through the mud while this girl is acting like this was some sort of traumatic experience and playing the hero saying she’s glad she "Spoke out where many women have been afraid to." Those other women she refers to were raped and beaten and otherwise had horrible things done to them, not had some older man tell them he liked them. As for him having power over her, I disagree. He did it AFTER grading her final. He did that so she wouldn’t feel pressured into giving a positive response just to support her grade. They are both legal consenting adults and all she had to do was say no and move on. Lets save the bleeding heart stuff for victims of real harassment.
Andrew • Apr 26, 2019 at 1:06 pm
He’s MARRIED! With KIDS! SHES UNDERAGE!
[email protected] • Apr 26, 2019 at 1:21 pm
Be careful with facts. She is NOT underage: Everyone involved is a legal adult.
I do not condone what Carter has done WHATSOEVER, but spiraling away from FACTS is dangerous because it creates a narrative where perpetrators have the safety of saying that we are "lying and exaggerating."
I respect your outrage, but inaccuracies hurt the victims more than the perpetrators.
[email protected] • Apr 26, 2019 at 1:47 pm
WTF is wrong with you? Just because someone else went through worse shit doesn’t mean what this girl went through wasn’t traumatizing and disgusting. Even after grading that one final, he’s still a professor and she’s still a student in the school. He definitely still has power over her! He’s also in his 60s and married, how’s that letter not gross for any 20-year-old girl?! If you’re going to do something this inappropriate then your name deserves to be dragged through the mud.
#MeToo • Apr 26, 2019 at 12:12 am
This is NOT the first time Hofstra has learned about problems with their sexual harassment policy. It’s just the first time that a student has been brave enough to come forward publicly. Take a look back at the letter to the editor "Hofstra’s Title IX Policies are Asinine" Nov 7, 2017. Provost Berliner was the Dean of the Zarb School at the time and he did nothing. He was perfectly ok with the policy. The only reason the university is reconsidering now is because this brave young woman put a public face on this problem. It’s time for a new administration.
[email protected] • Apr 24, 2019 at 10:47 pm
"I’m writing as we used to write such letters BEFORE YOU WERE BORN – on paper by hand." So the involved professor IS aware of the age difference, and the fact that the involved student is so young, she’s barely an adult?! … As much as I feel sorry for his "mid-life crisis" which could be difficult, and that he’s obviously going through some bad stuff, this is beyond ridiculous! Just imagine how traumatized that poor girl must be. This has probably taught her a "lesson," the poor child might never dare to be close with a professor again!!!
[email protected] • Apr 24, 2019 at 7:18 pm
Disagreeing with the comment above!! A professor hitting on a student is ABSOLUTELY different from somebody casually asking someone else out in a cafe. The professor is in a position of power, and therefore the word “predator” is pretty accurate here. The student here is so so brave, most female would just bottle up their feelings in silence!
[email protected] • Apr 24, 2019 at 1:44 pm
Sexual harassment is persistent, pervasive behavior. If someone hits on you, and you say, “No,” and that’s the end of it, that’s not sexual harassment. That’s someone hitting on you that you didn’t like. If they touched you in an unwanted way while doing so, harassment. Someone expressing interest, however unwanted & misguided, one time, which you reject, not harassment. I should know, having been ACTUALLY harassed by multiple men multiple times. It’s relentless, consistently degrading, and far worse than receiving a letter from someone that you’ve finished a class with.