St. Olaf College has notified its student body that it is aggressively working to determine who created a sexually demeaning document circulating on social media that targets female students.
In her first message to students on April 3, administration official Pamela McDowell said school officials are aware of "the discussion that's been occurring on social media involving the sexual objectification of women in our community ... and we are actively working to determine who created or engaged with this document."
McDowell, who oversees gender equity compliance at the private school in Northfield and its efforts to prevent and address sexual harassment, added, "I recognize that this document, and the conversation around it, has already had an impact on the well-being of our community."
The post on Fizz, a social media platform for college students that allows anonymous posting, alleged that members of the St. Olaf men's soccer team compiled a list of female students and rated them in overtly sexual ways.
Senior soccer player Noah Mock said Monday that no one on the squad had anything to do with the list.
"This isn't who we are," said Mock, of Lake Mills, Wis. "This is a big deal. ... We took it to the higher-up administrators about two weeks ago. ... Everyone knows we're trying to get to the bottom of it."
In a follow-up message to students Monday, McDowell said the document first appeared on Fizz on April 2.
She said the school of 3,000 students has conducted dozens of interviews with people in the St. Olaf community and is pressing Fizz without success to cooperate and share information.
