It's all about Title IX
Hello, friend! No exciting petition numbers to share, here, but maybe that will change if you repost this update! I'm writing today to report back to you on the protest held on Wheaton Campus (legally, from public sidewalks) during yesterday's homecoming weekend. In particular, I thought I'd repost here some Title IX reflections I shared with other protesters who were able to be physically present.
The protest itself, I believe, served its purpose. Our presence was a reminder to all other visitors that Wheaton College has Title IX problems it has not yet addressed. Kathy (Massaro) Gallagher was with us, and I think it's fair to say on this visit to Wheaton College's campus, she came not as someone falsely accused, but belatedly vindicated. Definitely a change (.org) for the better.
The speech
I would like to thank everyone here for coming today. Your presence is a statement of solidarity not only with Kathy (Massaro) Gallagher, but also with any victim of sexual crimes committed here on Wheaton's campus.
For those who don't know me, my name is Brian Wells. My wife and I are Wheaton alums who live here in town. A few weeks ago I visited a Wheatie-ish fire pit gathering. Wheaton's sexual abuse scandal inevitably came up as a topic of discussion, and it wasn't a one-sided affair. There was general disgust over what Wheaton had done in the past, but lively debate about how to respond now. But what struck me most that evening was something a visitor from out of town shared about his experience as a pastor in California. I'd never met him before and probably won't meet him again, but his words stayed with me.
Some years ago, he discovered that a staffer at his church was viewing child pornography on church office computers. He had a pedophile on staff. The first thing he did was to inform the police. That led to an investigation. He was not free to divulge much at first, but when the investigation concluded after a few months, he told his congregation everything the law permitted him to share. The pedophile went to jail, and the church moved on healthily.
A study in contrasts
Perhaps you can guess why I share this anecdote. I remember looking this pastor in the eye and wondering aloud, "Imagine how much evil could have been avoided if Wheaton College had discharged their duties before God and the law back in 1998. You have nothing to be ashamed of, and your church has moved on. But Wheaton College is wallowing in shame that it can neither take ownership of nor shake itself free of."
But there's another facet of the pastor's story that deserves our attention. He went on to say, almost as an aside, "The other thing we had to do, of course, was to help the pedophile's wife. She needed financial aid and counseling." The discussion moved on before I had a chance to say aloud what I was thinking to myself: "Wow. What a study in contrasts."
When Wheaton College discovered they had a sexual molester on staff, they sent him off with cash and a glowing review in the campus newspaper. He remained a rock star with the college for another 20 years. His wife? Nothing. Not a penny. Former friends on staff didn't even return her calls. Then they actually lobbied on behalf of her ex-husband when the inevitable divorce materialized. But you've heard these details, so I'll summarize:
- This pastor alerted authorities, hid nothing, and helped the spouse
- Wheaton College silenced the victims, protected the perpetrator, hid everything, and allowed Kathy to be shamed for things she'd never done.
But now let's pivot, because Kathy is here and she is receiving the vindication she is owed. Wheaton College has not acknowledged what they did to her, but the world knows. And you are here. I'd like now to discuss another set of victims. Not past victims, but present ones. Ongoing victims. The lynchpin between them all is Wheaton's Title IX office. You'll soon see what I mean.
The sexual assaults
I have two daughters who graduated from Wheaton College. A few days ago I asked them for thoughts I could share with you about the Title IX office there. As it worked out, each daughter was hanging out with a friend from Wheaton at the time, so that took my survey size up to four. What did these fresh alumni have to say?
All four of them said that the Title IX office is there for you—provided you aren't seeking serious consequences. One of them observed, "Easily ten people I knew who tried to 'do Title IX' had a bad experience."
And let's not be naive about what sorts of things are happening on campus. Both of my daughters personally knew classmates who had been sexually assaulted by other Wheaton students. Here are some anecdotes I heard:
- A victim who, on the following morning, confronted the man who had assaulted her. His response was... and again, I quote... "Omg, I’m sorry, I thought you were unconscious."
- Here's another crazy recollection: a rapist who actually worked (as a student) in an official capacity related to the Title IX office itself. (This irony was well understood by numerous female classmates, not just my daughter.)
- A heartbreaker: a classmate who was raped on two separate occasions by two different Wheaton students.
Mind you, these are just the results of a spur-of-the-moment informal survey of my own two daughters and two alumni friends who happened to be around when I asked. Sexual assault is not just a Cornell frat issue. It's a very serious issue right here at Wheaton College.
Wheaton College's Title IX office is not a formality. It's very much needed. On this point, Wheaton College agrees with me—provided I'm not looking for any serious consequences, either. I add that qualifier in my case because whenever Wheaton College discusses the Massaro abuse scandal, there's always a paragraph about their Title IX office and its policies. But zero discussion of how their Title IX office actually implemented those policies in that very situation. Look for yourself at their recent statements. See if I'm exaggerating. But wait. Let me read to you verbatim the first of those paragraphs, released in July of 2024. Here it is:
Today, much more is known about sexual misconduct, its lingering harm, and unintentional obstacles that can inhibit a victim’s healing. In the intervening years, the College has established robust policies and processes and regularly updates them under the leadership of a full-time Title IX Coordinator.
Intervening years?
Title IX had been federal law for nearly ten years before Dennis Massaro molested those students. What was our Title IX office doing when it happened? You won't find that out from a Wheaton College statement. They did have a Title IX office. But when Wheaton College's own employee, Dennis Massaro, molested students, that office did nothing.
So we are not here today only to protest Wheaton's failures related to Dennis Massaro. We're here also to recognize that Wheaton College students need a functioning Title IX office. Do we have one? Not in 1998, clearly. And not now, either, according to my daughters and their friends. Not one of them thought that filing a serious complaint with Wheaton's Title IX office would lead to serious consequences for the perpetrator.
Granted, I interviewed just four people, but the conclusion is consistent with recent headlines. Between 2018 and 2024, more than 1,200 cases were filed with Cornell's Title IX office. The office is there, and they have policies, too. But do you know how many Cornell students were expelled or dismissed? Seven. Less than 1%. Rapists writing essays? Don't assume Wheaton College is a whole lot different. Some of the dynamics sound precisely the same.
So here are two questions. One for Wheaton College, and one for all of us.
A question for Wheaton College
"Did your Title IX office comply with federal law in 1998 when Dennis Massaro admitted to having fondled three students?"
It's a very simple question, and the answer is No. But Wheaton College has never answered that question. Try it on them yourself. See what answer you get.
A question for all of us
If Wheaton College cannot acknowledge Title IX failures from more than 25 years ago, should we trust them to be forthright about the failures that are happening today? Should we trust them to hold campus rapists accountable?
Speaking for myself? No. If Wheaton can't even come clean about its past, don't be in a hurry looking for transparency about the present.
A closing reflection
To be fair to Wheaton College's Title IX office, not one of the sexual assaults my daughters reported to me was reported to the Title IX office. No cases filed. Police not notified. Why? Take a guess! Yes. Shame. "It was my fault." "I had been drinking." You name it.
For Wheaton's Title IX office to function well, victims need to believe they will not be shamed or punished for reporting a crime. And here's where the past informs the present.
Kathy (Massaro) Gallagher was not drunk. She wasn't high. She hadn't done anything wrong. She was just a homemaker trying to raise two kids. Wheaton College threw Kathy under a bus and elevated the perpetrator with praise. They have never publicly acknowledged what they did to her. That's what Wheaton College did to a stay-at-home mom.
Friends, shame is behind Wheaton College's silence. It's also behind the silence of our sexual assault victims. I look forward to extending grace to Wheaton College. We all do. But confession comes first.
Postscript #1 — Words for Wheaton College
If you want to demonstrate loudly that students who have been sexually assaulted can feel safe filing a case with your Title IX office, here's a great way to do so. Give honor to your own Title IX victim, Kathy (Massaro) Gallagher. Because you, Wheaton College, were the perpetrator of that crime. Here's your chance to show how you treat whistleblowers. So far, you're absolutely blowing it. Do better.
Postscript #2 — Words from present students
Several current students attended the protest, by the way. They said, "It's still happening." (Why else would they have come?)
Postscript #3 — Words from me as a father
What I heard from my daughters on Friday disturbed me so profoundly, I felt it best to take a sick day from work. My mind wasn't in a place where I felt I would be doing my employer justice. The protest was very hard on me, too, because I'm not a pitchfork-carrying kind of guy. Standing in front of a football stadium with a protest sign is not my favorite way to unwind on a Saturday.
But I went to stand with Kathy and to stand with campus assault victims. Before problems get addressed, people need to know there's a problem. Thank you for reposting this so that more people know about the problems students face today on the campus of Wheaton College.
May Jesus Christ be glorified by the words and deeds of his church.
----
October 6, 2026 — Full disclosure: I've adjusted this post upon receiving clarification yesterday that one of the assaults I had previously described was not to the level of rape. I look for your understanding as I was not encouraged to ask too many questions during my interview of those four students, and I misunderstood something said that was not clarified at the time. That said, I don't think any of us should be relieved enough to say, "Thank goodness, he didn't actually rape the incapacitated woman. It's all good, then."
I'll also add that, as I adjusted some of the "rape" references to variations on "sexual assault", it occurred to me that this might be a welcome change, regardless. Students should not feel like "nothing important happened" simply because the abuse they experienced was not textbook rape.