A recent court decision involving two Washington and Lee University students reveals how student disciplinary committees are fed false information about "trauma-informed" theory.

It all began with a training session held in the Fall of 2016, provided by the university's clinical psychologist, Janet Boller, PhD -- pictured above. Boller told the panel members:

• “Trauma victims (not just sexual assault) will make statements that are incomplete and partly inconsistent due to affects [sic] of trauma itself. This can make us question credibility, but should not.”
• A “common reaction” to the effects of trauma
  includes “an ‘evolving’ narrative of events."

Several months later, a female student, "Roe," filed a complaint of non-consensual sex with a male student, "Doe." Janet Boller was summoned to meet with the female student and make a recommendation to the committee. Dr. Boller reported that:

• The woman's “condition meets the following criteria for Acute Stress Disorder,” including “[d]irect exposure to a traumatic event—as reported in the investigation report.” (emphasis added) Further, in Dr. Boller’s “overall conclusions,” she determined that Roe’s “specific presentation of symptoms, including her affective / emotional, cognitive and behavioral condition, and the way this coincided with the traumatic event she described, meets the criteria for a diagnosis of Acute Stress Disorder. In my professional, clinical opinion, [Roe] experienced a traumatic event, as she described when interviewed.”

Based on his review of the record, Judge Norman Moon ruled the committee subjected the two students to different Credibility Assessment standards. For the male student, contradictions were viewed as detracting from his credibility. In contrast, inconsistencies in the testimony of the female student served to bolster her credibility.

In his decision, Judge Norman Moon concluded that Doe was a victim of sex discrimination:

• "A reasonable jury could conclude based on the above evidence and certain other evidence in the record, that in the HSMB panel’s decision and evaluation of Jane Roe’s and John Doe’s credibility that the panel subjected them to materially different standards on account of their gender in its assessment of their competing narratives."

That's what a trauma-informed smack-down looks like.

Sincerely,

Edward Bartlett