Professor Ellen Mease suspended from “Arcadia” production after alleged slapping incident during rehearsal
“Arcadia” opened in Roberts Theatre on Oct. 8 under the direction of Sandy Moffett after Ellen Mease was suspended from the production. Photo by Ariel Richards.
October 11, 2021
2021 Iowa College Media Association award winner, Second Place – Best Print/Online News Reporting
Associate Professor Ellen Mease, theatre and dance, was suspended from her role as director of “Arcadia” after a student said Mease slapped them in the face during a rehearsal. Multiple students present in Roberts Theatre confirmed that the incident happened during rehearsal on Tuesday, Sept. 14.
Mease allegedly slapped the student without permission while rehearsing a stage slap, according to multiple sources close to the incident.
One key source later asked to retract their identity and account from this story, though our reporting corroborated the allegations.
Mease, who has senior faculty status, has worked at the College for over 40 years. She has not responded to multiple requests for comment about the incident from the S&B.
Visiting Assistant Professor Karie Miller, theatre and dance, entered Roberts Theatre after a student notified her of the incident. Miller spoke with the cast and then left the theater, a source confirmed. That evening’s rehearsal continued under Mease’s direction. When asked in an email from the S&B for more information about her involvement that night, Miller responded that all questions should be directed to the dean’s office.
At rehearsal on Thursday, Sept. 16, President Anne Harris and Dean Elaine Marzluff met with the cast and announced that Mease would no longer be directing “Arcadia,” and Professor Emeritus Sandy Moffett, theatre and dance, would take over.
I can confirm that the College has suspended Professor Mease from the production. — Dean Elaine Marzluff
In an email sent on Sept. 16 in response to inquiries from the S&B, Marzluff wrote, “I can confirm that the College has suspended Professor Mease from the production.” She declined to comment further citing “FERPA and other issues.” The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the privacy of all students.
In an email sent on Sept. 20 to the S&B, Grinnell College’s Title IX Coordinator Bailey Asberry also cited FERPA, Title VII and Title IX policies as prohibiting her from commenting on the incident in order to protect the privacy of all students and members of the institution, including faculty.
Marzluff and Asberry have declined to confirm whether Mease will be allowed to remain at the College as a member of the faculty or as a director on future productions.
On Thursday, Sept. 30, the Friends of Theatre & Dance sent an email to their email list announcing an open discussion on “intimacy, transparency, physical contact, and mutual respect.” The discussion, which would be facilitated by Miller “in light of recent events and ongoing investigations,” was scheduled to occur at 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 1. At 3:44 p.m. Friday, another email sent to the same email list announced the conversation was canceled by request of the dean’s office.
In an email to the S&B, Marzluff wrote, “The meeting was postponed and will be rescheduled in the near future.”
“Arcadia” held performances in Roberts Theatre this past weekend, Oct. 8-10.
Additional reporting contributed by Nadia Langley.
Due to circumstances surrounding the reporting of this story, the S&B has elected to include an editors’ note.
1990s alum • Oct 15, 2021 at 8:19 am
Hardly a surprise. People like Ellen Mease and my sexually harassing grad school advisor are tenured and protected from any consequences of their unethical behavior by their institutions while adjuncts and other staff are treated like trash. Ellen Mease is one of the reasons I told the college almost 2 decades ago that I would not give another cent to the college and I cut off all communications from the college.
Rob Valenti (alum 1987) • Oct 15, 2021 at 1:11 am
Reasonable, limited article, but zeitgeist renders it explosive. I hope and assume everyone’s ok. I was directed by both Ellen and Sandy in the ‘80s – it was emotional and tough physical work and I’m grateful to them both, and to the current students who grow and challenge themselves and others. Carry on.
H. Russ Brown • Oct 14, 2021 at 8:41 am
CONTACT SLAPS are never okay on stage – even WITH consent. They’re reckless and irresponsible in the best of circumstances. I – and any other qualified fight director – can stage a non-contact slap that would fool anyone, anytime, in any venue.
It was right to remove Professor Mease for this production, but let’s not verbally tank a career over an obviously very poor choice that was also not obviously malicious… when what we could have here is an opportunity. She just needs to acknowledge her mistake, show her actors and peers her desire to learn and do better moving forward. Old dogs can learn new tricks. Let’s empower all those involved and impacted to evolve and DO BETTER.
– H. Russ Brown, Certified Teacher / Society of American Fight Directors
Yvonne Beauregard • Oct 14, 2021 at 8:25 am
strange that she did not hire a fight director.
Jordan Magill • Oct 13, 2021 at 8:07 am
Folks with a liberal arts background making some of these comments just astounds. It is the job of a newspaper to inform. S&B did exactly that (and did it well). Moreover you’d think those condemning the S&B would pause to consider all the alumni coming forward with their own abuse stories. With these reactions is it any wonder people with authority are able to perpetuate such harms over decades?
Jean McKenzie (Alumni 1986) • Oct 12, 2021 at 10:54 pm
Hmmm I was not there. I cannot imagine what lesson there is in slapping but because of Professor Mease’s long held tenure, I can suspend disbelief for long enough that she might explain herself not leave this to conjecture. I would imagine the context was the play itself.
I do not defend nor condone physical assaults. In theater however, there are many human behaviors explained.
The environment for optimal learning is a safe one and neither an expose by the Globe nor conjecture without information assists this.
A Concerned Current Student • Oct 12, 2021 at 9:41 pm
@ “A Concerned Alum” – “P4assionate and committed” do not automatically make void any accusations against her. Sure, she loves some of her students. but she has caused real harm to students. This is not an instance where one can forgive and forget. Giving decades of one’s life does not mean that one cannot do harm within those decades. And a slap is not a simple “mistake,” either, even if we were to ignore the fact that most people do not seem to be surprised about this. When someone in power is accused of something like this, of hurting someone they hold power over, it is our duty to believe the victim.
Alan Miller • Oct 12, 2021 at 9:02 pm
It may be worth knowing that there does not seem to be any surprise among alums that she’s ended up in trouble – only that it took so long and was over a slap. This includes multiple people surprised to find that they’re not the only ones who changed away from a Theatre major because of her.
A Concerned Alum • Oct 12, 2021 at 8:58 pm
Ellen Mease is a passionate and committed professor who loves this college and her students. Professor Mease has given decades of her life to helping students learn to love theater. We -as a community of learners, united in values- owe each other more grace than we are giving Professor Mease. Let us forgive those who make mistakes in the pursuit of teaching and learn together as a community, united. Let us not shun those who try to teach us, those who devote their life and their passion to us, because our professors are not the enemy. Just as we are learning from our professors, they are learning from us.
Rob Schwartz • Oct 12, 2021 at 8:48 pm
This is indeed a sad situation but for me, a longtime journalist, it’s even sadder that people would suggest the S&B should not report what happened. Multiple sources confirmed the slap and the fact Prof. Mease has been suspended from directing the production has been confirmed. There is no basis for suggesting these events shouldn’t be reported. The most horrifying aspect of the whole affair is that the SGA would threaten the funding of the S&B. Journalistic independence and the freedom from political backlash is the foundation of a free press.
S&B reporter and editor Class of '01 • Oct 12, 2021 at 5:00 pm
To Allison Moore and the S&B editors: congrats on your integrity. To the rest: bowing down before authority figures who do not care about you is certainly a way to get ahead in America. In my experience, people usually don’t learn this until they are about 30. Way to be ahead of the curve.
Linda Johnson • Oct 12, 2021 at 3:18 pm
I’m grateful we have access to this information. I think it’s awful for this to have happened, and it would be many times worse to obscure the incident from a public that *deserves* to know. It’s certainly not a pleasant story, but FAR from harmful, FAR disappointing…..because it’s journalism to report regardless
Disappointed • Oct 12, 2021 at 2:37 pm
I will leave the bulk of my comments for the editor’s note. However, the insinuation that this story is “actively harmful” to those involved is farcical; it is no such thing.
The innuendo that the paper is just covering something in order to get a “scoop,” is similarly absurd. It is a patently good thing that the paper covered this story, as it is of campus-wide interest. It is important for this to be covered, and the implication that this story should be ignored by the paper is daft.
Sophie Noyes • Oct 11, 2021 at 5:33 pm
Journalistic integrity? Shame on you for publishing your half baked take on the events in the theatre department in the name of reducing harm… all you’ve done is actively harm those working for justice in the department and impede that work. God forbid you lose out on a scoop because you were waiting for real information. This article and editors’ note disregard the feelings and wishes of the people actually impacted and harmed by the situation. Who could you possibly be helping? How does this further justice? This is disappointing journalism at best, and actively harmful at worst (and in reality). What a mess.
Jacob Johnson • Oct 11, 2021 at 2:35 pm
“In an email sent on Sept. 20 to the S&B, Grinnell College’s Title IX Coordinator Bailey Asberry also cited FERPA, Title VII and Title IX policies as prohibiting her from commenting on the incident in order to protect the privacy of all students and members of the institution, including faculty.”
I can’t imagine what would compel you to receive this email from the college’s Title IX coordinator and decide to proceed with publication without concern for that same privacy.