The History Department (pictured above) used to be located on the third floor of Sturges Hall. One history professor was accused by a former student of untoward behavior. (Malachy Dempsey/Managing Editor)
A former Geneseo student has alleged that professor of history Emilye Crosby sustained a relationship with the student for multiple months in 2003. The alumna characterized the relationship as abusive and damaging to her academic career.
The former student—who requested that her name be withheld due to fear of retaliation—claims that Crosby initiated an improper relationship that lasted for about a year. Crosby did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
The student alleges that their first interaction occurred when the student was enrolled in one of Crosby’s classes during her junior year. She continued to remain enrolled in Crosby’s classes throughout the year.
“She sought me out outside of class,” the former student said. “She initially invited me to her home at a time when her partner wouldn’t be there … she initiated a sexual relationship that went on for more than a year.”
According to the alumna’s allegations, Crosby effectively isolated the former student from her friends, her boyfriend at the time and professors close to her.
Professor of sociology Anne Eisenberg confirmed that the former student changed while the relationship with Crosby progressed.
“[The alumna] was a student in at least one or two of my classes,” Eisenberg said. “I noticed in her senior year that she changed and she seemed preoccupied, she seemed unfocused. It was almost like she had done a 180.”
The alumna alleges that Crosby played a significant role in actively breaking down her relationships with other professors, including Eisenberg, thus preventing her from receiving their guidance in looking at post-graduate programs.
“She wanted me to go to grad school and study what she had studied and so she encouraged me to apply to history graduate programs, but I wasn’t an undergrad in history,” the alumna said.
“I didn’t get into any of my graduate programs, so she sort of actively sabotaged my academic career as well, because she had isolated me from the people who I was working closely with.”
The student attempted to end the relationship at the beginning of her senior year, but claims that Crosby continued to make advances against the alumna’s consent.
“She knew where my classes were, would find me on campus, would be standing outside the building when I left, wouldn’t stop calling me,” the former student said.
“I was enrolled in a class with her at that time … I didn’t go to that class for the last three months, nor did I do any of the work. I got a B in that class.”
Another former student of Crosby’s, and close friend of the alumna during this ordeal, Whitney Crispell ‘05 corroborated the characterization of Crosby as driving the student from those who were close to her.
“I remember really struggling because I loved this professor and my two best friends were taking this [class] with me and I wanted to really get into this info and impress everybody, [but Crosby] was incredibly hostile to me … which I didn’t even really fully appreciate at the time,” Crispell said.
“I remember afterwards talking to [the alumna] about it after she exited the relationship. One of the things [Crosby] would do was, after that [class], she would basically just pick me and [the student’s] boyfriend apart from the student and basically just talk shit about us.”
Crispell similarly said that the former student’s story had remained the same since it was told to Crispell initially Harrison Watkins ‘07 also said that he was made aware of the relationship at the time it ended.
Upon the former student’s graduation in 2004, she continued to remain in Geneseo to look at other post-graduate options.
It was during this time that the student revealed the events of the past year to late professor of English Julia Walker.
With Walker’s support, the alumna reportedly reached out to the administration, specifically former Geneseo provost and current president of SUNY Buffalo State Katherine Conway-Turner, according to the former student. Conway-Turner did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
At the 2005 meeting between the alumna and Conway-Turner, the alumna said that Conway-Turner spoke about creating a policy to prevent similar events in the future, but declined to discipline Crosby because the former student had already graduated.
The college formally drafted the Sexual and Amorous Relationships policy, which explicitly prohibits relationships with this power dynamic, in November 2005. The policy was also revised in February 2007, according to the policy page on the college’s website.
The student claims that Crosby knew about the lack of policy during the duration of their relationship.
“[She] had looked up in the handbook of the college at the time that there was no explicit rule that prohibited sexual relationships between faculty members and students,” the former student said.
“I was of age, so I was 20 and she was 42, so she was very aware of what she was doing and very aware that she couldn’t technically be fired for it.”
When Eisenberg formally learned of the situation from the alumna and from Walker, she felt surprised.
“I was really shocked when I heard about what happened with [the former student] and Emilye Crosby,” Eisenberg said.
“It is not considered acceptable [among faculty]. So the school may have a policy, [but] if it doesn’t provide an avenue for students who have been coerced or manipulated to have recourse, it’s meaningless.”
The situation was brought up again in April 2009 when Crosby was under consideration for promotion to full professor. In order to receive such a promotion, the Faculty Personnel Committee, the provost and the professor’s department all provide assessments to the college president for their final decision.
Walker allegedly spoke to multiple faculty members, including members of the FPC and the history department, informing them of the allegations against Crosby.
Multiple faculty members declined to comment on the record due to concerns over confidentiality agreements, but said that Walker spoke to them and indicated that they believed the alumna’s account.
Despite discontent amongst faculty and staff and recommendations against promoting Crosby, former College President Christopher Dahl went forward with her promotion.
Walker detailed the nature of Dahl’s decision to the former student in an email from dated Sep. 10, 2009.
“I am very sorry to have to tell you that Chris Dahl went against the History Dep[artment], the Faculty Personnel Committee, and two provosts, acting and new,” Walker wrote. “He just didn’t have the guts to announce it … he is promoting Emilye Crosby.”
Dahl did not respond to a request for comment.
The alumna proceeded to contact the new administration at that time, including former provost Carol Long, for a brief meeting to discuss the issue.
“[Long] felt that the situation had been handled and there was no reason to further discuss it,” the student said.
“This has been a series of presidents and provosts who feel like this situation has been handled and there’s no reason to still be concerned.”
The student’s third attempt at contacting administration regarding the situation occurred in Dec. 2017 over a phone conversation involving the student, President Denise Battles and a legal representative from the Human Resources Department.
“I can confirm that I did speak with a former student in December 2017 regarding an alleged faculty misconduct issue, which was soon after she contacted me via email. During that conversation, I provided her with information related to relevant college policies and procedures,” Battles said in a statement. “I must also point out that the college’s Consensual Sexual and Amorous Relations policy dates to November 2005. Any relationship that may have occurred prior to then would therefore not fall under the provisions of this policy.”
The former student professes that her attempts at contacting administration multiple times are primarily due to concerns over the safety of current students.
“I feel like the student body has a right to know,” she said. “I think she’s a predator and she shouldn’t be working with students … someone who’s 42 who [doesn’t see] that a relationship with a 20-year-old student [is] a problem … I don’t think they should be working with young men and women.”