Petition is addressed to: St. John's College Administration

We are concerned alumni of St. John’s College. We are former students of both the Annapolis and Santa Fe campuses, and we represent a range of graduation and attendance years. On behalf of the college community in general, and marginalized students and alumni in particular, we are hereby formally requesting that St. John’s College release an official statement clarifying the circumstances surrounding Peter Kalkavage’s (hereinafter “Kalkavage”) recent departure from St. John’s College.

It is our understanding that Kalkavage is no longer associated with the College. His information has been removed from the College’s website, and reliable sources have reported the following:

• That he is no longer teaching classes on campus.
• That his departure was a direct result of a Title IX/Sexual Misconduct claim brought against him by a former SJC student.
• That he has sent emails to current students telling them that he was taking leave due to “depression.”
• That he sent at least two separate emails to two different current students after the original emails to the classes, containing invitations to connect via his personal contact information, and the students were in contact with him, not knowing why he had departed.
• That his interpretation of the story has gone unchallenged.
• That the College notified faculty in an emergency faculty meeting held on Friday, 4/19, that a complaint was filed, Kalkavage admitted to the misconduct, that he will no longer be a part of the College, and that tutors are all mandated reporters.
• That neither the College nor the Board of Visitors & Governors has made any statement to current students and alumni regarding these matters and debunking the claim that his departure was due to “depression” or other health issues.

It is time for the College to publicly avow its commitment to student health, safety, and well-being. The College must be transparent and forthright, most importantly to protect student safety but also to renew trust in the College as an institution. While none of the undersigned are personally involved in this matter, or are even current students of the College, we have all been directly affected in one or more ways by the college’s past and current policies toward sexual assault in the College community and the way in which sexual assault allegations have historically been treated by the College’s administration.

The College should make a statement on this matter and must do so publicly and without delay. We have already seen that, absent an official statement, the College community is left to speculate, and that such speculation has led to rumors and misinformation. Kalkavage himself has used his official College email address to email current students, misleading them about the reasons for his abrupt departure, and even encouraging his students to stay in touch with him and providing his personal contact information (phone number and email address). This is a huge breach of trust on behalf of the College, and it creates additional danger for those students who are unaware of the truth of the situation and the long history of Kalkavage’s inappropriate behavior toward students.