A donation fund launched by members of the Class of 1977 this Monday called“Not the Princeton Mom”on the crowdfunding website GoFundMe.com, has raised $5,444 as of Thursday night, exceeding the fund’s original $5,000 goal.
The money will be donated to the University's Sexual Harassment/Assault Advising, Resources and Education office.
According to an email obtained by The Daily Princetonian, members of the Class of 1977 were emailed on Tuesday night about the fund.
The email said the fund's goal was to express solidarity with victims of sexual assault in the face of what they perceived as offensive remarks by Susan Patton '77. It also expressed concern that Patton was attempting to speak for the University community.
In December, Patton, who has called herself "the Princeton Mom," appeared on CNN and discussed date rape.
CNN anchor Carol Costello asked Patton whether she had interacted with a victim of sexual assault, and Patton said she had. Costello then asked if she believed the victim's claims.
"I believe she got very drunk and had sex with a man that she regretted the next morning," Patton said on CNN. "To me, that's not a crime. That's not rape. That's a learning experience that has to do with making choices and taking responsibility for the choices you make."
Patton, however, said her point was misrepresented in the media.
“I never said that date rape is a learning experience, but that is the headline that was posted in the 'Prince' and was picked up by other news media outlets,” she said.
Claims that she is misrepresenting herself as a representative of the University are also inaccurate, she said.
“No thinking person would believe that I speak for the class or that I speak for the University," she said. “I love the name ‘the Princeton Mom’ because it combines two things that I love dearly, my alma mater and my children."
Patton is also president of the alumni Class of 1977.
University Trustee Randall Kennedy '77 said Patton's remarks on CNN were inappropriate.
“I saw her described as ‘the Princeton Mom,’ and the Princeton connection was all over that broadcast,” Kennedy said. “Frankly, it put Princeton in a bad light ... Speaking as an individual is one thing, but then if you are speaking in a way in which you associate yourself with your University connection."
Patton should take more care to individualize her claims, Kennedy said.
“It’s one thing for Patton to say what she wants to say on her own, but I think that she should be more careful about individualizing her statement and stay clear of any sort of association with Princeton that may lead people astray on [the University’s stance on sexual assault],” he said.
Julie List '78, coauthor of a letter published in The Daily Princetonian earlier this month by the Class of 1978 said she was excited for the Class of 1977 to take its own action.
“SHARE by its very nature, acknowledges that date rape is real, that it exists," she said. "I think [the members of the Class of 1977] were able to debunk the views of this so-called ‘Princeton Mom’ and say, ‘She doesn’t speak for her class.’ Even though [Patton] has appropriated the Princeton name, she doesn’t speak for the Class of 1977 ... [The fund] is such a positive action to take.”
SHARE director Jacqueline Deitch-Stackhouse deferred comment to director of development communications Ruth Stevens, who did not respond to a request for comment.
The GoFundMe letter was signed by 38 alumni from the Class of 1977 as of Thursday night.
Several alumni who signed the letter either did not respond to a request for comment or deferred comment to Mark Nelson '77, who created the GoFundmMe page.
Nelson declined to comment.
Fifty people, including both University alumni and faculty and individuals with no clear University affiliation, have donated to the fund as of Thursday night.
Donors contacted either declined to comment or did not respond to a request for comment.
Patton said the people organizing the fund were largely responding to remarks she never made.
"We are a diverse community with many opinions on a wide range of issues," she said. "However, some people are responding to opinions that I don’t hold and comments that I never made ... It seems clear to me that there are groups that feel that their causes don’t receive adequate notice, and some of them have used my name and misrepresented my words in inflammatory headlines to draw attention to their causes."
Patton also noted she believes media outlets have misconstrued her February appearance on The Daily Show, where she said,"I think students want sex. I don’t believe they want sex ed."
“No, I do think that sex ed is something that parents should teach very young children, but you understand that The Daily Show is comedy," she said. "It’s a comedy program that is largely scripted and heavily edited for laughs, and a significant portion of my interview was edited out.”
Patton noted that in parts of her interview that were cut out, she advocated that high school students address their sexual health questions with their doctor.
Patton first gained national attention as "the Princeton Mom" when she wrote a letter to the 'Prince' advising women to find a husband while still in college.
Last March, Patton released her self-help bestseller, "Marry Smart: Advice for Finding The One," and 123 members of the University’s faculty then wrote and signed an open letter published in the 'Prince,' stating they “do not believe that [students’] manner of dress or drinking behavior makes them responsible for unwanted sexual contact," in response to claims they believe Patton made in her book.
“I am advocating for women to be smarter for themselves and take more responsibility for their own safety,” Patton said. “I’m not blaming victims. I’m saying, ‘Don’t be a victim.’ ”
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