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The Marsden-Donnelly harassment case occurred in 1997, when Rachel Marsden, a student at Simon Fraser University (SFU) at the time, accused swim coach Liam Donnelly of raping her the previous September. The case became a cause celebre in Canadian media because of the salaciousness of the details, the topicality of sexual harassment, and the procedures for investigating it. The case led to the resignation of SFU President John Stubbs.

Early contact

Liam Donnelly and Rachel Marsden first met in 1990 at New Westminster’s Hyack swim club. Donnelly was a coach there and Marsden, a teenager, was a swimmer.Marsden refused to do one particular workout; Donnelly relegated Marsden to a less competitive category; Marsdens' parents hired a lawyer in an attempt to have the decision reversed; in the end Marsden left the club. Hyack staff later recalled that Marsden had an unhealthy crush on Mr. Donnelly at the time.

In 1993, Marsden began as a student as Simon Fraser University and tried out for the university swim team. Donnelly was head coach. She quit after a few weeks, saying competition would interfere with her studies." But she did not stay away, instead she studied in a carrell overlooking the pool.

Rape accusation

In late 1996, Marsden accused swim coach Liam Donnelly of a date rape that had occurred in September, 1996. Donnelly, on the advice of his lawyer, refused to attend a hearing before a university panel drawn up to hear the allegations. The panel found him guilty and Donnelly was fired on May 23, 1997.

After dismissing his lawyer and hiring another, Donnelly appealed the ruling and went public with his side of the story. He denied any romantic relationship with Marsden and claimed that she had in fact been harassing him. Among his claims was that Marsden had sent him graphic emails with explicit offers of sex. When these went unanswered, she wrote on Oct. 13: "Should you decline I'll totally understand ... some situations are just too hot to handle ... and I think that I might be a little too untamed for you." (This came a month after Marsden claimed Donnelly had raped her.) Donnelly also claimed that Marsden showered him with stuffed toys, candy, flowers, cards, a subscription to the magazine Playboy and provocative photographs of herself.

Some of these details were subsequently confirmed. Marsden later admitted to the emails but explained them as an attempt to lure Donnelly into a meeting where she could extract an apology. Also, after initially denying any involvement in the Playboy subscription, she admitted to it. Marsden admitted giving Donnelly the photos, but insisted that he had requested them. She also claimed that she had been in his apartment, which Donnelly admitted but insisted was innocent.

Aftermath

The case attracted much media attention, and the legitimacy of the investigative procedures and the conclusions drawn by the panel were cast into doubt. An internal SFU review discovered that the university's harassment policy coordinator Patricia O'Hagan had a "personal relationship" with Marsden and had shown her drafts of the initial report.

SFU reversed its decision, rehiring Donnelly and paying $35,000 in legal fees. All findings of harassment were removed from his file.

As a result of the case, SFU radically revised its policies for dealing with harassment. University president John Stubbs, who had endorsed Donnelly's dismissal, first took medical leave and then resigned in the wake of the scandal. SFU also reopened 11 harassment cases and reversed their decision. In the end, Marsden's claims were never adjudicated by a court or a reconstituted university sexual harassment committee and no charges were laid against anyone involved in the controversy.

References

1. "Fired swim coach to seek arbitration Simon Fraser won't change its decision after sexual harassment charge countered", The Globe and Mail, 2 June 1997, C11
2. "He says, she says", CTV Television, Inc., W5, November 18, 1997 22:01:50 - 22:15:50 Eastern Time (archived here); "Simon Fraser University’s sinking credibility: a harassment scandal focuses attention on the university’s 'kangaroo court'", British Columbia Report, vol. 8(44) je 30′97 (June 30, 1997), pg 31
3. Derek DeCloet, "An improbable 'balance of probabilities', Alberta Report, v. 24 (34), August 4, 1997, pg 36-37
4. "He says, she says", CTV Television, Inc., W5, November 18, 1997 22:01:50 - 22:15:50 Eastern Time (archived here)
5. Victor Dwyer, 'A campus divided: disturbing new allegations rock Simon Fraser' Maclean’s v. 110, no. 30 (July 28, 1997): pp. 42-3 (archived ).
6. 'University defends firing of coach who skipped hearing', The Kitchener-Waterloo Record, June 6, 1997, pg. A12 (archieved here
7. Dave Cunningham,'Simon Fraser University’s sinking credibility', British Columbia Report, June 30, 1997, v.8(44) Je 30′97 pg 31 (archived here); cf. Steve Simmons, 'The Last Word', The Toronto Sun, June 10, 1997, (archived here).
8. Dave Cunningham,'Simon Fraser University’s sinking credibility', British Columbia Report, June 30, 1997, v.8(44) Je 30′97 pg 31 (archived here)
9. Robin Brunet, 'The barracuda speaks', British Columbia Report, November 10, 1997, v.9(11) N 10'97, pg 36-37 (archived here): 'She added that she had sent the steamy e-mails in “a desperate attempt to entice into meeting with me so I could obtain accountability and an apology from him for the abuse, harassment and rape I suffered at his hands.”'; cf. also CTV Television, Inc., W5, November 18, 1997 22:01:50 - 22:15:50 Eastern Time (archived here).
10. David Finley, Liam Donnelly's Conviction by Prejudice: Lessons for Harassment Policy, section 6: she had explained this action has having been done "with the hope that he would be able to take out his sexual frustrations on the magazines instead of on real women"
11. Robert Matas, "SFU report details sex allegations Panel based ruling supporting student's claim of harassment on balance of probability", Globe and Mail, 17 July 1997, A4
12. Victor Dwyer, 'A campus divided: disturbing new allegations rock Simon Fraser' Maclean’s v. 110, no. 30 (July 28, 1997): pp. 42-3 (archived ).
13. (reference stub)
14. 'A difficult search for a delicate balance', Maclean’s v. 110, no. 26 (July 1, 1997): p. 102.
15. "Embattled SFU president asks for medical leave", Canadian Press Newswire, July 29, 1997, section Jl 29′97
16. Ian Bailey, "Simon Fraser president quits over handling of sex cases", Canadian Press Newswire, December 12, 1997, section D 12′97

• 1997 in Canada
• Simon Fraser University