CMS swim team assigned ‘educational programming’ as investigation into alleged misconduct concludes

The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps athletic department and its associated schools concluded that behavior by members of the CMS swim and dive team justified “mandatory educational programming,” Claremont McKenna College told TSL on Thursday, concluding an investigation into reported actions that may have violated athletic department values.

“It was determined members of the men’s and women’s teams engaged in behavior” that justified the mandatory programming, CMC spokesperson Peter Hong said in a statement. “In addition, some members of the men’s team have been given additional educational requirements.”

The investigation began nearly a month ago, TSL previously reported, when head swim coach Charlie Griffiths summoned his team to an early-morning meeting at Roberts Pavilion in mid-September to lecture them about team standards and announce that some of the male swimmers were being temporarily suspended from practice, according to three sources familiar with the meeting.

The day before, several senior women quit the team, citing a team culture they characterized as “pervaded by toxic masculinity,” according to a source familiar at the team. 

Men on the team had reportedly circulated a yearly document called the “Stag Survival Guide” — used to “introduce new freshmen to the team and crack jokes at existing members” — and some of the women who saw the alleged document thought it went too far this year with inappropriate and offensive comments about other team members, two sources said.

The men who were suspended were allowed to resume practice a week later, Griffiths said, and CMC’s statement gave no indication of additional suspensions or sanctions.

The CMS investigation was led by Nyree Gray, CMC’s assistant vice president for diversity and chief civil rights officer, according to CMC spokesperson Gilien Silsby. CMS opens its season at UC San Diego on Oct. 26.