When mentors cross the line
Joe Lonsdale
The New York Times Magazine recently profiled the troubling  potentially criminal relationship between a former Stanford student  Ellie Clougherty  and entrepreneur Joe Lonsdale who was  among other things  Clougherty’s mentor for the undergraduate course Engineering 145: Technology Entrepreneurship.
As the story unfolds  it becomes increasingly disturbing.  Lonsdale  and Clougherty’s relationship evolves from that of a mentor and mentee into a romantic relationship and then  Clougherty alleges  into something much more disturbing—including sexual harassment and assault. Clougherty took the case to Stanford officials and  Lonsdale  was banned from the Stanford campus for ten years (though that ban seems theoretical at best  given that  according to Bazelon   “Lonsdale  has been invited to campus for a private lunch which he attended with the university’s permission.”). Clougherty filed a civil suit in January and  Lonsdale  has responded  vigorously   and filed a countersuit  denying Clougherty’s accusations.
 Lonsdale  never treated Clougherty as someone who had goals and dreams. Instead   Lonsdale   by engaging in a personal relationship with  his  young mentee  treated her as a romantic conquest. He ignored his professional responsibility for personal gain.  Lonsdale  insists that  “Ellie is a forceful person ” as if  somehow  that negates the inherent power imbalance not only in a mentor/mentee relationship  but also between a 21-year old college student and a hugely successful 29-year old entrepreneur.
Alumni are a natural source of mentoring for colleges and universities. These alumni and their success stories are living proof that the education at any given college or university works  and that the current students are making a wise  invaluable investment in their future. Joe Lonsdale is one of countless alumni who have been tapped by their alma maters to work with promising undergraduates. Unfortunately  though  many universities seem to think that getting mentors on campus is all they need to do. There is  all too often  little oversight and few systems in place to help students when these relationships become troubled.
The New York Times Magazine recently profiled the troubling  potentially criminal relationship between a former Stanford student  Ellie Clougherty  and entrepreneur [TGT] who was  among other things  Clougherty’s mentor for the undergraduate course Engineering 145: Technology Entrepreneurship.
As the story unfolds  it becomes increasingly disturbing.  Lonsdale  and Clougherty’s relationship evolves from that of a mentor and mentee into a romantic relationship and then  Clougherty alleges  into something much more disturbing—including sexual harassment and assault. Clougherty took the case to Stanford officials and  Lonsdale  was banned from the Stanford campus for ten years (though that ban seems theoretical at best  given that  according to Bazelon   “Lonsdale  has been invited to campus for a private lunch which he attended with the university’s permission.”). Clougherty filed a civil suit in January and  Lonsdale  has responded  vigorously   and filed a countersuit  denying Clougherty’s accusations.
 Lonsdale  never treated Clougherty as someone who had goals and dreams. Instead   Lonsdale   by engaging in a personal relationship with  his  young mentee  treated her as a romantic conquest. He ignored his professional responsibility for personal gain.  Lonsdale  insists that  “Ellie is a forceful person ” as if  somehow  that negates the inherent power imbalance not only in a mentor/mentee relationship  but also between a 21-year old college student and a hugely successful 29-year old entrepreneur.
Alumni are a natural source of mentoring for colleges and universities. These alumni and their success stories are living proof that the education at any given college or university works  and that the current students are making a wise  invaluable investment in their future. [TGT] is one of countless alumni who have been tapped by their alma maters to work with promising undergraduates. Unfortunately  though  many universities seem to think that getting mentors on campus is all they need to do. There is  all too often  little oversight and few systems in place to help students when these relationships become troubled.