Gorski Requests New Method For Assigning Patrol Routes

"A new method of making student security patrol assignments should be established," David L. Gorski, chief of Harvard University Police, said last night.

The statement was made in a letter last Friday to Edward Pollock, a graduate students in Slavic Languages and Literature. Pollock, a student security Patrol Officer, had previously written a complaint to Gorski protesting the existing method of route assignments.

The assignment method presently used allowed women officers first choice of routes after the first 40 assignments are made on the basis of seniority.

Pollock said this system is both unfair and illegal because "it extends to one class of students a privilege which, is not extended to others."

Gorski said yesterday that although he is not fully convinced of the illegality of the present system, he thinks it should be changed.

Whether or not sex is a legitimate basis for distinction in route assignments is a "subjective matter," Gorski said yesterday. He added that although there are "distinctions other than sex to be made among different qualifications," the Harvard Police do not have time to screen individual student patrollers for a broad range of qualifications.

Gorski said one of the extreme possibilities would be to exclude women from the student security force altogether or to introduce a system in which individual officers would have to automatically accept shifts assigned to them.

Gorski said he would ultimately like to see a route assignment that is "as fair as possible to everyone without jeopardizing anyone's safety." However, he offered no specific proposals.

Gorski said he has assigned Captain George Walsh to draw up a specific plan for route assignment for consideration next fall. Gorski told Pollock it would not be practical to cancel this semester's assignments.

Edward M. Powers, director of employee relations, said yesterday that a new method of spift assignments should "not distinguish between men and women."

A completely seniority-based system would discourage women from joining the force, Walsh said yesterday. He said that seniority members would pick all the safe routes, leaving women with only dangerous routes. "The present system is designed to encourage women to join us," he added.

Kristina S. Krendl '76, a patrol officer, said yesterday that there should be an assignment distinction based on sex. "Women can be raped," she said, "and there is no reason to make a woman a target.