Coalition Plans New Leadership Structure

After a semester in which they moved from the sidelines to the center of campus politics, the Coalition Against Sexual Violence is restructuring for next year and strengthening its campaign for a women's center.

The coalition, formed in February 1998, has been run as a collective with 15 to 30 members attending its weekly meetings.

Vaulted into the spotlight by the controversy surrounding the charges of sexual assault against D. Drew Douglas, Class of 2000, the coalition recently won two important concessions from the administration.

As part of its preparation for more activism next year, the coalition has opted for a more formal leadership structure. It elected Alexis B. Karteron '01 and Kaitlin McGaw '00 co-chairs for next year in a meeting Thursday evening. J. Orchid Pusey '00 will be the secretary and treasurer, and Shauna L. Shames '01 is the new members coordinator.

McGaw said the change in structure is aimed at better organization. But, she added, "we want to continue in a non-hierarchical way."

She said next year the coalition plans to reach out to the Harvard community to create a larger membership base.

"We want people to feel they can come and have their voices heard," McGaw said.

And, it seems, the coalition has been heard by some in University Hall. Recently the College has promised to improve Sexual Assault Sexual Harassment (SASH) training and to make minor reforms to first-year orientation to promote more awareness about sexual assault and rape.

These were two of the eight demands submitted to University Hall by the coalition in February. The demands were submitted after two undergraduate women who had been sexually assaulted spoke publicly about their experiences for the first time.

Joshua M. Elster, Class of 2000, pled guilty to rape and indecent assault and battery of an undergraduate female in Middlesex Superior Court in September. In the same month, Douglas pled guilty to indecent assault and battery of an undergraduate woman.

This spring, the coalition took part in a rally and other events to raise awareness about rape and sexual assault oncampus, and met regularly with the administrationabout their specific demands.

Each House or each sector of the Yard has atleast one SASH tutor "to serve as a `point offirst contact' for students who have concernsabout sexual harassment and assault," according tothe 1998-1999 SASH advisors' handbook.

The coalition charged that the currenttraining--monthly meetings that the membersclaimed all advisors did not always attend--wasinadequate for the amount of responsibility placedon the advisors.

Now, according to Acting Assistant Dean ofCo-education Julia G. Fox, the administration willoffer a three-hour training session in Septemberfor SASH advisors before the start of the academicyear in addition to the monthly meetings. Fox saidthe September session will probably not bemandatory.

"Graduate students have a lot ofresponsibilities so we can't mandate," Fox said."I think tutors take their training seriously."

Coalition members had originally demanded aone-to two-day training session, but Fox said thetutors cannot devote this much time to training.

This was "the only time we were able to workout to fit in with the other training and proctororientation," Fox said. "I'm pleased that we'reable to get three hours set aside."

Fox said the sessions will probably focus onhoning the tutors' listening and counseling skillsand making them aware of the resources availableon campus. Speakers will most likely includeexperts from the University Health Services (UHS),the Bureau of Study Counsel and outside rapecrisis resource centers, according to Fox.

SASH advisors will brainstorm with Fox and somestudents from the Coalition about the content ofthe sessions in the next few weeks.

In addition, there will be additions to the"Building A Safe Community" meeting that allfirst-years must attend during orientation.

Assistant Dean of Freshman Sarah B. Drummondwrote in an e-mail message that this presentation,about a third of which will be devoted todiscussion about rape, will include informationabout Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) classes,sexual assault prevention and resources availableto those who have been assaulted.

She said the coalition has not caused theFreshman Dean's Office (FDO) to change itsorientation policies significantly, but "thecoalition has served to remind the FDO howimportant it is to provide education tofirst-years about the prevalence of rape oncampus."

Coalition members met with Dean of the CollegeHarry R. Lewis '68 and other administrators onFriday to discuss the creation of a women'scenter.

"We had a good meeting at which a number ofideas were put on the table," Lewis wrote in ane-mail message. "Most of the time was devoted totalking about much broader notions of a women'scenter and what purpose [coalition]members thoughtit might serve."

In the original eight demands submitted inFebruary, the coalition demanded a women's centerwith administrative offices, a health-care clinic,peer counseling groups and a 24-hour rape crisiscenter.

They are currently focusing on the aspects ofthe center that would create a sense of communitybetween women at Harvard, not just provide a "safespace" for victims of sexual violence. The centerwould ideally be "institutionally supported" witha full time staff, McGaw said. But, she added, thecoalition has not discussed the details.

"We wanted to make sure that Deans Lewis andFox understood that our vision is for more thanimproved `advising, counseling and advocacy'services," Rosslyn Wuchinich `99, one of theCoalition founders, wrote in an e-mail message.

"We are concerned with the lack of support andcommunity for that large segment of the studentpopulation whose experiences are `unspeakable' and`invisible' almost everywhere on campus," sheadded.

The women's center would offer women a place togather and find support.

"We talked a lot about how it's important tobuild community," McGaw said. "Knowing thatthere's somewhere where the administration willlisten to you" is important.

She said the center would show "aninstitutional commitment to femaleundergraduates."

"I think, especially with the end of Radcliffe,there has to be a change," McGaw said.

But Lewis said a women's center of this typewould contradict College nondiscrimination policy.

"It is our stance that all of Harvard belongsto all the students, and the creation of aseparate space for women (or for minoritystudents) would institutionalize the notion thatthe rest of Harvard does not fully belong tothem," Lewis wrote in the message.

Both McGaw and Lewis agreed that there was aproductive exchange of views but no concreteprogress made.

There was "no change of view on my part atleast on the broad question of a women's center,"Lewis wrote.

"We never got to a discussion of the `safespace' topic."

Wuchinich wrote that, while Lewis seemedinterested in their concerns, he was not ready tocommit to any major change anytime soon.

"I did not feel that he agreed with ourarticulation of the problem or understood theextent to which the university's policy of notestablishing centers for marginalized studentpopulations to build community is a form ofdiscrimination," she wrote

Each House or each sector of the Yard has atleast one SASH tutor "to serve as a `point offirst contact' for students who have concernsabout sexual harassment and assault," according tothe 1998-1999 SASH advisors' handbook.

The coalition charged that the currenttraining--monthly meetings that the membersclaimed all advisors did not always attend--wasinadequate for the amount of responsibility placedon the advisors.

Now, according to Acting Assistant Dean ofCo-education Julia G. Fox, the administration willoffer a three-hour training session in Septemberfor SASH advisors before the start of the academicyear in addition to the monthly meetings. Fox saidthe September session will probably not bemandatory.

"Graduate students have a lot ofresponsibilities so we can't mandate," Fox said."I think tutors take their training seriously."

Coalition members had originally demanded aone-to two-day training session, but Fox said thetutors cannot devote this much time to training.

This was "the only time we were able to workout to fit in with the other training and proctororientation," Fox said. "I'm pleased that we'reable to get three hours set aside."

Fox said the sessions will probably focus onhoning the tutors' listening and counseling skillsand making them aware of the resources availableon campus. Speakers will most likely includeexperts from the University Health Services (UHS),the Bureau of Study Counsel and outside rapecrisis resource centers, according to Fox.

SASH advisors will brainstorm with Fox and somestudents from the Coalition about the content ofthe sessions in the next few weeks.

In addition, there will be additions to the"Building A Safe Community" meeting that allfirst-years must attend during orientation.

Assistant Dean of Freshman Sarah B. Drummondwrote in an e-mail message that this presentation,about a third of which will be devoted todiscussion about rape, will include informationabout Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) classes,sexual assault prevention and resources availableto those who have been assaulted.

She said the coalition has not caused theFreshman Dean's Office (FDO) to change itsorientation policies significantly, but "thecoalition has served to remind the FDO howimportant it is to provide education tofirst-years about the prevalence of rape oncampus."

Coalition members met with Dean of the CollegeHarry R. Lewis '68 and other administrators onFriday to discuss the creation of a women'scenter.

"We had a good meeting at which a number ofideas were put on the table," Lewis wrote in ane-mail message. "Most of the time was devoted totalking about much broader notions of a women'scenter and what purpose [coalition]members thoughtit might serve."

In the original eight demands submitted inFebruary, the coalition demanded a women's centerwith administrative offices, a health-care clinic,peer counseling groups and a 24-hour rape crisiscenter.

They are currently focusing on the aspects ofthe center that would create a sense of communitybetween women at Harvard, not just provide a "safespace" for victims of sexual violence. The centerwould ideally be "institutionally supported" witha full time staff, McGaw said. But, she added, thecoalition has not discussed the details.

"We wanted to make sure that Deans Lewis andFox understood that our vision is for more thanimproved `advising, counseling and advocacy'services," Rosslyn Wuchinich `99, one of theCoalition founders, wrote in an e-mail message.

"We are concerned with the lack of support andcommunity for that large segment of the studentpopulation whose experiences are `unspeakable' and`invisible' almost everywhere on campus," sheadded.

The women's center would offer women a place togather and find support.

"We talked a lot about how it's important tobuild community," McGaw said. "Knowing thatthere's somewhere where the administration willlisten to you" is important.

She said the center would show "aninstitutional commitment to femaleundergraduates."

"I think, especially with the end of Radcliffe,there has to be a change," McGaw said.

But Lewis said a women's center of this typewould contradict College nondiscrimination policy.

"It is our stance that all of Harvard belongsto all the students, and the creation of aseparate space for women (or for minoritystudents) would institutionalize the notion thatthe rest of Harvard does not fully belong tothem," Lewis wrote in the message.

Both McGaw and Lewis agreed that there was aproductive exchange of views but no concreteprogress made.

There was "no change of view on my part atleast on the broad question of a women's center,"Lewis wrote.

"We never got to a discussion of the `safespace' topic."

Wuchinich wrote that, while Lewis seemedinterested in their concerns, he was not ready tocommit to any major change anytime soon.

"I did not feel that he agreed with ourarticulation of the problem or understood theextent to which the university's policy of notestablishing centers for marginalized studentpopulations to build community is a form ofdiscrimination," she wrote