Days of Dialogue Open with Three Panels

Despite organizational problems that forced the Undergraduate Council to postpone and then shorten its planned "Days of Dialogue"--as well as the absence of key administrators--council leaders declared its first day successful, pointing to high attendance last night.

In conjunction with a wide range of student groups, the council sponsored and moderated three panel discussions, dealing with campus issues of sexual violence, race and religion.

Council leaders said they were pleased with the turnout, which ranged from about 40 people at the forum on rape and sexual assault to nearly 60 at the religion discussion.

But the evening did not go off entirely as planned.

Council President Fentrice D. Driskell '01 said she had intended to feature a speaker from outside Harvard to kick off the dialogue on Tuesday, but efforts to find such a speaker through the Institute of Politics "fell through."

So Driskell--who had originally hoped to have a "Week of Dialogue" and had shortened the schedule to three days by the time the plan reached a council vote--ended up with a two-day event.

"I don't think it detracts from the week at all," Driskell said of not having an outside speaker.

On the bright side, she said, University President Neil L. Rudenstine will take questions at tonight's planned town hall meeting.

The council was not quite so lucky with administrators last night, as a series of miscommunications with Assistant Dean of the College Karen E. Avery '87 led to Avery's missing the discussion on rape, at which she was scheduled to be a panelist. Avery is the dean who deals with cases of reported sexual harassment and assault.

Much of the debate at the forum on sexual violence centered on criticism of how College policy deals with the issue, especially the process by which rape cases are brought to the Administrative Board.

"I don't think that the Ad Board deals with cases of sexual assault very well," said David B. Orr '01, a member of the Coalition Against Sexual Violence.

Complaints against the Ad Board, voiced by several discussion participants, included its lack of what Orr called an "impartial advocate" for victims, its inability to get access to physical evidence and the length of time that it often takes to resolve cases.

Rabia Belt '01-'02, who was involved in planning the event, also voiced her doubts about the Ad Board's efficacy.

"Is something that is set up to deal with plagiarism also equipped to deal with felony crimes?" she asked.

In its defense, a Harvard University police sergeant said the Ad Board is one of many options students have available to them. Another student pointed out that a benefit of the Ad Board over the legal system is the anonymity it provides accusers.

But no administrators were present to answer student concerns--although Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68 had been invited but had another commitment, according to moderator Stephen N. Smith '02.

In addition to debate over the Ad Board, the forum featured representatives of the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center and other support groups, who spoke and distributed information about resources for victims of sexual violence.

Driskell also pronounced the interactive panel discussion on self-segregation--as opposed to forced segregation--a success, noting the high attendance and variety of views expressed during the discussion.

"So much has been said [tonight], even that the choir was preaching to the choir. But sometimes the choir's got to get stronger," Driskell said.

The lively debate touched upon issues from the effects of randomization to the different components of student identity and self-segregation--from race and religion to sexual orientation.

"I thought the entire discussion was very, very substantive with a broad variety of viewpoints articulately expressed," said moderator and Master of Winthrop House Paul D. Hanson. "There were honest differences and it was a completely civil discussion."

While some students criticized "University-imposed diversity" in the form of randomization and spoke of the powerful factors working in favor of creating bonds based on culture, others welcomed randomization as an opportunity to step out of comfort zones.

Audience member Ama K. Karikari '02 espoused the latter view.

"The people that are here are some of the most dynamic folk here," she said. "People can go here for four years without ever meeting you, you, you and you--people never go out of their comfort zones."

The student panelists represented the Asian American Association (AAA), Bisexual Gay Lesbian Transgender and Supporters Association (BGLTSA), Black Students Association (BSA), Campaign for a Living Wage, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the South Asian Association (SAA).

The event, in turn, was sponsored by AAA, Cuban Students Association, SAA, Multi-Cultural Issues Forum, Concilio Latino, BSA and the NAACP.

Despite one tense moment when an elderly male audience member said he regretted that the days of forced segregation were over, the discussion wrapped up to a round of applause and optimistic closing remarks.

Event organizer and council representative Fred O. Smith '04 emphasized that change beings at the individual level.

"My challenge to you is to go out and do something," Smith said. "Then, maybe Days of Dialogue can turn into Days of Action."

In last night's third and final event, a panel discussion entitled "Is There Room For God at Harvard?" 10 panelists from a variety of campus religious organizations convened before nearly 60 audience members to discuss the place of religion in the daily lives of Harvard students.

The discussion was moderated by comparative religion professor Diana L. Eck, who said she hoped the discussion would touch on the "different dimensions of the Harvard religious experience" and "whether Harvard is an environment where it is easy or hard to be religious."

After a brief introduction by Eck, the panelists introduced themselves and their organizations and talked about their religious experiences at Harvard.

While some panelists, like those representing Harvard-Radcliffe Christian Impact and the Harvard Islamic Society, stressed the need for religious piety in students' lives, other panelists introduced a less devout perspective.

Ram C. Gowda '02, president of the Harvard Secular Society, said his organization holds a "healthy skepticism of all beliefs."

Jennifer S. Leath '03, one of the event's organizers, said it was necessary to have a variety of groups represented at the discussion.

"We've pulled together different religious and secular groups to find out where God fits at Harvard and how Harvard nurtures spirituality," Leath said.

Despite the general feeling by those at last night's events that the first day of dialogue was a council victory, some members were not so sure.

Former council treasurer Sterling P. A. Darling '01 said more people could have been involved in the planning of the events and noted the "low-key effort" to publicize the forums.

Council Treasurer Justin A. Barkley '02 said he thought the premise behind the "Days of Dialogue" was faulty.

"Dialogue has never impressed me a whole lot," Barkley said.

Barkley and Darling did not make it to any of the discussions last night, but they said they do plan to attend tonight's town hall meeting.