Sexual Harassment

To the Editors of The Crimson:

The editorial on sexual harassment in The Crimson (10/5/83) leaves much to be desired. The author's argument that Harvard's policy of not revealing details of cases causes harm to victims is not a very convincing one.

By remaining tight-lipped about the details of reported cases, the University DOES NOT discourage people "from bringing their complaints to administrators." Contrarily, the privacy that is guaranteed to the victim provides an incentive to report to administrators something that would otherwise be considered to be "sensationalistic news." I assume here that when one is sexually harassed, one would not like to see one's name in the headlines of the newspaper where it undoubtedly would be if the case were made public. Sexual harassment has to be dealt with firmly and authoritatively. Cases do not have to turn into "scandals" for the victim to be compensated effectively.

Similarly, the "accused" is not receiving as lesser punishment just because the details of the case are not revealed. Professor Dominguez's name has continued to appear in The Crimson and I doubt very much that at this point, he is under "no pressure" to "alter his behavior." The Government Dept.'s action and the unwanted publicity surrounding the case are, I'm sure, more than enough to "pressurize" anybody into mending his ways.

Dean Marlyn Lewis and other administrators have, in several mailings, made it very clear to us that sexual harassment is both wrong and illegal. Just as Ad Board procedures and action are addressed to every individual in the College, the issue of harassment is being dealt with on an individual basis. It is no less painful to a student facing Ad Board action when the details of his case are kept confidential. Neither does it prevent him from changing his ways. The "accused" in a case of sexual harassment is not in anyway being let off the book just because his wrong doings are not in the newspaper.

The University has so far made policy in a very careful and cautious manner, on what is in my opinion, a very delicate issue. Press-releases or wide-spread publicity through the mass media are not the most effective way to deal with sexual harassment. What the University has been doing is reaching out to every individual in the community and telling him quietly and effectively that help is at hand. It is time we supported them in their cause. Vijaya Ramachandran '86