Harassment Survey Misrepresented

To the Editors of The Crimson:

We feel obliged to correct any misconceptions which may have resulted from the July 19 Crimson article on the Sexual Harassment Survey Project. We feel it is misleading in several ways:

First, it is not accurate to any that there are any "preliminary results" from the survey. We made it very clear that no statistics have yet been compiled and that our statements were thus based only on our own impressions from reading and coding over 2500 survey forms.

In several places, the article represents our statements as concrete conclusions, when in fact, they were phrased tentatively and we made it clear that they were not based on hard data.

Secondly, it is inaccurate to say that the survey shows a more widespread problem than suggested by official statistics. First, because there are not yet any statistics from the survey and secondly, because Dean Marilyn Lewis has never claimed that the figures compiled by her office represent the extent of the problem of sexual harassment at Harvard. Furthermore, at this stage, it is misleading (as we pointed out) even to refer to "cases" of harassment as the behaviors described on a survey may be considered quite minor, and not sexual harassment, by the respondent. As of yet, we have no way of determining what constitutes a "case" of harassment. Therefore to say the survey shows that "most cases go unreported," is not accurate at this early date.

Thirdly, the article conveys the impression that we have already finalized our policy recommendations. Again, with the survey at this stage, none of our statements should have been construed as definite. We do think it likely that a broader support network for resolving incidents of sexual harassment would be helpful to victims, but this is hardly a new idea.

We are concerned that the Crimson story was misleading as to the actual status of the survey project, and as to the nature of our comments. In fact, we have not yet begun to examine the raw data from the survey, nor have we done any analysis whatsoever. Therefore, the real insights into the nature and extent of sexual harassment at Harvard, which we hope the survey will provide, are still many weeks away. Joe DINunzie, Chris Spoulding   Coordinators, Sexual Harassment Survey Project