Recent Assault Cases Ignite Student's Call for Resources

A crowded really, a Faculty vote and extensive media coverage have brought issues of sexual violence on campus into the spotlight.

While students who are concerned about sexual violence on campus cite many reasons for their activism, all agree that the University’s response to student' complaints should be focused on improving resources for victims of sexual violence, not on particular incidents.

"The two rape cases discussed in the Perspective article were a crucial jumpstart on this issue," says Nancy D. Meakem '99 a member of Coalition Against sexual Violence (CASV). "But really, the issue was powder keg dying for some of jumpstart. Rape, sexual assault, counseling and student health resources need to be discussed beyond these two cases."

Some students, such as coalition member Alexis B. Karteron '01 , worry that many Harvard students are conditioned to think about rape as "isolated incidents."

"So many people seemed to think that [the rape cases] were isolated incidents, particularly with the Elster case at the time," Karteron says. " I got a real sense that people felt that these [types of incidents] don't happen here, when I knew that to untrue based on hearing the experiences of friends and talking to other people."

For Karteron, Tuesday's rally in front of University Hall was important step in keeping the Harvard Community focused on issues that extend beyond the two cases.

"I think a lot of people who were at the rally today were people that were thinking about it as a larger issue," she says. "The more we can let people know about this issue, The more we can let people know about this issue, the more I feel this issue will not die down."

But according to some students, the media focus still remains on the question of dismissals, which they feel is peripheral to large concerns about sexual violence on campus.

"Sometimes I get frustrated with media coverage, to be honest, because of the focus on dismissal," say Kathryn B. Clancy '01 , who is copresident of the Radcliffe Union of Student and member of the coalition. "It's great that Douglas was dismissed, but that's not the issue. The issue is that there aren't enough resources on this campus.."

Many students trace their interest in such issues of sexual violence beyond recent events at Harvard or say the cases are bringing long-standing feelings to the surface.

"Feminist political issues are very important to me and have been for a long time," says Anna M. Baldwin '00, a coalition member. "When these issues came up [in the wake of the rape cases], they brought up thing I'd been thinking about in abstract terms for a long time."

"It wasn't a surprise that rape happens at Harvard , but the fact that these issues were raised at Harvard caused me and other students to want to address them publicly in terms of our capacity as Harvard students," Baldwin adds.

For many, the experience of talking to other students who shared their concerns fostered a stronger personal identification with the issues.

"In high school [women's issues weren't] Karteron says. "I probably would have called myself a feminist, but I didn't do anything about it. Coming to Harvard , there was real change for me."

Some students say their concern stemmed in part from a sense of identification with the victims involved in the recent cases.

"I've had a great time [at Harvard] , and I don't want to be cynical," Meakem says," but I also feel for all of the people who have been so miserably misguided and miserably treated, specifically rape survivors at Harvard."

Meakem's sense of frustration with the University's resources available to victims of sexual violence is a sentiment echoed by many coalition members. For some, this has lead to a broader disillusionment with Harvard’s response to student complaints.

"The more I learn about the resources that other Universities have for prevention and support that Harvard by comparison doesn't the more I'm also frustrating that it's something students have to continually raise, instead of some thing lead by the administration."

Although Baldwin acknowledge increased activity by Harvard administrators in response to student concerns, she remains unconvinced of the College’s long-term commitment to dealing with sexual violence on campus.

"Recently I feel that our concerns are starting to be listened to a little more, but there haven't been any concrete commitments to specific changes," Baldwin continues. "It is somewhat frustrating that you don't know if you'll ever see any of these changes instituted during your time at Harvard, especially since other schools have had them for 20 years."

All the CASV and RUS members The Crimson spoke to complained about the lack of centralized resources on campus, and all addressed the difficulties they would have if they or one of their friends were sexually assaulted.

"With the state of resources the way they are now, I still wouldn't know what to do if I had been attacked like one of the recent campus rape victim ," Karteron says. "That's the scary thing about the way thing are now. People feel very alone."

"I would definitely say that in terms of my safety, the first place I would turn for support would not be Harvard," she adds. "It would be an outside institution."