Although the University's new sexual harassment policy was implemented 11 months ago, the University has taken few steps to activate the plan or educate the community about the policy.
The new campus-wide policy, which applies to students, faculty and employees, bans all forms of harassment, including sexual and racial.
Judith White, special assistant to the president and sexual harassment prevention coordinator, is in charge of implementing and educating people about the new policy and finalizing the procedures for filing grievances, but she has done little so far. White said her work on the policy has been slowed because she has been assisting President Nan Keohane in discussions on the future of residential life.
"We're a semester behind where we wanted to be," she said. "Fewer steps have been taken to educate the community about the policy than I had hoped we would get to by this fall."
White had planned to accompany the implementation of the new policy with a major educational campaign which was to include brochures explaining the new policy and procedures and distinguishing among different types of harassment.
"We haven't put out brochures stating the policy yet for the public but plan to get the information out by the summer, if not by the spring," she said.
Selden Holt, coordinator of sexual assault support services, said she was frustrated that little progress had been made.
"I think that the issue needs to be raised in people's priority rating and given the attention it deserves," Holt said. "The people working on it need to feel pressure from above and below and refocus on the issue and find the time to get a fully operational policy in place."
Trinity senior Deborah Forbes, chair of the sexual harassment committee of the Women's Coalition, shared similar sentiments.
"I've been very frustrated by how slowly the implementation of the procedures has been going," Forbes said. "Administrators haven't been very organized and if you experienced harassment as a student, no one would really know what to do with you. It's a half-done job and most students are getting the runaround."
Under the new policy, those filing allegations follow a three-tiered course of action: informal mediation, formal mediation after a written complaint and, as a last resort, a formal hearing before a five-person panel consisting of members of a grievance board.
White and Leonard Beckum, University vice president and vice provost, comprise the first tier of the process. White hears sexual harassment complaints, while Beckum hears complaints for other forms of harassment and discrimination.
White said she has heard 12 formal complaints requiring mediation, all of which were settled at the second tier. No complaints have gone before the grievance board. She has also received about 50 phone calls from people with concerns.
The final tier of the process created under the new policy is the grievance board, which consists of thirty people appointed by the president, including 10 faculty members, 10 non-faculty employees, five graduate students and five undergraduates.
Board members recently participated in two afternoon training sessions in which they learned about the policy and discussed hypothetical cases, she said.
"The main weakness of the board is that it covers only the more extremely persistent and severe incidents of harassment," Holt said. "We haven't decided how to respond proactively in cases which are less severe."
Although students previously brought their harassment complaints to the Undergraduate Judicial Board, undergraduates should seek advice from staff in the offices of student development or campus community development to determine what their next steps should be, White said.
She also said that faculty can talk to department chairs or deans before filing a complaint with her. Employees can contact the human resources or labor relations offices.
White said that if a person is ready to press charges, the person should approach her as the first tier of the process.
White said she plans to use other opportunities to promote harassment awareness. An on-campus February performance of David Mamet's play about a sexual harassment case, "Oleanna," may provide the opportunity. Following the play, she said she hopes to organize sessions to allow members of the audience to discuss their views.
"We also hope to set up different types of workshops to take information to groups in their own areas so people can discuss issues," she said.
Possibly due to the absence of an education campaign, few people may be aware of the new policy or procedures.
"I haven't heard anything about the harassment policy on campus and if I were being sexually harassed, I wouldn't know what steps to take to protect myself," said Trinity freshman Gul Dolen.
The policy, printed in the 1994-95 University Information and Regulations Bulletin, defines harassment as "the creation of a hostile or intimidating environment, in which verbal or physical conduct, because of its severity and/or persistence, is likely to interfere significantly with an individual's work or education, or affect adversely an individual's living conditions."
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