by Benson Agoha
Harvard University President, Drew G. Faust has announced the creation of a task- force on sexual misconduct within the university.
She made the announcement by mail yesterday before moderating an Office for the Arts event in the college's Farkas Hall. The task force will be led by former College Provost, Prof. Steven E. Hyman as the group develops recommendations, the Harvard Crimson reported.
According to the Crimson, it comes on the heels of a surge in campus-wide and national attention on Harvard’s current sexual assault policies, and just three days after it published an anonymous article, written in the first-person, detailing the author’s experience with sexual assault at Harvard and accussing the University of inadequate response.
* Drew G. Faust: Harvard must find better ways to prevent terrible incidents of sexual misconduct.
But the decision to set up a task force, was the result of weeks of consultation with deans and others over recent weeks, according to the University President, and not triggered by the article.
In the email, the President said the Task force will develop recommendations about how Harvard can improve efforts to prevent sexual misconduct and [ also ] develop insight into these issues based on input from both within and beyond the school's community.
Besides Prof. Hyman, who, himself helped oversee the creation of the Office of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response, during his tenure as provost, 17 other members of the Harvard community from across the campus, will also be in the group.
This include's "Director of Harvard University Health Services Paul J. Barreira, the minister of Memorial Church Jonathan L. Walton, Cabot House Co-Master Stephanie R. Khurana, professors from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and several graduate schools, and two current College students, among others," the Crimson said.
“We simply have to find better ways to prevent these terrible incidents, and we must make sure that we provide appropriate support to students who have experienced violence and related forms of sexual misconduct.,” Prof Hyman said.
And according to school President Faust “Harvard must and will meet our legal obligations, but those obligations should not alone define Harvard’s commitment to providing an educational environment in which all students have the opportunity to thrive.”
But the move has already been challenged by two Harvard students, including a member of an activist group, filing a complaint against Harvard at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights in they alleged that the College’s sexual assault policies violate Title IX.
* Follow me on Twitter(follow): @bensonagoha and @woolwichonline.
Harvard University President, Drew G. Faust has announced the creation of a task- force on sexual misconduct within the university.
She made the announcement by mail yesterday before moderating an Office for the Arts event in the college's Farkas Hall. The task force will be led by former College Provost, Prof. Steven E. Hyman as the group develops recommendations, the Harvard Crimson reported.
According to the Crimson, it comes on the heels of a surge in campus-wide and national attention on Harvard’s current sexual assault policies, and just three days after it published an anonymous article, written in the first-person, detailing the author’s experience with sexual assault at Harvard and accussing the University of inadequate response.
* Drew G. Faust: Harvard must find better ways to prevent terrible incidents of sexual misconduct.But the decision to set up a task force, was the result of weeks of consultation with deans and others over recent weeks, according to the University President, and not triggered by the article.
In the email, the President said the Task force will develop recommendations about how Harvard can improve efforts to prevent sexual misconduct and [ also ] develop insight into these issues based on input from both within and beyond the school's community.
Besides Prof. Hyman, who, himself helped oversee the creation of the Office of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response, during his tenure as provost, 17 other members of the Harvard community from across the campus, will also be in the group.
This include's "Director of Harvard University Health Services Paul J. Barreira, the minister of Memorial Church Jonathan L. Walton, Cabot House Co-Master Stephanie R. Khurana, professors from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and several graduate schools, and two current College students, among others," the Crimson said.
“We simply have to find better ways to prevent these terrible incidents, and we must make sure that we provide appropriate support to students who have experienced violence and related forms of sexual misconduct.,” Prof Hyman said.
And according to school President Faust “Harvard must and will meet our legal obligations, but those obligations should not alone define Harvard’s commitment to providing an educational environment in which all students have the opportunity to thrive.”
But the move has already been challenged by two Harvard students, including a member of an activist group, filing a complaint against Harvard at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights in they alleged that the College’s sexual assault policies violate Title IX.
* Follow me on Twitter(follow): @bensonagoha and @woolwichonline.
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