Yale under federal investigation for possible Title IX violations

Staff Reporter

Friday, April 1, 2011

UPDATED: April 2, 10:32 a.m. The University is under investigation by the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights stemming from an alleged mishandling of several instances of sexual misconduct in recent years.

The Office for Civil Rights will open an investigation into the University “for its failure to eliminate a hostile sexual environment on campus, in violation of Title IX” — which prohibits discrimination or exclusion from education programs — according to a press release by the complainants sent to the News Thursday afternoon. In an official statement sent to the News Friday afternoon, University spokesperson Tom Conroy said administrators had been verbally briefed by the Office for Civil about its inquiry. Later that evening, Yale College Dean Mary Miller alluded to University regulations and past responses to instances of sexual misconduct in an e-mail sent to members of the Yale community.

The investigation comes after 16 Yale students and alumni filed a formal complaint March 15 informing the Office for Civil Rights about Yale’s breach of Title IX by citing a slew of “inadequate response[s]” to public episodes of sexual misconduct on campus, such as the controversial Delta Kappa Epsilon chanting incident on Old Campus last fall.

“We have tried so many avenues,” complainant Hannah Zeavin ’12 told the News Thursday. “We exhausted every internal process [available at Yale].”

The complaint — filed by a group of 12 women and 4 men — also includes anonymous testimonies as evidence of Yale’s inappropriate management of private instances of sexual misconduct and assault.

As a result of these legal proceedings — which are not a lawsuit — Zeavin said the complainants will bring an outside mediator to the University to help Yale properly address the sexual misconduct that has plagued campus in past years. Over the next month, complainant Alexandra Brodsky ’12 explained, the Office for Civil Rights will perform what they call a “climate check” at Yale by holding interviews with the complainants, students, administrators and faculty. The Office would also facilitate talks between the complaint’s co-signatories and Yale officials.

Zeavin said she hopes the investigation finds that the University is out of compliance with Title IX, in order to allow “systemic change” and “equal access” to all women on campus. Should the Office for Civil Rights find that Yale is not in compliance, Yale can decide not to conform to the regulation, she added, but the institution could lose federal funding as a result.

One of the incidents she cited was the 2008 episode in which a group of Zeta Psi pledges were photographed outside the Women’s Center holding up a sign that read “We Love Yale Sluts.” She also cited the 2009 “Preseason Scouting Report,” an email circulated among several student panlists that ranked freshman women according to attractiveness, as well as personal instances of rape and sexual assault among students, as indications of a worsening sexual climate at Yale. The recent investigation into claims of sexual harassment at the Feb. 19 Pundits pre-tap party was not cited in the complaint due to an ongoing police investigation and lack of information at the time of its filing, Brodsky said.

Brodsky said other aspects of Yale’s response to these incidents have compelled the cosignatories to seek help from the federal government. Frustration mounted due to administrators’ sluggish reactions to campus-wide controversies and insufficient disciplinary action against perpetrators of sexual misconduct, she said. The idea of taking legal action against the University has existed since the Zeta Psi scandal, Zeavin said. After a group of DKE pledges chanted misogynist slogans such as “No means yes, yes means anal” on Old Campus in October, provoking campus outrage, the complainants began coordinating a response to what they called Yale’s insufficient efforts.

As of Friday evening, administrators had been notified about the investigation, but had yet to receive a physical copy of the complaint and know about its specific details.

"We have not yet received a copy of the complaint, and we therefore are not able to comment on it at this time," Conroy said.

Dorothy Robinson, University vice president and general counsel, said she received a call from an investigator Thursday. While her office has not yet seen the complaint, she added, they plan to cooperate fully with the Office for Civil Rights.

“Yale takes extremely seriously all allegations of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct,” she said.

Miller, who commissioned two task forces to investigate hazing and sexual misconduct on Yale’s campus in the wake of the DKE incident, said Thursday she could not comment since the full text of the complaint had not been made available yet. In her Friday email, Miller cited several measures taken by the University toward correcting sexual harrassment on campus.

For her own part, Miller added, while the issue of sexual misconduct affects all Yalies, it also holds a "special significance" to her, particularly in the context of her duties as dean of the College.

The Department of Education declined to comment on the investigation Thursday.

In a statement to the News Thursday night, the Yale Women’s Center — which led campus response to the DKE incident, as well as to several other instances of sexual misconduct in the past few years — said they hope the complaint will build on other efforts to address and prevent sexual misconduct on campus.

“These institutional and interpersonal efforts are ongoing and seek to shift campus culture toward one that is safe, just and affirming for all,” the statement said.

Women Faculty Forum steering committee member Connie Bagley said in an email early Friday morning that it is “important not to rush to judgment” as news of the investigation reaches campus since “this appears to be an investigation of student complaints, not an agency-initiated compliance review.” Still, Bagley said, Yale must do more to prevent sexual misconduct.

Provost Peter Salovey told the News Mar. 4 that philosophy professor Michael Della Rocca’s University Wide Committee on sexual misconduct, which Della Rocca hoped to be operational by spring semester, is near completion and that the delay in assembling the committee is to be expected.

williekittle 1 year, 1 month ago

This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.

tedbaldwin 1 year, 1 month ago

This has nothing to do with making yale safe for women. Any reasonable person could respect the exuberance of youth and realize they are in no actual danger and That there is in fact no pervasive hostility. It is about punishing men and establishing power for the anonymous complainants. A success here will be ridden by these women for the next fifty years into law practices and lucrative consulting jobs. It is a textbook application of Rules For Radicals - isolating the enemy, seeking to destroy them entirely. But any school that has to set aside a week for sex is asking for trouble. Every week was sex week at Eastern Illinois. A word to the Men Of Yale. You better fight this with everything you have. The accusation that you are interfering with the education of these women is serious and total 'junk science'. Make them prove they are not fit to be adults in a real world.

WetWilli54 1 year, 1 month ago

April Fools... right? There's no way this is true

NewHavenBorn 1 year, 1 month ago

This seems an attempt to offer a less then stellar image of life at Yale more than anything.. Could it have anything to do with perhaps Harvard's.. really bad image painted over the past 3 years by a dysfunctional Obama Administration overflowing with everything Harvard..

I suggest the applications for Yale had to be tenfold vs. Harvard. As well as alumni contributions. After all we are talking about the DOE under this administration about as biased and dysfunctional as The DOJ.. What happened Yale did not come up with an adequate Obama song.

I grew up in the New Haven area all I can ever recall is Yale being there for the community time and again. The old exit house where you got to experience the up and coming and established bands. The green the friendliest place to stroll late evenings. Now it is a haven for all the bad boys.. really?! The DOE feels compelled to intervene?!

Tully 1 year, 1 month ago

Presca Ahn's editorial refers to "alumnae;" this article replicates the language of the "press release" and refers to "alumni," implying through the masculine suffix that at least one man has joined the complaint. The Yale Herald reports that the complaint is "signed by both men and women who are current undergraduates and recent graduates of the University." Which is it? Since this story is hitting the national media it is important that all the facts be stated scrupulously; and the involvement of both sexes would be of interest to many people.

lprol 1 year, 1 month ago

Tedbaldwin is a moron. I've literally never read anything more absurd or stupid. Congratulations.

YaleLib 1 year, 1 month ago

Tedbaldwin, obviously the complainants aren't anonymous. Several are even explicitly mentioned in this article.

201Y1 1 year, 1 month ago

@Tedbaldwin: as if we didn't have enough evidence this is a problem, thanks for supplying it.

Signed, a real Yale man.

FailBoat 1 year, 1 month ago

Sigh. I see it's been a while since we've all had one of those "dialogues" on "gender".

If I were the administration, I would shut down coed housing in response.

robert99 1 year, 1 month ago

I remember an incident in Calhoun years ago called the "Susie incident". The DOE, had it existed then, would have had a field day.

jnewsham 1 year, 1 month ago

If River Tam was the administration, she certainly wouldn't be around for long.

kenberthiaume 1 year, 1 month ago

"No means yes, and yes means anal"...I'm sorry but that's hysterically funny. Kudos to the men at Yale for having such a good sense of humor. It's obviously a reaction against the politically correct zeitgeist which proclaims them to be "oppressors" and "rapists". Well done. Put it right back in the faces of these uptight, scalding females. Bunch of losers.

yalegirl10 1 year, 1 month ago

Wow. I am appalled by the comments that have been posted. Really TedBaldwin? Do you really think it's junk science when someone is seriously being affected? I am one of those girls. I was raped my freshmen year by a big shot senior and I never spoke about it for fear of these kind of belligerent and ignorant comments. I am sorry but that event has impacted me for the past 4 years and I am sure that that man has never thought about it since. Now I am not a whining little girl, I sucked it up and continued on, but no one should have to just suck it up for fear of reprisal and hostility.

theantiyale 1 year, 1 month ago

"It is about punishing men and establishing power for the anonymous complainants."

No----it's about the power of imagery to create a climate. Forced anal sex is rape.

See the UNACKNOWLEDGED 1945 MALE FOUNDER OF DATE RAPE at http://caulfieldpioneer.blogspot.com

ROFLCOPTER 1 year, 1 month ago

I guess maybe the reason I'm dubious of this whole lawsuit is because Alexandra Brodksy '12 once penned a horribly offensive column that basically called Taylor Swift a feminist nightmare:

Brodsky: Not quite ‘Fearless’ by Guest Columnist

How anyone could say such things about Ms. Swift is absolutely baffling to me, and I think raises serious questions about Brodksy's judgment. In her piece Ms. Brodsky suggests that Taylor's "Today Was a Fairytale" is as problematic to a feminist as Jamie Foxx's "Blame it," which is clearly just patently absurd. In the days of "Fearless," Taylor's songs were all about dreams: she was too young to speak on reality with much authority until the "Speak Now" era, and it's easy to pick and choose lines where she sounds like a lameo damsel waiting for her prince. How about you listen to the album in full — songs like "White Horse" show an empowered woman, rejecting a man who has treated her poorly even though he comes on a trusty steed. "I'm not your princess / this ain't a fairytale." See! And don't even get me STARTED on "Speak Now," obviously the musical accomplishment of our generation, but again "Speak Now" shows a mature Taylor who possesses total agency. "You are the best thing that's ever been mine," — she has ownership here, not the man.

So please, Ms. Brodsky, in the future, think before you so harshly slam a woman so full of talent and love, and who will serve as the voice of our generation for years to come.

Branford73 1 year, 1 month ago

Yg10, I'm sorry for your experience, but if you told no one then how can the University do anything about it, or even count it in the annual stats? So what if a conviction or expulsion didn't stick? It would still have been a rape claim and a record (though private) against him, serving as some deterrent against repetition. Perhaps he had other victims and your coming forward would have given them courage to do the same.

The article says one of the remedies desired is "equal access". Is there some ban on campus I'm not aware of that prevents women from marching and shouting "If you want anal stick it up your own a**!" or gathering in front of some frat house and taking a picture with a sign that says "We hate drunken, impotent, knucklehead frat boys?''

charlesgyer 1 year, 1 month ago

This is ridiculous. You are upset about the sexual climate at Yale, so you file a complaint that leads to a federal investigation. Guess what- the federal government isn't going to magically fix the sexual climate. They WILL take away funding used to support humanitarian work abroad, underprivileged students studying here, and a program that is going to send kids in New Haven to college. Really- you attack the funding that helps all of these great things because you're having a temper tantrum? Nice one idiots.

prescaahn 1 year, 1 month ago

Dear Tully,

The group of signatories includes both men and women.

Presca

201Y1 1 year, 1 month ago

@charlesgyer: Yale hates bad press. This is bad press. So maybe they'll actually DO something about it--that's the point. Because so far, the response to this stuff has been woefully inadequate.

RichardLouge 1 year, 1 month ago

"No means Yes. Yes means anal!" Haha - it's funny 'cause it's true :)

stikroom 1 year, 1 month ago

guns and gold

SpacePotato 1 year, 1 month ago

Let's not forget sexual harassment by Yale professors and department heads, such as Joseph Schlessinger, that have gone un-noticed and un-punished by Yale University...

Mary Beth Garceau's lawsuit states she was subject to a "sexual, offensive, persistent, unbearable and perverted conduct on the part of Dr. Joseph Schlessinger. Garceau, an administrative associate says Joseph Schlessinger also told lewd and sexually offensive jokes and openly discussed his marital infidelity, claiming to have slept with 46 different women."

Full list of plantiff complaints:
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/16776452/Joseph-Schlessinger-Sexual-Harassment-Lawsuit-at-Yale-University

Video:

Joseph Schlessinger, Prof at Yale University Steals Data, Lies in Court & Sued for Sexual Harassment by josephschlessinger

ROFLCOPTER 1 year, 1 month ago

I don't know, I just don't think it's fair to pin Taylor Swift down as antifeminist without considering her body of work as a whole. She's admitted that she only sings about "love, and heartbreak, and love, and heartbreak" and dammit she's honest when she does it. leave her alone, alexandra brodsky. leave her alone.

Sallyh 1 year, 1 month ago

Most -- perhaps not all -- of this harrassment just seems like immature, juvenile males to me. Being a woman with some experience, here is my advice: Men who harrass can dish it out, but they can't take it. I've stopped harrassment on numerous occasions with good humored but highly pointed, pay-back. Semi-good humored, but slightly painful payback, will put a stop to the t-shirt stunts, chants and the like. Come on, women of Yale, you are stronger than this. Mos of these guys will be embarrassed in the future over their college behavior. Save the formal complaints for serious personal harrassment which actually interferes with something you want to do in your life. Doln't waste time on juvenile (likely beer-induced) fraternity stunts. [[And no, I'm not a man. I'm more successful in my career than most men or women in it. If you want to be taken seriously, you cannot whine and you have to go for the big stuff]]

OMG_GEORGEHARRISisAWESOME 1 year, 1 month ago

Did you guys read the article about George Harris the other day, hehe. He had the best quotes, I bet his voice is so dreamy. I wish I could hear him say my name :( but like OMG even just to have him say hi would be a dream come true, I <3 George Harris, lolz

been_there 1 year, 1 month ago

Women will keep pushing men until they have everything the way they want it.

They will hate the men who allowed to become dominant.

Women seek to find a man who can inspire them by leading with ideas and not by dictate. Since most of these men will have been indoctrinated to be feminists, there is only one alternative left.

Then they will seek out the tedbaldwins of the world.

And then claim they would never have sex with someone like that.

Quals 1 year, 1 month ago

I think it is fantastic that Yale is under investigation by the civil rights office, for the same reason I love that Yale gets screwed over by the unions here. Yale faculty and admin promote hardcore liberalism, and fully deserve to get mauled by the monster special interest groups they spawn.

emresoner 1 year, 1 month ago

This reminds me of the sexual abuse allegations against the Catholic Church. Crimes are being committed internally but the hierarchy continues to ignore the victims' pleas for help. Meanwhile, the public wonders why the victims never dial 911 in the first place.

charlesgyer 1 year, 1 month ago

@201Y1:

Or maybe a bunch of innocent kids will lose their financial aid because the feminist magazine at Yale wanted press. They are selfish for doing this and I'm disgusted. Take it up in a different way- don't threaten the good things Yale does for the world because you are pissed off it doesn't live up to an imagined standard. Try bringing this crap to a state university and see what happens- Yale is one of the few places in the world where we can be whatever we want, even if most of American society sees it as unacceptable (LGBTQ). So quit complaining- we have it really good already, and destructive behavior isn't going to get you anything but press. Which is exactly what this magazine wanted.

theantiyale 1 year, 1 month ago

"Quit complaining" aka "a chilling effect on freedom of speech"

grumpyalum 1 year, 1 month ago

"So quit complaining- we have it really good already, and destructive behavior isn't going to get you anything but press. Which is exactly what this magazine wanted."

Yeah, quit complaining! You aren't enslaved, isn't that enough? Using the idea of "good enough" is never an answer when you are the one on the opposite side of a power imbalance.

ah_ha 1 year, 1 month ago

Thanks for the link to Brodsky's article ROFLCOPTER. I agree with what was written in it. ha!

Brodsky's writing was a well put analysis of what Swift portraits.

yaylie 1 year, 1 month ago

I think there are two separate issues. One is the public expression of ideas that some in the university find undesireable. This is a protected freedom of expression, so little can or should be done. A much darker issue is if Yale women are being raped and then pursue avenues of recourse with the university, and they do not lead to punishment of the perpetrators. If this is happening, it is a glaring injustice. IMHO, the feminists should focus on the latter issue. Stories about freshmen being raped are just nightmarish.

Thirdeye 1 year, 1 month ago

Yale also have some racist and terrorist groups."Skull and Bones" organization is one of them. This orgnization is a very dark and dirty group. It's mission is to pursue power, fortune and sex for the people of that group whom they recognize based on the race and family background. I agree that some people got success by conspiracy, but in this world, you cannot say that anything powerful or successful is right. Hitler is powerful, do you admire him? So bottom line is that if Yale still keep that dark club ( I know that nobody can shake the position of that organization because it is really powerful), Yale's image look bad, the human civilization will be consistently hurt!

pickle 1 year, 1 month ago

http://www.ihollaback.org/

pickle 1 year, 1 month ago

Educating Men Street harassment will not end until men stop harassing women. Therefore, it is most important to focus educational efforts on boys, young men, and men. I cover this topic in detail in my forthcoming book Stop Street Harassment: Making Public Places Safe and Wecoming for Women (August 2010). This page briefly touches on a few points. From what we know about why men harass, several of the major reasons are connected to harmful definitions of masculinity and its rigid framework.

*
  Men are socialized to be aggressive and violent and to pursue women. Street harassment is a way they can do all three to gain or maintain power and to prove their masculinity. This behavior is learned, and so it can be unlearned or not taught at all.
*
  Power is a cornerstone of traditional masculinity, and some men harass women to exert power and to put them in “their place” because they can. No matter how accomplished, smart, or witty a woman is, a man can instantly—and with virtually no consequences—reduce her to her body parts through whistles, comments, and groping, or exert power by demanding her attention.
*
  Many men, however, who engage in street harassment are not consciously trying to exert power over women. Instead their behavior is a byproduct of a general culture of disrespect for women and of male privilege, meaning the reality of stranger rape and gender inequality women live with is largely invisible to them as men. They may think women should be flattered by their attention.
*
  Proving male heterosexuality to themselves and to other men by objectifying women’s looks and being a sexual player is an important component of masculinit that impacts why men street harass. It can cause men of all sexual orientations to whistle at or comment on unknown women’s looks. Similarly, some men use women in their efforts to impress male friends and to belong in the group.

pickle 1 year, 1 month ago

Educating men to stop harassing women will require several approaches. 1. Men need to be taught healthy definitions of masculinity.

Healthy Definitions: Men need to be able to perceive themselves as masculine while displaying sensitivity, caring, and respect. Groups like Men Can Stop Rape specifically focus on redefining masculinity with high school and college trainings and campaigns with slogans like "My strength is not for hurting." Each of us can help foster positive definitions of masculinity by:

*
  not supporting violence in any form
*
  not penalizing men or women who act outside gender norms
*
  eliminating language like "pussy," "wuss," "fag" and "girl" as insults used to punish men for not being "macho"
*
  eliminating language that portrays men and things that are masculine as positive and things that are feminine as negative
*
  supporting men who stand up for human rights.

pickle 1 year, 1 month ago

Men need to learn to respect women (thankfully many men already do).

In American society—and in most societies—few women are leaders or are in positions of power, and in general, instead of being valued for their intelligence or talents as men are, women often are valued for their looks. Women are commonly portrayed as silent, submissive sexual objects in all forms of media, from music videos and movies, to comic books and video games. The more people see these depictions without a larger number of positive images of women to counterbalance them, the easier it is for men and women to sexually objectify and disrespect women. By teaching young men that all women they see in public are more than sexualized bodies, they may be less apt to tell them they have a nice ass or that they are “looking good.” Reminding them to think about how they would feel if a woman they respect was being harassed by a stranger when they were just walking down the street can help them realize that no woman deserves to be treated so disrespectfully. Each of us can help foster respect for women by:

*
  refraining from describing (or critiquing) women as body parts or referring to them only as sex objects instead of as complete human beings with a personality, interests, and talents
*
  reminding people who do rate women solely by their looks that they have other attributes
*
  not buying products from companies that portray only women’s body parts or portray them as sex objects and not watch movies, pornography, or music videos in which women are portrayed as objects that exist for men’s pleasure
*
  helping more women achieve positions of power and leadership.

pickle 1 year, 1 month ago

Men need to be taught specific messages about street harassment so that they understand why women do not like it and so they will be more likely to stop or never engage in the behavior.

One barrier to men understanding the inappropriateness of street harassment is male privilege, which can keep men from realizing or understanding women’s point of view and make them defensive when the topic is brought up. Getting them to view street harassment from a woman’s perspective is an important part of educating men about street harassment. Having a woman they care about talk to them about their street harassment experiences and how it makes them feel is one option. In an informal survey of 85 male allies, 95 percent said this was the best idea for informing men about street harassment and educating them that this is a problem. The onus should not be on women to have to tell them, though, but on men to ask them if they would be willing to share their stories and discuss how street harassment makes them feel. Seeing the personal connection to an issue helps people care about it and take action.

Informing men about the facts of street harassment is another important approach. Men and women may have different views about what is an appropriate way to approach and interact with a stranger in public given their different perspectives and place in a society with gender equity. Thus, it is important to teach men appropriate ways to interact with women that will be the least offensive or threatening. The following tips can guide any man's interaction with women in public:

*
  Treat women like human beings, with respect and dignity.
*
  If you want to say hello to a woman, just smile and nod or say hello. Do not whistle, honk, or make kissy noises at her. Do not say, “Hey baby,” or “Hi cutie.” Those are disrespectful and inappropriate actions and terms to use with a stranger.
*
  The way a woman is dressed does not tell you if she wants to be commented on. If she looks dressed up, do not assume it is to gain the admiration of all men she sees and that you should say something to her. She may enjoy dressing up, she may be dressed up for an event, or she may be dressed up to gain the admiration of a specific person or persons.
*
  Stranger rape and harassment are real threats for women. If you find yourself alone with a woman in a deserted parking garage, road, or park, especially at night, keep a respectful distance and do not approach her.

pickle 1 year, 1 month ago

Unless the comments or actions of men who want to flirt or meet a woman in public to date or “hook up” with are welcome by the woman, they constitute harassment. Here are several things to teach men so they can avoid being a harasser:

*
  Do not assume all women are single, heterosexual or bisexual, or interested in male attention or in forming a relationship.
*
  Differences or similarities in race, class, and age between you and the woman and the woman’s sexual orientation can cause her to interpret attention a certain way. 
*
  Women deserve the same right to privacy in public that most men enjoy, and many women will view a man who approaches her for a reason other than a gender-neutral one, such as asking for directions, the time, or to offer assistance, as violating their privacy, and they may be rude or hostile.
*
  Most of the time, women do not want to be approached for a date by a man in public places like the street or at a bus stop. Women are usually in public for a reason: to commute to school or work, to run errands, or to get exercise, not to meet men. There are times when a woman may be open to meeting someone in public, but they are rare, so keep in mind that chances are great that if you approach a woman, she will not want to meet you.
*
  If you do approach a woman, try not to do so if it is dark out, if it is a deserted area, if there are no other people around, or if you are with your friends while she is alone. All of these factors can make women feel threatened by any man approaching them. 
*
  Never follow a woman without a good reason, like she dropped her wallet and you are trying to return it. Aside from assault, being followed is the behavior women feel the most threatened by when they are alone in public.
*
  Only approach a woman when she does not appear to be in a hurry or preoccupied. Initiate the interaction by smiling at her and/or saying hello. If, and only if, she smiles and/or says hello back and then does not hurry away, look away, or otherwise try to ignore you, then you can say something else to her that is respectful and polite, including non-sexually explicit flirtatious remarks.
*
  If you say hello and/or smile and the woman hurries away, ignores you or responds rudely, leave her alone. She may not have the time or desire to talk, so be respectful of her schedule and feelings. She may have had a bad harassment or assault experience and now is wary of all men who approach her. You may be the third or fourth person to approach her that day and even if done politely, it can become wearisome and annoying.
*
  If a woman initiates a conversation with you, be polite and respectful in your responses. If at any point during a conversation a woman looks uncomfortable, gives you one word answers, looks away, or tries to leave, follow her cues and stop talking. If she does not resume the conversation, leave her alone.

pickle 1 year, 1 month ago

Male allies must lead the way in education efforts.

We need male allies. Because men listen to other men and look to other men for approval, having men tell other men not to harass and intervene when they see harassment occurring can, sadly, be a more effective way of educating men not to harass women than if women talk to them. Among the 85 male allies I informally surveyed in late 2009, 82 percent said they would be willing to talk to their male friends and family members about street harassment to help end the problem. In an open-ended question, several of them suggested messaging that men can use with other men, including:

*
  Street harassment is vastly more common than men think. It happens to almost all women at some point.
*
  Women deserve respect and have the same right to exist in public spaces as men.
*
  Think about what you are REALLY doing. Street harassment to the harassed is really scary and a person could have fear of bodily harm.
*
  Making men empathize with the harassed or imagine themselves in women's place.
*
  Casting street harassment in terms of how many of their male friends might be problems, and how many female friends suffer from it.
*
  These people [being harassed] are your mothers, sisters, wives, girlfriends, coworkers, fellow citizens.
*
  We have a choice to not harass people on that street, and the power to do so, and we should exercise that choice and power. Also, this is not saying you are not allowed to appreciate a beautiful woman on the street, but you must stop doing so in a way that invades her space and makes her feel unsafe... Men can still look at women, just do so without comment or a leer that suggests that you own that woman's body or have the right to consume it.

http://www.stopstreetharassment.com/ending/education.htm

pickle 1 year, 1 month ago

http://www.stopstreetharassment.com/ending/education.htm

pickle 1 year, 1 month ago

It is amazing to see the entitlement of the privileged white male in telling everyone else how good they have it! Even more amazing is the total lack of insight and ability to empathize. Though, none of it is actually surprising.

ROFLCOPTER 1 year, 1 month ago

@ah_ha care to back that up? something tells me you won't be able to best my knowledge of all things swift.

yale05wfp 1 year, 1 month ago

BRANFORD73: re: yale10girl---part of your comment is exactly what she did not want to hear on her own accord , and pickel has it right in one of her statements: "amazing is the total lack of insight and ability to empathize." Why would you say that had y10girl reported her violation she would have at least been named on the statistic list. Are you THINKING??? who want s to be on a list of statistics. And, do you understand what a woman is put through in testifying about an act of violence , which she had nothing to do with??? Look, my 19 yr old daughter was raped by a 60 yr old professor. ANY words, chants, alluding to sex acts is extremely offensive to me, and I would want to protect her in particular, but also every young woman from such chants that were ignored by campus administration. Just like i dont like inhaling smoke outside the exit door of any building, i also dont like my ears polluted with uninvited lewd language as i stroll the campus! y10girl protected herself the best she can from a the aftermath of a horrid experience. In my case, the Greek lawyers went to the campus, told the administrators what the (American) professor had done and he was DISMISSED from his job. Separately, many young men with whom my daughter was studying with begged her to beat the _ out of him Tonite! She declined, and she declined an investigation of the American towards his prosecution here in the states. She and I felt that justice had been served SWIFTLY as it should be, but that is not the experience here in the states. MY heart and prayers to you Y10girl. I Understand. I also understand how NO counselor really had expertise in this area. they had had a semester that touched on rape !! VEry difficult to find help. I hope that as times goes on you will continue to be a voice for change and for good in any way you see fit. You are right to proceed cautisouly. Many of these comments, like pickle and others here spelling out so many rather elementary ideas give me new concern that we are really in the dark ages on the issue of rape, and the powering down of women. I am Not a feminist either. Respect, men, thats what you need to do--Every time you open your mouth.

justathought 1 year, 1 month ago

the only thing that ever stopped me from going and getting a rape kit was my friend, the one who had been raped. just a thought.

pickle 1 year, 1 month ago

If I were to go by the comments being posted here, I would say that Yale is seething with hostility toward women.

Musicality 1 year, 1 month ago

Spot on, Pickle.

Branford73 1 year, 1 month ago

@yale05wfp - I do have sympathy for her and her experience, which I expressed, as I do for you and your daughter. But it's hardly fair or reasonable to blame a University for events it does not know about. I understand the the University internal processes are less foreboding than the regular criminal justice system and designed that way to encourage victims to report. The mention of stats refers to the ongoing controversy over how prevalent rape on campus is. Those who seem to think it's not a problem can point to a low reported incidence. Rapes ought to be reported. I understand the various reasons they are not. I am glad your daughter had the courage to report hers as far as she did and in so doing had the rapist removed from a position of being able to repeat his crime.

OldWitch 1 year, 1 month ago

@kenberthiaume, "Yale men are crass, stick a broomstick up their ass" -- now THAT's my kind of funny! Don't you agree, young Kenny? C'mon - it's a joke! Just college sorority girl anal humor. I think it would be absolutely hilarious if a bunch of sorority girls got one of those "yes means anal" boys completely drunk, slipped a little GHB in his drink, and tied him face down and naked to a bed in true "hell hath no fury" style. Let him wake up alone in the morning with a little woody enema and a much clearer understanding of the long term effects of a gang rape for which he will have no criminal proof. Or, if they don't want to be as mean as I am, just get a big group together and follow one of them home chanting the above. Totally cracks me up to think of it! HAHAHA Of course, you know I'm just kidding, sonny boy.

john47 1 year, 1 month ago

get rid of women only govt programs.....political correctness has gone too far.........women are responsible for about half of domestic violence ...100's of studies back it up...political correctness keeps the real facts from coming out

Or login with:

OpenID

Yale under federal investigation for possible Title IX violations

Yale under federal investigation for possible Title IX violations

Comments

Or login with:

Similar Stories

Facebook Recommendations

Advertisement