You work together, you laugh together. You meet once or twice a week - maybe more. You see each other in classes, at the Campus Center, and at parties. You're friends, but you're also co-workers. If you participate in a student organization, you know that many friendships develop through common interests and spending a lot of time together. But when it comes to sexual relations, where do you draw the line?
Harvard University's daily newspaper, the Crimson, has adopted its own policy on sexual harassment, following such a case on its staff. Matthew MacInnis, president of the Crimson, described the policy as a "too-late reaction to something that had already occurred." He said that, because the Crimson employs three full-time, paid staff members, it is required by law to protect them from sexual harassment. Because it is a volunteer-based organization, they can also extend that policy to the rest of the staff.
According to MacInnis, the policy intends to provide a sense of protection for the staff members. Since the adoption of the policy, MacInnis said that the Crimson has not had any sexual harassment incidents.
At Tufts, as with most universities, student organizations are covered under the blanket university sexual harassment policy. Before the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate recognizes a group, that group must agree to abide by all policies upheld by the University.
"Groups can only be recognized by the [TCU Judiciary] if they agree that they will not interfere with the physical and psychological well-beings of the members," TCU Senate Treasurer Michele Shelton said.
Shelton added that, if members of student groups would feel more comfortable adopting their own policy, they should either do so, or propose an amendment to the TCU Senate constitution. "If it's not clear enough, I think that the system can definitely be changed to make it clearer," she said.
Shelton mentioned that, since Senate Parliamentarian Ben Lee is working with senators to revise the constitution, this year would be the time to make changes if groups did not feel that certain policies were clear enough. Currently, sexual harassment is not explicitly included in the constitutions of student groups - students are protected under general discrimination policy.
Peggy Barrett, director of the Women's Center, feels that the Tufts policy is strong enough to ensure that all students involved in campus organizations should feel protected. "The policy is the same for everyone on campus," she said. "Each student group is already covered and they have to abide by university policy, which is pretty strict."
The Crimson's policy identifies two kinds of sexual harassment: quid pro quo and "hostile environment". Quid pro quo involves a person of authority who uses status to make sexual gains, or when the submission to or rejection of unwelcome sexual conduct is used in making decisions regarding an individual's opportunities. "Hostile environment" sexual harassment refers to individuals who create an environment that a "reasonable person" would find intimidating, offensive, or hostile.
This policy is specific to the Crimson and states that, because the lines between the undergraduate community and the members of the Crimson staff are often ambiguous, the members of the Crimson must realize that they are still subject to the Harvard University policies and procedures.
The nature of student organizations can lead to ambiguity on the social level. Many student groups require a huge time commitment and usually foster strong friendships - even romantic relationships. Junior Erica Goldberg, Editor-in-Chief of the Observer, said that with all the time that goes into producing a newspaper, the members of the Observer tend to become friends. But when a hierarchy is involved, lines must be drawn.
"If you act one way with a person outside of the newspaper, how do you know if it's okay to act that way inside the newspaper?" Goldberg asked. "Our staff is friendly and open with each other.... We're pretty communicative, so I think that if someone was having a problem, they could speak up about it." But, she added, she's never encountered any problems on this level.
Sophomore Elizabeth Monnin, co-chair of the Tufts Feminist Alliance, feels that such a sense of protection should come from the University.
"I feel like the University policy should be comprehensive enough to make students in groups feel protected enough," she said. "Ideally, students would feel like the overall policy was strong enough so they didn't have to have a separate policy - but that's not always the case."
Monnin added that, in adopting a policy of their own, groups would only serve to strengthen university policy. Goldberg echoed Monnin's sentiments. "Normally, I think that private organizations within the University should rely on University-dictated policy," she said. However, Goldberg added, if an entire group is in agreement that a new policy should be instated, she sees no problem in drafting one for further protection.
However, junior Allison Collins, president of Leonard Carmichael Society, doesn't agree. "It would be too confusing," she said. If policy needs to be clarified, she said, it is the responsibility of the administration to make across-the-board changes.
According to Barrett, education might be more effective than a new policy. "I would say that it might be important for everyone to agree to abide by the University policy," she said. "It might not be necessary [to adopt new policy], but maybe to reiterate the policy and have everyone understand it."
Occasions do arise where members of student groups become uncomfortable due to the behavior of other members. "[Student groups] can be very hostile working environments. A lot of what is called 'fooling around' is actually sexual harassment," Barrett said. "After working long hours, people get tired and lose a sense of what is okay and not okay."
