April 9,1981 feature The Other Press page seven by Jaquie Miller reprinted from the Charla- tan by Canadian University Press. I went to take an oral _ exam in this prof’s office. At first he just asked me PP 2x¢sti0ns about the course. ™ then he said it’s hard to take an oral exam with someone as charming as you. Then. he made other comments about how beaut- tful I was. This was in the middle of the exam. When I didn’t know one of the answers he leaned over and put his hand on my ee and said ‘that’s all right.’ don’t know what he Feast ts this guy doing? -Carleton University student The problem of sexual harassment came to public attention at Carleton this week after a group of jour- nalism students complained of harassment in that facul- ty ranging from sexist re- marks in class to physical assault. . Carleton is by no means unique. The university community has become in- creasingly aware of the pro-' blem. A _ well-publicized, unprecedented case at the University of Ottawa re- cently in which a tribunal upheld the university’s de- cision to dismiss a professor for sexually harassing a 19-year-old student has done much to bring the issue out into the open. Probably the biggest dif- ficulty in dealing with the emotionally-charged issue of sexual harassment is simply in defining the term. Perceptions of what consti- tutes sexual harassment run the gamut from sexist re- - .marks to sexual blackmail, assault or even rape. “It’s anything but a clear cut problem,’’ says Univer- _ sity of Guelph psychology professor Norma _ Bowen, who is doing a survey on sexual harassment at that university as well as writing a book on the subject and teaching a half course on the social-psychological as- pects of sexual harassment. Bowen is quick to point out that she doesn’t want to ‘rule out a genuine roman- tic involvement between a student and a professor. I _ can’t condone the university digging into the private lives of individuals but when profs use their class as a recruitment ground for their bedroom that is surely a cause for concern.”’ “‘There are always innuen dos, subtle distinctions in human relationships,’’ she says. The Canadian Association defined sexual harassment of University Teachers has | An ‘A’ fora lay: | as ‘‘unnecessary touching, patting or pinching, leering or verbal harassment or abuse; overt or subtle de- mands for sexual favours accompanied by implied or explicit threats concerning one’s job, grade, letters of recommendation and so on; and physical assault.’’ Other are definitions broader in scope. For instance, the Ontario Fe- deration of. Students’ wo- men's committee says a more “‘subtle form of sexual harassment takes place in a classroom where women students, as a group, are made to feel uncomfortable because of comments made about the value of women students, women’s opini- ons, women in a field of study, etc.’’ But all the definitions emphasize one key concept: power. Constance Back- house and Leah Cohen, in their book on sexual harass- ment in the work force, point out that harassment is not based on sexual desire; it is power politics at work. It is the ‘‘ultimate remind- der’’ to women that their fundamental status in soci- ety is that of a sex object and that they hold their positions only by the suf- france of men. The exploitation of the unequal power relationship between student and profes- sor can be every bit as harmful as sexual harass- ment onthe job. Professors have influence on a stu- dent’s academic success and future grades, recom- mendations, research ap- pointments and job refer- rals. Especially for gra- duate students, who work most closely with professors and whose academic careers hinge on their advisors’ support and appraisal, the consequences of harassment can be devastating. As well, as pointed out in the preliminary report by a committee set up at York University to study sexual harassment, exploitation of the anetial power relation- ship between student and professor destroys “‘strong bonds of intellec- tual dependence and trust’’ built up between students and their teachers. “I didn’t know about his reputation. I went to his office to pick up a book. He: reached over for it and sort of patted me--a little too close to the breast and a little too long to be casual. He asked me if I wanted _ him. to read .out all the “dirty parts in the book and said ‘I see you’re wearing a pair of nice sexy jeans today’. I was just sick. Usually I talk a lot in class but now I just wanted to never go back. I feel really nervous around him. What bothered me most wasn’t the pat, it was in the class afterwards. Here I was taking this class from this terrific professor who I real- ly respected only to find out he’s areal slime. -Carleton Journalism student. Thé problem of defining sexual harassment is further complicated by the sociali- zation process women go through. As Backhouse and Cohen point out, ‘‘our en- tire society emphasizes that women should measure their status by their success in attracting men. The pervasive belief is that wo- ment are flattered by sexual come-ons.”’ Socialization also means that signals can be misinter- preted. ‘‘All of us were brought up in an environ- ment of playing hard to get - you say no at first and he’ll come back, knowing you don’t really mean it.’’ says Bowen. It is also true that some women exploit their sexua- lity for gain. Bowen recalls one student she interviewed during the course of her research who said ‘‘there is not enough sexual haras- sment in university. How are we supposed to find a husband?”’ The extent of sexual ha- the I was just freaked out - what Carleton students Susan Dusel, Maureen McEvoy and Debbie Woolway rassment on Canadian cam- puses is unknown, -although the National Union of Stu- dents is planning to conduct a study on the problem next fall. But there is no doubt that the prevalence of sex- ual harassment on campus bears little relation to the number of cases actually reported to school autho- rities. There has never been an official complaint of sexual harassment at Carleton, ac- cording to president William Beckel. Former Carleton ombuds- person Dorothy Kent says she received two or three complaints in as many years, all of from ‘‘very aware women who had done all the rational things, and were worried about getting a lousy mark.’’ She said _ they were all resolved in- formally. The blackmail number’’ bably pretty rare, said, | Students are reluctant to complain of harassment for a variety of reasons. They may feel embarassed, fear reprisal, or assume they won’t be taken seriously. ‘‘heavy is pro- Kent Even though know I was a victim and that he was taking advantage of me, I berated myself for handling this so poorly. I’m too nice. T still feel very uncom- fortable when men come on to me sexually...It’s the same old thing. Men know who to come onto. I’m sure I’m always so nice. I would say that half the women I — know are like me, ideal victims for sexual harass- ment. It has alot to do with our upbringing and our atti- tudes toward men. We just go along with things even though we find them un- pleasant and frightening. We’ve been told all our lives that male attention is flattering. Nobody ever talked about how humilia- ting and coercive it can be at times. -graudate student, quoted in Backhouse and Cohen book At Douglas too? “It’s a vicious circle,’’ explains Bowen. ‘‘Women don’t complain because they are afraid. They’re afraid the university will say you’re naive, go away little girl. And as long as there are no complaints, nothing will be done.”’ Bowen says she is teased by her colleagues for not doing ‘‘serious research’, and has been met. with skepticism by the university presidents she has approa- ched with the problem. ‘‘Many presidents said there was no problem be- cause no case had come up. All of them were afraid of the media getting a hold of it? * As well, Bowen said there is a prevalent feeling that women should be able to handle sexual harassment on their own. “*Some administrators say that above average people come to university, and if they can’t handle sexual ad- vances, they shouldn’t be here. University is the place to learn to solve problems, to learn about interpersonal relation: ships.”’ Universities are just re- cently making an effort to come to grips with the problem of sexual harass- ment. The committee set up to study the problem at York recommended that. a formal grievance procedure be adopted, which would be a first at Canadian uni- versities. The report recom- mends a sexual harassment complaint centre be set up to handle complaints, coun- sel victims and help educate the community about the problem. Carleton has no official sexual harassment grie- vance procedure. Com- plaints can be handled in- formally by the chairperson of the department or the dean or a written complain, along with the professor’s rebuttal, can be put in a professor’s file. Ombudsperson Vonna Reingold says their office would be willing to help victims of sexual harass- ment, but that a clearly defined, and advertised grievance procedure is needed. “It’s not a topic people feel comfortable about com- plaining...how many stu- dents would go through the effort and rigamarole of trying to find out what the proper procedure for ma- king a complaint is? But the only possibility for disciplinary action is if the student files a formal grievance to begin dismissal proceedings, according to Carleton president William Beckel.