EDITORIAL
Harassment policy
needs careful reform
The University is proposing changes in the way it
deals with sexual harassment on campus, and it's atxmt
time. Even though people are quirk to recognize and
condemn racial discrimination, they are less aware of
and morn tolerant of sexual harassment.
What the University is proposing will place sexual
harassment in the same category as other forms of dis
crimination. thereby giving it a recognized status as an
unacceptable behavior.
The proposal targets "inappropriate behavior" in tho
work or educational environment. Such behavior is
defined as "creating an intimidating, hostile or offen
sive" environment through offensive words or pictures.
There is nothing to distinguish between a one-time
stupid comment and a pattern of deliberate harassment.
Presumably each report will be evaluated on a case-by
case basis.
The plan attempts to
remove some of thwbur
don of reporting harass
ment from the victim
and places it on the
shoulders of co-work
ers. The proposal
requires University
employees to report any
violations they become
aware of. or any allega
tions of violations they
become aware of.
Sexual harassment,
much like rape, is often
not reported by the vic
tim out of an unde
served fooling of shame,
guilt or embarrassment. Any step to remove that stigma
and increase the likelihood of the incident being report
ed is to be encouraged.
It is in that spirit that the plan would permit victims
to make anonymous accusations, but the University will
not act unless two such reports are Hied against the same
person.
Anonymous complaints are fine, so long as they are
not used against a person in any way. The accused
should be mado aware of the complaint, thereby giving
him or her the opportunity to rocognize the offending
behavior and correct it.
But any action beyond that should not be allowed to
occur with no more than anonymous accusations. Mar
lene Drescher, director of student advocacy, said stu
dents may not file complaints if they fear being brought
into an investigation.
The only solution, and not a very good one. is to make
it more difficult for a case to be investigated. It is entire
ly unethical, and illegal, to take action against a person
who has been anonymously accused. The Sixth Amend
ment guarantees the right of the accused "to be con
fronted with the witnesses against him," and the Uni
versity should be careful it doesn't cross that line.
_Oregon Daily
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Editor Par Marach
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The Sixth
Amendment
guarantees the
right of the
accused to be
confronted with
the witnesses
against him,’ and
the University
should be careful
that it doesn't
cross that line.
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COMMENTARY
Minority students not retreating
By Jack Orozco
Members of the group
Students of Color
Building Bridges were
offended by the unsigned staff
editorial regarding our efforts
[ODE, Man h 3). We found the
piet e to he grossly ignorant of
our campaign and the attitude of
the authors to he overly conde
scending. We believe the edito
rial's vocabulary, such as the
words "alleging." "complain
ing" and "threatening” were a
misrepresentation, and they
misconstrued the readers' opin
ions.
SCBB is a coalition of stu
dents of color from the four
underrepresented student
unions and the ASUO It formed
in the summer of 1992 to
improve the communication
and trust level between admin
istrators and students of color ot
the University.
Recently, we let it lie known
that the University, despite its
wonderful rhetoric, has largely
neglected to make diversity a
priority. Despite President
Myles Brand's and other Univer
sity leaders' ceremonial lip ser
vice, they have made virtually
no progress on people of colors’
concerns. They fail to take peo
ple of color seriously, instead
entertaining us with flowery
dialogue of the University being
a meeting ground for all
As a result, after much
thought and discussion, SCBB
has instigated a comprehensive
campaign to pressure the Uni
versity into making diversity a
credible and sincere objective.
We have presented the Universi
ty with a petition of our griev
ances and a list of demands We
have asked that the University
soon begin making sufficient
progress in the areas of multi
cultural curriculum, faculty of
color and support services.
Otherwise, we will initiate a
sequence of consequences, rang
ing from the encouragement of
alumni and high school students
of color to discontinue their
affiliations with the University,
to the withdrawing en masse
from the University as an
expression of our extreme dis
satisfaction.
Our campaign has received an
overwhelming amount of sup
port from community organiza
tions and leaders. This senti
man! is expressed by the exw u
live director of Centro Latino
Americano. Antonio Sardinia
What the students of color
advocate is precisely the step we
need to take" [ODE. March 5).
People nationally have made
available a variety of resources
for SCBB. in fat:t. Brand person
ally thanked us and said he
appreciates our "very construc
tive. well thought out
approach." Brand also assured
us that administrators will offer
no resistance to our campaign
Some of our requests do
require monetary support, and
in the past, J99()'s Ballot Mea
sure 5 has often been used to
justify not funding these types of
reforms, as was repeatedly men
tioned in the stuff editorial
But the measure isn't at fault;
even before it was approved in
1990, the University claimed it
had difficulty in locating fund
ing. SCBB asks the University to
look at the projects it is funding
over diversity.
The staff editorial also dis
cussed sensitivity seminars. It
said "the goal could be attained
by fixing the multicultural cur
riculum. not by requiring re
education’ seminars. Sensitivi
ty cannot be taught but is
acquired as a result of exposure
to other cultures and environ
ments.”
First, how can the Emero/d
advocate multiculturalism when
it has so historically opposed it?
Second, sensitivity seminars
aren't imposed "re-education."
but rather awareness training
And we have concerns over
whether these should be man
dated — if not. then what incen
tives would assure attendance7
Finally, of course sensitivity can
Ik* taught — racism certainly is.
One of SCBB's most impera
tive requests is the diversifica
tion of the entire curriculum,
not just for students of color but
particularly for European-Ainer
icans It's vital they are provided
with an understanding of racial
issues in the context of the Unit
ed States. And our current cur
riculum is recognized as seri
ously deficient by noted
national authorities.
But the most offensive senti
ment expressed by the staff edi
torial is that our campaign is a
retreat, an attempt to run away,
“its members would rather give
up. pack their bags and move on
How can the
Emerald advocate
multiculturalism
when it has so
historically
opposed it?
to more diverse pastures."
If it were truly a retreat, then
why would we initiate a cam
paign7 Why would we continue
our involvement as committee
members, as officers, directors
and as representatives in the
community? Why would we be
receiving the extraordinary
praise that we are?
The stalf editorial’s authors
believe that "if these students
are interested in building, rather
than burning, bridges, they will
stay and carry on the struggle."
But why is this burden put on us
as students of color?
The University has employed
staff to do the exact forms of
advocacy we are performing As
people of color, we are the recip
ients of racism, and yet we do
almost everything to combat it.
Because of the systematic
oppression of white racism,
European-Americans have an
obligation to fight it. Some
would say it's simply a white
problem; because whites contin
ue to initiate, maintain and con
done it. people of color simply
suffer from racism, as activist
Eric Ward said.
People should remember that
our struggles have existed,
unlike our campaign, for quite
some time And we are tired of
being used by the administra
tion to create the appearance
that reforms are being made. Wo
therefore feel compelled to take
our education — our activism —
to an institution that sincerely
struggles for diversity.
March 12. University leaders
will present an update of their
progress on our list of demands
to SCBB. It's crucial that the
University and people of color
continue their support over the
next several months regarding
our campaign
lark Orozco is a member of
Students of Color Building
Bridges and a pre-journalism
motor