A concern brought to the President’s Commission on the
Status of Women’s (PCSW) student concerns committee became
an intense subject of discussion at the group’s Oct. 3 meeting.
Committee cochair Amy Fasula and member Tiffany Worboy said a graduate
student told the committee about various incidents where she felt
she had been sexually harassed on campus. In one incident, the student
said she had been approached and verbally harassed by construction
workers working on campus. In another, she said a cafeteria worker
had followed her around a campus cafeteria for an extended amount
of time.
While this student reported the incidents to proper campus authorities,
Fasula and Worboy said the situation prompted them to review what
resources were available for similar situations. The group drafted
and presented “Reducing Sexual Harassment at Emory: A Plan
of Action.” The yearlong plan hopes to:
• Improve access to existing channels for dealing with sexual
harassment.
• Improve utilization of existing resources for prevention,
education and enforcement, as well as identifying gaps in resources.
• Conduct a literature review.
• Develop a long-term plan for future PCSW action.
Women’s Center Director Ali Crown said she used to attend
the University Safety and Security Committee meetings and encouraged
a student member to do the same. She said the meetings were beneficial
in understanding how Emory handles sexual harassment and related
crime issues. Crown also emphasized that sexual harassment is truly
a campuswide concern.
Junior chair Kim Smith supported the plan and said all PCSW committees
should work together on it. Worboy asked all members to review the
plan and send comments back to her at the next meeting.
In other business, faculty concerns cochair Marietta Collins said
the group is preparing to release its faculty study on gender and
equity but is still working on obtaining data from the School of
Medicine.
Staff concerns committee chair Susan Lee reported that Elaine Gossett
had been elected chair-elect of the committee and Sue Martin elected
as secretary. This year, the group plans to examine Emory’s
disability policy, staff promotions and Emory Hospitals’ upper
management.
The commission will meet again Nov. 7 at 3:30 p.m. in 400 Administration.
If you have a question or concern for PCSW, e-mail Beth Seelig at
bseelig@emory.edu.
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