Last April, at a Take Back the Night rally, Assistant Dean of the College Karen E. Avery '87 was asked how many rapes had been reported to her.
She said four.
"That's bullsh--!" someone yelled out.
For Harvard and other universities, the question of reporting and recognizing rape, and ultimately preventing it, remains volatile.
"How do we respond if no one's coming to us?" Avery asks.
Federal legislation, passed in 1990 and spurred by a collegiate rape and murder, now forces Harvard to carefully collect data on rape from senior tutors and sexual assault/sexual harassment advisers.
Student groups like the Coalition Against Sexual Violence (CASV) argue the numbers do not reflect the real level of rape on campus and advocate building a women's center to encourage victims to feel safe enough to tell their stories.
While victims are encouraged to report their rapes, emotions are not recorded in the federal tally, as the College balances its federal duty with a healthy respect for the rights and privacy of rape victims.
Read more in News
This Year, Wolf Won't Even Have to Bare Her TeethRecommended Articles
-
Brina Milikowsky '00In the space of a few weeks, a largely unorganized and inactive group, the Coalition Against Sexual Violence, had rallied
-
No One Should Be LaughingI went into the "Building a Safe Community" meeting during first-year orientation week desperately wanting to absorb all that I
-
Date Rape Happens at HarvardDate rape happens at Harvard, and with alarmingly more frequency than the University acknowledges, the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD)
-
Vigil Held To Support Rape VictimsAlmost 300 people gathered on the steps of Memorial Church last night for the annual Take Back the Night rally,
-
MOVERS & SHAKERSIn the space of a few weeks, a largely unorganized and inactive group, the Coalition Against Sexual Violence, had rallied
-
More News Orgs. Give NameSeveral more news organizations yesterday named the woman who said she was raped by a Kennedy family member, fanning a
