"This was something that very much aligned with the Trust's mission," Avery says. "This was not something students should have to do on their own, and we wanted to support them and offer our services."

While several leaders of women's organizations on campus express support, others are more cautious.

"I wonder how different it's going to be from a lot of things that already exist at Harvard," says Jennifer B. Monti '02, chair of the Women's Leadership Project.

"If it's just a compilation of women's groups, I don't know if it'll be worth it. But if it makes analyses and recommendations, if it's something other than the p.c. response that we're used to, it might be worth it," Monti says.

But Steinberg says the presentation of a unified front by women's groups and the potential of the report to hold administrators accountable in terms of their responses to women's groups requests leaves room for optimism.

"A women's center has been requested of Harvard for decades now," she says. "But it goes ungranted because one, the public doesn't know about it, and two, these conversations take place behind closed doors with one student or one group and one administrator. This report can show what goes on."

-Staff Writer Juliet J. Chung can be reached at jchung@fas.harvard.edu.