A new University-wide committee will review and make recommendations about the University’s support services for victims of sexual assault and its preventive education program, Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis ’68 announced at yesterday’s Faculty meeting.

The announcement comes as a result of a movement by Coalition Against Sexual Violence (CASV) members to urge the Faculty to reconsider its policy requiring corroborating evidence before the Administrative Board investigates peer disputes, including allegations of sexual assault.

Lewis met privately with CASV members after the Faculty meeting to explain the purpose of the committee, which will be chaired by Dr. Jennifer Leaning ’68, a professor of international health at the School of Public Health (HSPH).

But CASV members who attended the private meeting said the committee’s formation is not a sufficient remedy to a policy they claim creates a hostile campus environment for victims of sexual violence by effectively decreasing the number of sexual assault cases the Ad Board will hear.

“The creation of this committee in no way makes up for the fact that Harvard has done a huge, horrible wrong to its students through this [Ad Board] change,” said Sarah B. Levit-Shore ’04, a CASV member. “That is not going to get lost in the shuffle.”

Levit-Shore said she was disappointed that the Faculty did not discuss the Ad Board amendment directly at yesterday’s meeting.

As Faculty members entered University Hall, where the meeting was held, CASV members distributed to them leaflets elaborating the deficiencies of the new policy.

CASV member Matthew E. Kutcher ’02 said he is afraid the formation of the committee will be a substitute for an in-depth examination of the new Ad Board policy.

“I feel personally let down that the formation of this committee was used... as a bargaining chip to avoid talking about the problem at hand, which is the Ad Board policy,” Kutcher said.

But Professor of the History of Science Katharine Park, who called last week for the creation of a task force to examine Harvard’s sexual assault policy, said that while the committee will probably focus primarily on resources for sexual assault victims and preventive education, she expects it will eventually look at every aspect of Harvard’s sexual assault policy, including Ad Board procedure.

“I have considerable doubts about the Ad Board policy but I’m very much on board with the idea that it shouldn’t have been looked at in isolation to begin with and it shouldn’t be looked at in isolation now,” Park said.

In addition to their concern that the committee will not change Ad Board policy, CASV members also took issue with the committee’s proposed composition.

The committee will include two students—one from CASV or Response and one student selected by Lewis—and an undetermined number of Faculty members, according to Park.

Kutcher said he was disappointed that only two students would be on the committee.

“This continues in a deeply problematic trend, which is that decisions are made about policy with student involvement that is severely limited from the outset,” Kutcher said.