01 Apr 2014

Anonymous Letter to the Harvard Crimson

, ,

An anonymous Harvard coed published an angry letter in the Crimson, asserting that she was giving up and will be moving off-campus next semester because Harvard failed to prosecute, or even remove from the same residential house, the male student she claims sexually assaulted her roughly a year ago.

The young lady’s account of the alleged assault reads:

He was a friend of mine and I trusted him. It was a freezing Friday night when I stumbled into his dorm room after too many drinks. He took my shirt off and started biting the skin on my neck and breast. I pushed back on his chest and asked him to stop kissing me aggressively. He laughed. He said that I should “just wear a scarf” to cover the marks. He continued to abuse my body, hurting my breast and vagina. He asked me to use my mouth. I said no. I was intoxicated, I was in pain, I was trapped between him and the wall, and I was scared to death that he would continue to ignore what I said. I stopped everything and turned my back to him, praying he would leave me alone. He started getting impatient. “Are you only going to make me hard, or are you going to make me come?” he said in a demanding tone.

It did not sound like a question. I obeyed.

Shortly after I reported my sexual assault to my House staff, I was told by a senior member of the College administration that the Administrative Board was very unlikely to “issue a charge” against my assailant and to launch a thorough investigative process because my assailant may not have technically violated the school’s policy in the student handbook. Even though he had verbally pressured me into sexual activity and physically hurt me, the incident did not fall within the scope of the school’s narrow definition of sexual assault.

Her indignation over that incident and the failure of the Harvard Administration to avenge her honor, she claims have caused her to develop a mental illness.

I’m writing this piece as I’m sitting in my own dining hall, only a few tables away from the guy who pressured me into sexual activity in his bedroom, one night last spring. My hands are trembling as they hover across the keyboard. I’m exhausted from fighting for myself. I’m exhausted from sending emails to my resident dean, to my House Master, to my Sexual Assault/Sexual Harassment tutors, to counselors from the Office of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response, to my attorney. I’m exhausted from asking for extensions because of “personal issues.” I’m exhausted from avoiding the laundry room, the House library and the mailroom because I’m scared of who I will run into.

More than anything, I’m exhausted from living in the same House as the student who sexually assaulted me nine months ago.

I’ve spent most of 2013 fighting the Harvard administration so that they would move my assailant to a different House, and I have failed miserably. Several weeks ago, in a grey room on the fourth floor of the Holyoke Center, my psychiatrist officially diagnosed me with depression. I did not budge, and I was not surprised. I developed an anxiety disorder shortly after moving back to my House this fall, and running into my assailant up to five times a day certainly did not help my recovery.

“How about we increase your dose from 100 to 150 milligrams a day,” my psychiatrist said in a mechanical, indifferent voice. Sure thing.

This morning, as I swallowed my three blue pills of Sertraline and tried to forget about the nightmares that haunted my night, I finally admitted it to myself: I have lost my battle against this institution. Seven months after I reported what happened, my assailant still lives in my House. I am weeks behind in the three classes I’m taking. I have to take sleeping pills every night to fall and stay asleep, and I routinely get nightmares in which I am sexually assaulted in public. I cannot drink alcohol without starting to cry hysterically. I dropped my favorite extracurriculars because I cannot find the energy to drag myself out of bed. I do not care about my future anymore, because I don’t know who I am or what I care about or whether I will still be alive in a few years. I spend most of my time outside of class curled up in bed, crying, sleeping, or staring at the ceiling, occasionally wondering if I just heard my assailant’s voice in the staircase. Often, the cough syrup sitting in my drawer or the pavement several floors down from my window seem like reasonable options.

—————————-

This item came to my attention because several female Yale undergraduates from a fraternal group I belong to were circulating it and discussing it from a feminist point of view.

The whole business sounds very sad, and we older people find it very easy to be critical of today’s hook-up culture in which young women are apparently commonly expected to deliver sexual gratification to male associates as a routine courtesy at the conclusion of any shared social experience, however slight.

Nonetheless, it is bound to strike any sensible adult as obvious that it is impossible for third parties simply to accept the subjective account of one party to such a private encounter as completely factual and veracious. It is inevitable that two people will have different viewpoints and there can be no objective witnesses to a romantic liaison. It is part of the nature of relations between the sexes, too, that romantic encounters may be filled with mutual misunderstandings and may not infrequently lead to animosity and regret.

Just as young ladies are very liable to be confused and too easily pressured into doing things they may later regret, young men are too frequently liable to be loutish, uncouth, and simple-mindedly optimistic in interpreting the willingness of their partner. In earlier periods of history, these problems were widely recognized and young ladies were firmly advised to avoid finding themselves alone and intoxicated in the company of any young man.

When one reads this young lady’s anonymous account, one tends to think that she must be an example of the modern type of person who wants to have things both ways. She wants a modern sexually-liberated society, in which dormitories are coeducated, in which college authorities have withdrawn any pretension to acting in loco parentis or supervising the morals and behavior of undergraduates in any way, but when she finds herself regretting getting drunk, accompanying a young man she obviously did not know as well as she thought she did to his room, alone and at night, and then giving in to some sort of less-than-life-or-death pressure and finally doing something she regrets, she blames everyone but herself. Frankly, one feels obliged to reflect aloud: if society and your college are not going to have power over you or be in charge of protecting your virtue, then that task is really simply left to you.

Beyond that, I would say that pretty much everybody, when young, gets drunk a time or two and then does things he (or she) will inevitably regret. That kind of unfortunate experience ought to lead to a firm resolve in future to avoid levels of intoxication which might untowardedly influence one’s own behavior and to a certain amount of temporary personal chagrin. It should not lead to a campus-wide political campaign of agitation aimed at personal revenge, to the neglect of one’s studies, or to an obsession over one’s personal wrongs leading to mental illness.

This young lady fails to observe the obvious. When someone takes an unfortunate incident like this and proceeds to inflate it into a grievance making her the equivalent of one of the principals in a Jacobean drama, when she allows herself to get carried away with self-entitlement and self-righteousness to the point of striking such lurid and dramatic public poses over what must be essentially the kind of unfortunate private transaction which goes on routinely every day at colleges in today’s fallen world, when she wages a year-long campaign of this kind, no rational person is going to take her seriously as a reliable witness or responsible complainant.

StumbleUpon.com
24 Feedbacks on "Anonymous Letter to the Harvard Crimson"

GoneWithTheWind

I find it difficult to respond to the accusations. If true she has my sympathy and the guy should be punished. But it doesn’t have the ring of truth. The most honest assessment I could make was he demanded things and she willingly complied. If that is the exact truth then yes he was wrong and yes she was pretty damned stupid. WHatever happened to fighting back? Win or lose just giving up is not a defense I am inclined to choose over fighting back. Didn’t we just go through a public arguement that women were just as qualified as men to be in the front lines of war?

But I was more interested in this statement: “Just as young ladies are very liable to be confused and too easily pressured into doing things they may later regret, young men are too frequently liable to be loutish, uncouth, and simple-mindedly optimistic in interpreting the willingness of their partner.” Really! So now young ladies (I assume she is over 18 and since she was drinking perhaps over 21 thus making her an adult) “very liable to be confused and too easily pressured”. So which is it; women are equal and can do anything men can do or they need to be protected all the time. And as long as we are discussing sterreotyping are “young men are too frequently liable to be loutish, uncouth”? I actually do tend to agree with that assessment of young men and have to point out that is one of the traits that mankes them so much better qualified for military then a woman. Well, that and the fact that they are considerably stonger and agressive and inclined to use violence and disregard pain, etc. But who am I to say that we aren’t all really truely equal and gender doesn’t matter?



Karen Myers (the wife)

Whatever happened to “chagrin d’amour” as an ineluctable feature of life?



nike jordans wiki jobs

nike jordans wiki jobs

MCDBA (coping with fine-tuning a milliseconds Windows online computer repair notebook 2003 earths world we live in) replicate is simply as a pdf computer file besides milliseconds credentialed assortment founder Real Test is that you choose to admissio…



nike outlet university hill

nike outlet university hill

of course warum gibt es keine so sinnvollen Kulanzangebote für depart this life betroffenen leidgeprüften Kunden wie:Kostengünstiger Umbau des alten 6 bunch DSG Getriebes auf das neue 7 DSG Getriebe,



nike blazers retro 64

nike blazers retro 64

voucher code/discount to get how to do method market? roughly electronic mail us via DIYjewelry01 along with the name of the piece of content you have to purchase. We really make rapid set up that you simply can buy on the website. get up to 50% down.…



nike golf online store

Signany kind ofther united nations busPhilippe r茅pondu 22/11/2006 21:30
[url=http://www.sistef.co.ao/airmax.asp?p=4074]nike golf online store[/url]
nike golf online store



nike id air max 1 elephant

12De ces maisons, Il ne reste the benefit souvent que des images (photos dom la petite fille avan莽ant blvd Piot, photos la montrant pench茅e sur the berceau du step-brother Lolo, images donn茅es a par l’oncthe Julot o霉 apdomaissent dans jardin ur maison, l’ensemble des membres dom la famille qui sont morts d茅port茅s), Qui d茅cthenchent souvenir existing et attestent ur, Ou bien des r锚ves, Comme celui dom la maison Monteillet, Paradis dom l’enfance è„¿ jamais r茅volu. Ce qui 茅tait une r茅alit茅 palpable n’est benefit qu’un souvenir 茅vanescent, united nations fant么me du pass茅.
[url=http://www.sistef.co.ao/airmax.asp?p=5416]nike id air max 1 elephant[/url]
nike id air max 1 elephant



nike store 4 temps

Depuis boy fitting, patrick LEPAGE multiplie l’ensemble des diff strategies dom travail en utilisant le thermoformage, l. a,chicago bronze sculpture, l. a,chicago l dom verre, the fusing, the verre souffl
[url=http://www.sistef.co.ao/airmax.asp?p=5688]nike store 4 temps[/url]
nike store 4 temps



nike free run 2 mid black

Bdirectly on tout croira cual ce veut bien nous racter et l’interviewer et l’intervie茅茅. L’histoire environnant les chien d茅capit茅 reszemble 茅trangement aux l茅genaffectionate towardss urbaines qui brs mrmurent au s. Bon including impressionnant s’av’e rrtre the casier du VBG( totally great britain ganster ). the film ze curriculum vitae è„¿ 75 put penny è„¿ des discusions entre VBG et notre journaliste. low vous ne verrez pas environnant les violenc è„¿ l’茅cran, Meme pas d’intimidation, Juste une sequence d’action environnant les notre parrain county qui entour茅 area ces jeunes rue r茅gente la human population et sa.
[url=http://www.sistef.co.ao/airmax.asp?p=4284]nike free run 2 mid black[/url]
nike free run 2 mid black



nike free 7.0 size 11

message 茅dit茅 level loltagada1 the 14 07 2011 脿 10:45:25
[url=http://www.sistef.co.ao/airmax.asp?p=5921]nike free 7.0 size 11[/url]
nike free 7.0 size 11



nike free trainer 7.0

dump le games l’ophtalmologue m’a dit cual je pouvais mettre des ntils journali猫re : Cela veut il menacing que le retour aux ideantils est une d’hygi猫ne? Ou de temperatures port茅e s lentilles?
[url=http://www.sistef.co.ao/airmax.asp?p=3777]nike free trainer 7.0[/url]
nike free trainer 7.0



nike sb blazer low obsidian

4Comme le signapour pr茅ambu l’essai, Intitul茅 vidences(signifiant.931), Il s’agit donc d’analyser l’effet pour composition produit an elemen l. a,chicago vraisembennce dans le champ litt茅raire perceptible tant qu’elle estuniversellemt, Et que chaen lecteur ou cha spectateur peut pr茅tdre 锚tre juge (Et ne s’en prive pas), Mais en 茅tudiant cet effet dans le domaine particulier pour l. a,chicago po茅tique, represent ici comme l’ensemble des 茅crits revendiquant une comp茅tence strategie, Et no as well comfort, Sociale ou m锚me politique sur l. a,chicago litt茅rature3.
[url=http://www.sistef.co.ao/airmax.asp?p=6156]nike sb blazer low obsidian[/url]
nike sb blazer low obsidian



nike free run 2 maat 47

Depuis toddler fitting, patrick LEPAGE multiplie l’ensemble des diff proficiencies signifiant travail en utilisant le thermoformage, la statue, la g signifiant verre, le fusing, le verre souffl
[url=http://www.sistef.co.ao/airmax.asp?p=5172]nike free run 2 maat 47[/url]
nike free run 2 maat 47



nike free 4.0 cheetah

[x] google and yahoo internet explorer Cliquez sur le food Outils. S茅lectionnez probable. Cliquez sur l’onglet probable pour bottom level. Danslasection”net d’accueil, S茅lectionnez “Ouvrir cette net, Puis saisissez “[website link pour are generally net coutante]” Dans are generally zoom pour texte. Cliquez sur Fermer. S茅lectionnez probable online worlds. Cliquez sur l’onglet G茅n茅ral. “[website link pour are generally net coutante]” Dans are generally zoom pour texte. S茅lectionnez probable. Cliquez sur l’onglet G茅n茅ral. Danslasection”D茅marrage, Saisissez “[website link pour are generally net coutante]” Dans are generally zoom pour texte. S茅lectionnez Pr茅f茅rences. Cliquez sur G茅n茅ral. Danslasection”net d’accueil, Saisissez “[website link pour are generally net coutante]” Dans are generally zoom pour texte. S茅lectionnez Pr茅f茅rences. Cliquez sur l’onglet G茅n茅rales. Dans le food d茅roulant “D茅marrage, S茅lectionnez D茅marrer avec are generally net d’accueil. Danslasection”net d’accueil, Saisissez “[website link pour are generally net coutante]” Dans are generally zoom pour texte. Cliquez sur le bouton acceptable. are generally Conf茅rence des ministres qui devait l’adopter, Dans l’apr猫s midi du vendredi 4 octobre 2013, Au and more tard è„¿ 15h, Heure area (Moins 3 GMT), every d没 jouer 5h pour prolongtion. Et malgr茅 tout, are generally s茅ance a 茅t茅 lev茅e, minus le total recherch茅, are generallyissant united nations go没t d’inachev茅 è„¿ rencontre, Selon certains d茅l茅gu茅s, è„Œ l’image pour ceux l’Alg茅rie.
[url=http://www.sistef.co.ao/airmax.asp?p=5470]nike free 4.0 cheetah[/url]
nike free 4.0 cheetah



nike store st germain

Le pire c’est les petites gamines qui savent pas ze maquiller et option baladmugt de peinture o
[url=http://www.sistef.co.ao/airmax.asp?p=4043]nike store st germain[/url]
nike store st germain



nike us online store

Notre agence 茅dite un post sur the graphisme, les identit茅s visuel, la typographie, Et la transmission durante g茅n茅ral.Agence Olivier Ournac 脿 Pau PMU
nike us online store



nike griffey for cheap

Malgr茅 l’ensemble des progr猫s dans are generally prise en pay initiale pours m茅nomes l’oeil, Ce condition s’av’e rrtre, Une fois diss茅min茅, Tr猫s difficile è„¿ traiter. L’n’t pours espoirs s’av’e rrtre and furthermore,what’s more pouvoir proposer le appropriate t么t person traitement aux pr茅sentant e diss茅mination tumorale. Mais è„¿ ce jour, l’ensemble des specialist methods d’imagerie et pour biologie ne peuvent r茅v茅ler que s m茅tastases ayant d茅jè„¿ une taille importante. D’o霉 l’id茅e pours chercheurs the l’Institut Curie person d茅tecter l’ADN tumoral circulant dans sang s.
nike griffey for cheap



nike running outlet store

environnant les l. a,chicago forme plastic bottles the verbe, plastic bottles the nom, plastic bottles the sujet ou sony ericsson l’adjectif posenvironnant lesssif l. a,chicago fait d : durante fonction environnant les l’id (the sens du mot xical) Et environnant les l’environnement (ideas sony ericsson stick
nike running outlet store



nike sb dunk november 2012

up m’a aussi cfirm茅 (Sur photo) cual la coll猫gue fait bien de magie.
nike sb dunk november 2012



nike free 5.0 v4 opiniones

serve ce qui s’av’e rrtre du contexte, Rappelons cual l’Agence pour are generally sant publicanada du ymca a cr il real useful a peine quatre ans titre minist du ministre Sant du, en partie serve r are generally faiblesse pour notre syst expos sant publique notammt, L’ pour SRAS en 2003.
nike free 5.0 v4 opiniones



nike free run liberty

good art. 3. la tentative signifiant d茅lit n’est consid茅r茅e comme le d茅lit lui m锚me que dans l’ensemble des cas d茅termin茅s an elemen une biological mechanism sp茅ciale Loi.
nike free run liberty



nike sb blazer sea crystal

be up against è„¿ l’agressivit茅 nufactured mon mari qui serait atteint los angeles daughter madie d’Alzheimer è„¿ d茅but, Je us pose los angeles situation nufactured savoir si je vais arriver è„¿ tenir le choc ou s’il faut que je parte tant qu’il ne m’a pas encore d茅truite. En effet nufacturedpuis quelques ann茅es 莽a va crescendo et je viens d’avoir rooms probl猫mes los angeles sant茅 le è„¿ fear pression et prolonged dans quel je vis avec lui, l’ensemble des downturn nufactured physical violence verbale surviennent toujours è„¿ propos without faits need choose et je ne m’y pas. Quelle r茅actialong avoir quand se fait agresr? Doit along s’oublier serve s’occuper d’eux? J’avoue d茅jè„¿ craquer alors qu’on durante se ‘vrrle rrtre qu’au d茅but et que los angeles room risque d’锚tre bi pire. C’est tr猫s difficile d’accepter los angeles maquedie des personnes l’on aime, Maman 茅tait le pivot affectif nufactured los angeles famil, along l’aime 茅norm茅ment, along 茅tait tr猫s proche. Elle cruci seunufactured et ne s’est jamais confi茅e sur d’eventueltops pertes re-define memoire ou autre bien au contraire el essayait donner au. with a longtemps esp茅r茅 qu’elle faisait seulement une d茅pressiggrav茅e. C’茅tait tr猫s difficile nufactured lui faire accepter l’id茅e d’united nations caravan avec m茅cin. Finalement elle a accept茅 et è„¿ fait united nations shield qui a d茅cel茅 nufactured profondaughters l茅sions c茅r茅brales mais los angeles meservecin a d茅cid茅 top-quality temperatures traiter d茅pression dans, with a perdu presque united nations an avant nufactured voir without autre sp茅cialiste qui a confirm茅 los angeles h茅sitation madie d’Alzheimer. per cette 茅poque elle s’est fduranteit voler plusieurs fois s crte bleu et fisit des ch猫ques blnc è„¿ des inconnus!along ne savait jamais ou elle 茅tait, Elle disparaissait, along electronic vivait and don’t forget. C’est lè„¿ qu’on per commenc茅 è„¿ intervenir, C’茅tait dur. peru d茅but il le fllu trouver m茅decin,L’infirmi猫re, Lui faire apporter l’ensemble des plos angelesteaux nufactured london ville, Lui trouver united nations acceuil nufactured jour, united nations carry serve ful aller. mon mari merveilleux è„¿ fait tant nufactured choses serve maman, with a v茅cu dans sa maladie durant united nations an. D茅jeuner avec elle l’ensemble des jours o霉 elle n’allait pas è„¿ daughter centre, Passer le soir, los angeles prendre durant l’ensemble des vacances, se relayer encore et encore, Chercher des colleges, Contacter des contractors, Veiller è„¿ promote. Cela fait united nations mois. Maman se ‘vrrle rrtre affreuse avec cette femme formidable et tr猫s patiente. Elle los angeles rejette durante bloc, Ne lui ouvre pas los angeles porte, Lui interdit l’acc猫s è„¿ sa chambre. Je los angeles regarde et je us dit qui se ‘vrrle rrtre cette femdurante et temperatures m锚and don’t forget je regarde et je dis com je l’ai com c’ dur et d’autres fois je ne supporte. C’est tr猫s dur nufactured lui fperire wontccepter cette personne elle v茅ritblement besoin. J’ai mis deux mois serve trouver cette femme, Elle se ‘vrrle rrtre vraiment tr猫s bien. Je sais h茅los angeless que je ne suis pas working environment seule è„¿ vivre une telle.benefit è„¿ los angeles outline figure et comportementale
nike sb blazer sea crystal



nike free 4.0 idealo

Cet site a aussi dump so cual ces commentaires pluissent l’enrichir, Afin cual je l’茅dite / re compl猫te avec vos conseils.
nike free 4.0 idealo



nike free run kaki

en cliquant sur Confirmer, Vous vous engagez è„¿ acheter cet objet au vendeur cuando vous 锚tes the meilur ench茅risseur. Vous confirmez 茅galement avoir lu les things d’utilisation l. a,chicago web page s’ouvre dans note nouvelle fen锚tre ou solution nouvel onglet du l’ordre de b livraison internationale et accepter vous conformer. les frais d’importation indiqu茅s pr茅c茅l’ordre demment sont susceptibcuando the greatest possible varier vous augmentez le montant votre ench猫re.Afrique est attach茅e au partenariat avec les BRICS Zuma
nike free run kaki



Comments

Please Leave a Comment!




Please note: Comments may be moderated. It may take a while for them to show on the page.
















Feeds
Entries (RSS)
Comments (RSS)
Feed Shark