Dear Janes,
Here is an enraging interview- a must read, truly. I once took a female student up to the Title IX officer at the college where I used to teach. I first brought this student to the (female!) chair of the department to find out what should be done. The chair thought I should send her up 'the hill' to the administration building on her own- she advised me not to take a side, and to more or less stay out of it. I want to leave some space here, for you (and me) to consider this confusing, paltry, and feeble response to a human in crisis.
Stay out of it? That's what we do when a person needs help and advice? That's not what the sexual harassment and sexual assault training I took every year mandated. That's not what made me want to teach in the first place. That's not what I'd want my instructors to have done if I'd had the courage to talk to them when I was harassed in college.
I knew, because all women know, that even to talk to me about this issue had been nearly impossible for this student, and I knew they needed support in approaching the Title IX representative. Because that is what I would have needed to report any of the, uh, let me see, one, two, three, four experiences I'd had of sexual harassment. I knew that it had been impossible for me to face reporting them (maybe I misunderstood, maybe they won't believe me, maybe I am overreacting, etc.), and I hoped with an ally, this student might be able to report her experience. I don't even need to really finish telling you this story, do I? The Title IX rep cautioned the student, telling her it was a serious accusation and that it could "negatively impact" the male student's future. The perpetrator's future. I was so disappointed in this outcome, and I could rail for hours about it, but the point is that this is the same old story, isn't it? This is your story, and mine, and hers, and this is what happens nearly every time someone has the courage to even try to report sexual misconduct.
It's a goddamned outrage, people. We have to do better than than this.
PS I forgot one; make that five times. And, distressingly, but not surprisingly, the student dropped out of her classes the next week.
