Here is my closing statement,
Eleanor Linn
This is the first time I've been a guest on a week-long electronic
dialogue. I'd like to thank the WEEA staff for the opportunity. I hope
that the discussion has been useful to participants. Unlike a workshop,
where you can see whether folks are resisting or sleeping or actively
engaged, it's hard for me to tell.
The multi-disciplinary aspect of sexual harassment contributes to problems
of focus. We jumped from legal to sociological to psychologic to political
analyses and forms of rhetoric. I consider myself multi-disciplinary, but
at times this felt chaotic even to me. Some of the questions started as
questions of fact and moved to political opinion. Some of us were "dressed
in our work clothes roles" while others were private citizens. Some were
talking about individual incidents, others about policy in general.
Sexual harassment is a major problem in our society and in our schools. In
my experience, we work on problems best when we form coalitions and work
together. We may disagree at times and need to work out our disagreements,
but we need to be clear on our priorities.
I hope that this conversation has given some people resources and
information they need. I hope that it helps people speak up against sexual
harassment when it happens and do more to prevent it. Like so many things
in educational equity, there's no way to measure the influence we've had.
Depending upon where we are and what situations we come across, I imagine
we will make different choices. Some will speak up informally, some will
file complaints, some will go to court. Knowing the options, talking and
reflecting should be useful to all of us.
Let's hope that we can make schools a safer and happier place for
students.
Eleanor Linn
Senior Associate Director
Programs for Educational Opportunity
1005 School of Education
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1259
(734)763-9910
<elinn@umich.edu>
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