MERHILL: The office will serve as a centralized resource for prevention and education initiatives; direct crisis counseling; psychoeducation group therapy and other restorative practices following experiences of harm; incident disclosure to the University, and anonymous disclosure; and for filing a formal complaint. These resources will be available to undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, faculty, and staff alike.
GAZETTE: Can you provide some more specifics about what the education and prevention resources will look like?
MERHILL: Absolutely. In terms of prevention and education, the office will offer workshops ranging from gender diversity and inclusion, to consent education, to bystander intervention and more. This will represent enhanced and expanded programming beyond what OSAPR and Title IX have offered in the past.
GAZETTE: And crisis counseling resources?
MERHILL: Direct crisis counseling will continue to be available to Harvard community members. These services will be offered through SHARE (Sexual Harassment/Assault Resource Education) counselors, who will provide support to individuals impacted by interpersonal violence and abuse, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. SHARE counselors will also maintain a 24-hour crisis hotline, which can be reached by calling 617.495.9100.
While individuals may choose to access the hotline anonymously, it is important to note that all communications with SHARE counselors, whether in person or via the hotline, are confidential, meaning absent special circumstances required by law, information shared during these conversations will not be communicated beyond SHARE staff members and the direct clinical support provided by HUHS without the individual’s consent.
A repeated theme through our many conversations with community members was the need for dedicated resources with expertise in restorative practices as well as experience working directly with individuals who may have caused harm within our community. In response to this need, we will be hiring a SHARE counselor and restorative practitioner dedicated to this area of expertise. The search process for filling this position will start immediately.
GAZETTE: And how can people make a disclosure, or file a formal complaint, under the new structure?
MERHILL: Right now, community members can use the very same contact information in place for OSAPR and Title IX, while we work with students, staff, faculty members, and postdocs to develop one centralized website dedicated to the Office for Gender Equity. As part of the new website, individuals will be able to explore and connect with each of the available resources and examine available data pertaining to disclosures, formal complaints, and programming, through a centralized data hub. We will look for community input as we navigate the process for developing the website, as it is essential that the new website is accessible and approachable.
The new Office for Gender Equity will also support and work closely with the network of over 50 local Title IX resource coordinators University-wide, who have specialized experience in responding to disclosures and can help individuals navigate the next steps. This includes helping individuals access supportive measures such as counseling, extensions of deadlines or other course-related adjustments, modifications of work or class schedules, campus escort services, no-contact orders, changes in work or housing locations, leaves of absence, increased security, or monitoring.
We recognize that not all individuals will feel comfortable reaching out directly to the Office for Gender Equity. Individuals may raise a concern anonymously to Title IX staff through the Resource for Online Anonymous Disclosures, or ROAD. The role of the ROAD is to provide Harvard community members with an online tool to anonymously disclose concerns of sexual harassment or other sexual misconduct. This online form is hosted by an independent, third-party vendor who provides secure, anonymous reporting services. Those who choose to submit a concern through the ROAD may share as much or as little information as they feel comfortable with. Sharing a concern through the ROAD is not the same thing as filing a formal complaint.
Lastly, community members may choose to engage with the Office for Gender Equity because they wish to file a formal complaint. Individuals may file a formal complaint alleging a violation of the University policies by submitting the complaint to the University Title IX coordinator at oge@harvard.edu. Formal complaints will continue to be investigated by the professional investigators within the Office for Dispute Resolution (ODR). It is also important to know that ODR remains available as a resource for community members seeking information or advice regarding the formal complaint process and informal resolution.
GAZETTE: When can Harvard community members expect to see the new Office for Gender Equity in place and actively serving the University?
FRANCESCONI: We are planning to fully transition to the new office this summer, and over the next several months we will begin to lay the groundwork for its opening. Rest assured, throughout this process, we will continue to offer services within the existing University Title IX Office and OSAPR spaces.
You will see later today, as a key first step in this process, the posting of two positions for SHARE counselors, one of which, as previously mentioned, will include recruitment for someone with a background in restorative practices. Staff and faculty will be introduced to the new office via a required eLearning Course, which will be assigned to all benefits-eligible employees in early April, as we kick off Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). Of course, with a new office also comes a new group of people working together. Over the next few months, we will also begin to establish our working relationships with new colleagues.
The Office for Gender Equity will continue to host a series of community conversations throughout April and May. We invite you to join these conversations, as well as a series of events planned for SAAM, and we invite you to partner with us as we build this new and critically important office on campus.
We are grateful to the many students, faculty, and staff who have lent their perspectives to the process of establishing the Office for Gender Equity at Harvard, and we look to all of you to continue to provide us with feedback and ideas as to how we can most effectively support our community, moving forward.