Harassment Guide Is Valuable Reference

   With reference to your article, ["Protesters Burn Harassment Book,"
   Nov. 2] a few of us who actually read the harassment guide would like
   to respond to those who can no longer read their own. While they
   received front page coverage in The Tech, the actions of some 20
   students should not be assumed to reflect the views of the student
   body as a whole. We believe that the handbook is actually a valuable
   resource and a good step in dealing with harassment at MIT.
   
   This handbook, "Dealing with Harassment at MIT," attempts to address
   the issue of harassment at MIT. Harassment is not a joking matter. Not
   only does it happen with significant frequency, but nobody who is
   being harassed really knows how to respond. On a personal note, there
   were two instances this summer in which we were approached by real
   people dealing with harassment here at MIT. Harassment primarily
   concerns offensive behavior, not offensive speech alone, and it is a
   very touchy and complicated issue.
   
   Oh yes, it is easy to criticize. Those complaining about "free speech"
   issues are worried that the guidebook goes so far in protecting people
   from harassment that it endangers the rights of others. Others,
   anticipating the publication of this handbook, were worried that the
   guide wouldn't go far enough in dealing with this issue. As founders
   of the speech and debate teams here at MIT, we instinctively recognize
   the need to periodically reaffirm our rights to express ourselves
   without penalty. And when we take a look at the problems on campus
   today, we find that freedom of speech issues are much less of a
   problem than instances of harassment. That the MIT administration
   should take up this topic is commendable. That they should be willing
   to put into writing, "What to do if you are harassed or accused of
   harassing another person?" -- is caring. This guidebook would have
   been very helpful this summer.
   
   This guidebook has merit. It is long, not because it is complicated,
   but because it is redundant. Issues of harassment are very complex;
   what may be harassing to some may be downright amusing to others. When
   people from widely varying backgrounds interact closely, allowance
   needs to be made for different attitudes. Because of this, there are
   options presented in the guidebook to help people with many types and
   degrees of harassment. Redundancy in this handbook is important
   because, when we deal with a particular case of harassment, the
   authors want us to find all the information that we need in a few
   pages. This is a guidebook, meant to be referenced and not read from
   cover to cover.
   
   Harassment is a serious issue and attempts to deal with it are easy to
   criticize. However, we believe that the administration's attempt to
   deal with this issue is valuable. Perhaps if the protesters had
   thought about this, they would not have tossed their guides into a
   fire after a brief skim. Burning these books is truly a remarkable way
   to reaffirm our right to remain ignorant of the issues of harassment.
   
   Albert Hsu '96
   
   Per Juvkam-Wold '94
   

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Copyright 1993 by The Tech. All rights reserved.
This story was published on  Friday,  November 12, 1993.
Volume  113, Number 57
The story was printed on page  4.
This article may be freely distributed electronically,
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