Dear GSAS Students,
I wanted to make sure you saw the email sent earlier today from FAS Dean Claudine Gay. As you may recall, the Department of Education’s new regulations for responding to campus-based sexual harassment, including sexual assault, went into effect on August 14. In her message, Dean Gay provides additional information about Harvard’s and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ response to these changes.
While the new government regulations are different from what was in place before, I want to assure you that the role of Title IX resource coordinators, the assistance one can receive through supportive (formerly known as interim) measures, and the options available still exist. As Dean Gay mentions, Harvard has implemented two interim policies that will be in place while the FAS develops a new, longer-term policy.
I want to reaffirm GSAS’s commitment to creating an inclusive community free from harassment and discrimination. Every member of our community—students, faculty, and staff—deserves to thrive, and as a consequence, sexual harassment and sexual assault have no place here. In the past, I have asked you to report if you encounter language and behavior that violate our community’s values, and I again want to underscore the importance of speaking up and being an active bystander. If you have experienced or witnessed sexual harassment, assault, or discrimination, or wish to learn more about the interim policies or techniques of how to intervene in these situations, I encourage you to reach out to our Title IX resource coordinators and to other University resources.
With all best wishes,
Emma Dench
Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
McLean Professor of Ancient and Modern History and of the Classics
