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thread for ppl, I’m assuming mostly men, who were surprised + dismayed @ no. of women who had been sexually harassed and/or assaulted #metoo
something I’m seeing a lot of men say: “What can I do? I didn’t understand how bad it was before. How can I make it better NOW?”
my suggestions are focused on STEM education and professional spaces but may have wider implications
I am not trained in this AT ALL so please LMK if there are better ways to address this issue
this is simply how I’ve approached this issue
this is simply how I’ve approached this issue
to get a sense of how women are already performing professional and personal calculus, take a look at this thread:
First of all, signal and identify yourself as someone who will believe the experiences of ppl typically underrep’d in STEM
This post by @mwilsonsayres is a great example: mathbionerd.blogspot.com/2016/02/you-ar…
Other ways to signal: a mission statement for your lab that includes an explicit anti-harassment policy
or inclusion of an anti-harassment policy on your website that is discussed with every new member of your lab
Are there informal gatherings (retreats, conferences, beer hours) where sexual harassment or assault might happen at your institution?
Let trainees know beforehand that you are someone they can talk to if they exp or observe sexual harassment or assault
(w appropriate caveats about confidentiality, see below)
Familiarize yourself with sexual harassment policies at your institution.
Almost all institutions have Title IX office tasked with addressing sexual harassment and assault.
Keep in mind that Title IX offices can be more focused on protecting institution rather than survivors of harassment.
Don’t believe me? Read this: tenureshewrote.wordpress.com/2015/09/21/tit…
Given that Title IX investigations may not necessarily benefit survivors, find out if you are a mandatory reporter (as prof, as PI, as TA).
If you are, find out about confidential services, at your institution or elsewhere, for survivors of sexual harassment and assault
be prepared to provide them so that survivors keep all of their options open, even if that means not reporting
For ex, find out if your inst'n is partnered w @callisto (projectcallisto.org) to provide this confidential possibility for survivors
Above all, FOCUS ON THE SURVIVOR and not your expectations of what they should do or how they should act
Ask them what they think they need at the moment and recognize this might change over time
Be prepared for them to be angry, ashamed, overwhelmed, confused and/or uncertain of what they want to do next.
Let them know you believe them, will support any decision they make, and will help them get any add’l support they might need.
While providing this support to survivors, think abt what institutional or structural mechanisms might be strengthened at your institution
If you’re institution is not partnered with @Callisto, recommend that they do so
look at how your institution’s Title IX office HAS handled harassment and assault claims in the past.
This might be hard, given they are often confidential, but ask around or do google searches
Are they still working in same role? Do they still mentor trainees? Are they being promoted? Have they received add'l training or warnings?
This will give you a sense of who may be prioritized at your institution and whether you can safely suggest reporting as a viable option
This will also give you something to highlight to your administration as something that may need to be strengthened and/or changed
Look at programs at your institution: Are graduate students provided with explicit sexual harassment and assault training? Are faculty?
Look at hiring at your institution: Ask potential hires if they’ve ever been focus of Title IX investigation. Ask references same question.
Do you know prevalence of sexual harassment or assault among grad students? Post-docs? Faculty?
Would anonymous surveys better help you understand the scope of the issue and how to best address it institutionally?
For example, #safe13 study demonstrated the scope of sexual harassment and assault in scientific fieldwork settings: journals.plos.org/plosone/articl…
And more recent study, #safe2, provided guidance for signaling safety in scientific fieldwork settings: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/am…
Finally, being involved in STEM often means attending professional conferences and workshops where ppl may be exposed to sexual harassers
Warn your trainees about any known or suspected harassers that they might interact with at meetings
Let your trainees know what is appropriate behavior at meetings
This thread is a good paradigm:
Find out if conference has a sexual harassment policy and make sure it, as well as reporting strategies, are publicized at start of meeting
I like @GordonConf’s policy: grc.org/about/grc-poli…
Since safety is paramount, also familiarize yourself with potential anonymous ways for ppl to report harassment or assault.
For ex, surveys completed @ end of conferences can let future organizers, as well as sponsoring program, know that harassment an issue
Whether in your dept, at your regular conference, or at an informal gathering, practice intervening as a bystander
Often when we observe something inappropriate, we freeze, unsure of how to address it. practice provides a ready response
Here is a good strategy:
If you see an interaction that looks sketchy or awkward, walk over and join the conversation or introduce yourself to the participants
Afterwards, check in w ppl who looked uncomfortable and ask if they were okay or felt uncomfortable. Ask if you or anyone else can help.
They might want more support or opp to report, anonymously or not. They might simply appreciate you checking in + not want to anything else
LISTEN TO THEM and what they want. Let them know they are not alone or imagining it
These are also good suggestions: esquire.com/lifestyle/mone…
You might feel uncomfortable or like you're overreacting but it is worth it to provide safety + comfort to someone who might feel threatened
Finally, talk to your peers and colleagues about this and erode the status that some serial harassers continue to enjoy
Do not collaborate with them. Do not invite them to meetings, to give seminars, etc. Do not invite them to be a PI on a training grant
~@McLNeuro also has some suggestions: edgeforscholars.org/title-ix-isnt-…
If this list seems daunting, start small. Pick a few things you feel like you can handle and work up to the more ambitious stuff.
But make no mistake, personal support for survivors goes hand in hand w addressing structural + instit'nl responses to harassment + assault
Only by addressing both will we create a truly diverse and inclusive STEM community
haven't even touched racism, or intersection between race + gender, here, which is also a huge problem in STEM: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/20…)
but some of these suggestions could be useful when considering how to address racist comments and behavior
sorry broke the thread, here's the rest
add'l suggestions from @lkcalloway abt how to structure convos w survivors of sexual harassment or assault:
