The other options presented to me were equally distasteful: I could instigate a drawn-out hearing procedure (several months' worth of appearances before a university-appointed triumvirate which would, I was assured, eventually recommend counselling but would likely not take any disciplinary action), or I could withdraw from the seminar.

I think it is unconscionable for university authorities to suggest that a victim of harassment risk permanent damage to her education either by withdrawing from a class or by under-taking the truly daunting task of initiating formal hearing procedures. It seems to me equally unconscionable for a university to take shelter behind an unworkable policy. The institution defends itself from charges that it has failed to provide me with a safe atmosphere in which to learn by demanding that I take it upon myself to educate my aggressor through mediation. As so often happens, women are again being asked to spend valuable time and energy educating the men who have assaulted them. I would much rather spend my time and emotional energy tying to change a system that requires this of women.

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My own experience with sexual harassment has certainly convinced me of the necessity of keeping our learning environments free of violence. The classroom ought to be a safe place where students can work and learn without feeling vulnerable to the kind of attack to which I was subjected. Since it is unlikely that we will manage to eradicate psychological abuse against women completely, it is crucial that our schools and universities be equipped to handle such cases expeditiously.

The complaint procedure should never become a form of secondary harassment It is crucial that administrators acknowledge that violence can take many forms, not all of them physical, that they recognize the impact that sexual harassment can have on a woman, and that they stop believing that it is easy for women to cope with this behaviour.

The point I am trying to make is that our schools' refusal to cope with this kind of blatant psychological violence against women is tantamount to condoning and even encouraging it. While no institution likes to admit its problems, sexual harassment isn't going to just go away. We need to educate our university communities about the nature of this abuse, and we need to develop sexual harassment policies that are more responsive to the reality of women's experiences. A lot more effort and time and, yes, money, need to be devoted to this problem before women are allowed to learn in a harassment-free atmosphere.

Jessica Slights was chair of the Gender Issues Committee at Queen's University in 1989-1990. She has just completed a Master's degree in English Literature at the University of British Columbia and will begin Ph.D. studies in the fall at McGill University. She continues to be active in the women's movement.