Boston.com
5.26.16 | Allison Pohle
The red tape symbolizes their solidarity with survivors of sexual violence.
Before Brianna Suslovic heads to her commencement ceremony Thursday morning, the Harvard senior will stick a long piece of red tape on her black graduation cap.
“By wearing red tape, we want to show members of the Harvard community that we’re standing in solidarity with survivors of sexual violence, including ones who can’t be there because of the violence they experienced,” she said. “But we also want to show that we believe Harvard can do better.”
Our Harvard Can Do Better, an undergraduate campaign advocating for better campus sexual assault policies on behalf of survivors, organized the red tape plan. Jessica Fournier, one of the group’s members, said it first launched the red tape movement in 2014, when the college’s sexual assault policies were implemented.
“A whole coalition of activists from different organizations, including from racial justice movements, wanted to do something to mark how bittersweet that moment was,” she said. “At a time where everyone is coming together and Harvard is putting on this celebration, for the graduates and for itself, we wanted to mark the inadequacy of their response to survivors.”
The 2014 sexual assault policy applies to every member of the Harvard community, and a new department called the Office of Dispute Resolution professionally investigates complaints, said spokeswoman Tania deLuzuriaga in an email. She also noted that Harvard has appointed trained Title IX coordinators in every school and unit, doubled resources for the Office of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response, and convened a taskforce to recommend more effective prevention methods.
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