[GWAMIT] GW@MIT Comments on the Epstein Case

[GWAMIT]

To the members of the graduate women's community,


Emerging details of MIT's close ties to Jeffrey Epstein have left our community shocked and seeking action. It is clear that MIT has work to do in altering processes for how funding to the University is vetted, and creating transparency such that stakeholders--students, faculty, staff, and administrators--can voice concerns about whose contributions are legitimized.


The episode also reveals deeper deficiencies in MIT's culture, wherein a critical mass of people considered Epstein's engagement with MIT non-objectionable enough for it to have been welcomed and rewarded. It reveals an environment in which the concerns of women, survivors of sexual assault, minority groups, and allies are considered perhaps important enough to mask the source of contributions, but not to concretely change actions.


While MIT has outlined a series of steps<http://news.mit.edu/2019/remarks-president-reif-institute-faculty-meeting-0918> it is taking towards improving its funding processes, the campus culture that allowed these events to take place is a more amorphous issue and therefore harder to change. As a student organization ourselves, we understand that cultural change must start from our everyday interactions within our own academic, social, and personal spheres. Below we outline a concrete set of resources that we hope you will use to initiate conversation in the spaces you occupy, including labs, dorms, student groups, and departments.


Background:


Preliminary fact-finding at MIT<http://news.mit.edu/2019/letter-preliminary-facts-0912> (12 Sept 2019)


President Reif's remarks at a faculty meeting<http://news.mit.edu/2019/remarks-president-reif-institute-faculty-meeting-0918> outlining steps being taken by the university to alter its processes around funding (18 Sept 2019)


The following are steps you can take as individuals and organizations to voice your concerns and begin to alter culture within your spheres:


*        Sign the powerful letter written by MIT's senior women faculty<https://concernedatmit.weebly.com/?fbclid=IwAR2n3HLHRSScS-o0qumaJN0Ei5QEnY3959GZKKDvWJJqXBGZ03ICGEAItVI> to President Rafael Reif. In it they articulate disappointment, anger, and the start of steps forward.

*        Attend the MIT & Epstein Student Forum organized by the Graduate Student Council today, October 1st @ 7 PM in 10-250.

*        Organize or attend a training on violence prevention, bystander intervention, or consent for your lab/dorm/fraternity/sorority/student group/department: e.g. through VPR<https://studentlife.mit.edu/vpr> or CARE<https://officesdirectory.mit.edu/care-team-coordination-assistance-response-and-education>.

*        Celebrate and emulate departments<http://news.mit.edu/2019/change-makers-honored-for-work-fighting-sexual-misconduct-0422> that have begun the work of positive culture change.


Know also that a number of resources are available to members of the MIT community seeking to manage concerns related to culture:


*        Violence Prevention & Response<https://studentlife.mit.edu/vpr> is MIT's primary on-campus resource for preventing and responding to interpersonal violence including sexual assault, dating and domestic violence, stalking, and sexual harassment. They operate a 24-hour hotline, in addition to offering other support and resources.

*        The Ombuds office at MIT<https://ombudsoffice.mit.edu/> is a confidential and independent resource for all members of the MIT community, including students, faculty, employees, and alumni to constructively manage concerns and conflicts related to their experience at MIT.

*        MIT REFS<https://gsc.mit.edu/committees/hca/irefs/> are trained graduate students who provide confidential, peer-to-peer support for all graduate students at the Institute. They also point students to other resources on campus.

*        The Margaret Cheney Room<https://studentlife.mit.edu/impact-opportunities/diversity-inclusion/womenmit/margaret-cheney-room> offers a safe space for all students at MIT who experience gender-based systems of oppression. This includes (but is not limited to) self-identified women, transgender women, and non-binary individuals.

*        The Title IX & Bias Response Office at MIT<http://titleix.mit.edu/> is the go-to resource for individuals seeking to report incidents of sexual harassment, violence and gender-based discrimination.


We are energized by the advocacy of students, faculty, and administration towards accountability and change. We want to reiterate our solidarity with the graduate women's community and offer ourselves as a resource to facilitate connections and conversations across campus.


In solidarity,

The Executive Board of Graduate Women at MIT
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