Higher Ed in the Era of #MeToo:
A Symposium for Faculty and Graduate Students

Higher Ed in the Era of #MeToo
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Stacey Lantz

The Graduate Consortium for Graduate Studies in Gender, Culture, Women, and Sexuality (GCWS) at MIT is hosting a free half-day conference on how the recent #MeToo movement has impacted higher education, specifically at the graduate and doctoral levels.

The #MeToo movement, started by Tarana Burke in 2006, has highlighted the prevalence of sexual violence within all aspects of our society – from Hollywood to college campuses. More survivors are sharing their experiences and demanding change from their peers and institutions. It is critical for us to have more creative ways to support, prevent, innovate, and collaborate on this issue. Many marginalized communities, both inside and outside of academia, have led the fight to end sexual violence and we must elevate these voices and communities.

During the conference we will feature work by academics, researchers, activists, legal experts, and many in other fields as we look at this issue through an interdisciplinary lens. Panels will focus on how sexual harassment and assault impact graduate and doctoral students differently than they do undergraduates, and how we can specifically address that difference through a critical analysis of Title IX and the gaps that are created by current legislation, and a focus on the impact of media on the #MeToo movement. Workshops will establish the space for deeper conversations on creating safer environments, focusing on the specific needs of people with marginalized identities, and specific action steps that people, regardless of their role, can take.

The conference will be followed by a cocktail reception to share what was learned and continue the discussion!

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