Sexual harassment show fosters discussion of workplace issues

The Cornell Interactive Theater Ensemble led a forum on sexual harassment for about 50 students, faculty and administrators Thursday in Woolworth Center.

CITE, founded in 1992, is a professional acting company dedicated to fostering discussions about human issues in the workplace with a participating audience, according to the group's website.

"We thought theater would be a good way to draw people in and think critically about the issues," Sexual Health, Assault, Advising, Resources and Education coordinator Thema Bryant said in an e-mail.

The presentation began with a two-person skit about a fictitious University department chair and another female employee who felt she had been sexually harassed by a tenured professor.

The conflict in this presentation was clear, but the solution and analysis of who was at fault was uncertain. It was possible, after the skit ended, to feel empathy for every character but blame each at the same time.

The lack of clarity in the situation was intentional on the part of CITE because it allowed the audience to launch into a discussion of several elements of the situation.

Participants first interviewed the two actors, who stayed in character, about their feelings and motivations the way they acted under these circumstances.

Next, the audience switched roles with the actors by playing the role of either character and talking about their emotions.

Finally, a few University administrators answered questions about actual sexual harassment policy on campus and how human resources combats such problems.

When a supervisor hears of a possible sexual harassment case on campus, Bryant said, he is expected to investigate the matter with the help of human resources.

"It is important for every person to be respected at Princeton and harassment can not be tolerated," she said. "Sexual and racial harassment causes feelings of powerlessness, anxiety and shame, and that is not the experience we want for any member of our community."

The forum was sponsored by SHARE and the provost's office.