Several women’s athletic teams, sororities, student organizations and cultural groups are organizing a mediated discussion on sexuality at Yale to be held tomorrow in response to the recent circulation of an e-mail message ranking the physical attractiveness of dozens of women in the freshman class.
The discussion in Sudler Hall, originally slated for later in the year, was moved up to 2 p.m. Sunday in the wake of the anonymous “Preseason Scouting Report.”
“As a sexual being, this is a discussion we need to keep having — what does it mean to be sexual, to be healthy?” said Alice Buttrick ’10, the public relations coordinator for the Yale Women’s Center.
Buttrick added that the e-mail message will not be the event’s primary focus. “The e-mail is a shocking example of the kind of event that can happen on campus,” she said. “It is not an isolated incident.”
In addition to sororities, women’s athletic teams and other student groups, the Women’s Center has invited freshman counselors and Yale College administrators to the event, which is open to all students.
Beyond Sunday’s forum, Buttrick said the Women’s Center plans to write a letter to University administrators regarding Yale’s treatment of the e-mail. But the Center’s top priority is opening a dialogue among students, said Blair Lanier ’11, the Women’s Center business coordinator.
“It’s about starting a conversation between students that continues throughout the year,” Lanier said.