Harassment at Naval Academy

Is it any wonder that the women of Mills College will fight so desperately to keep their college from becoming a co-ed institution when one reads of the manner in which women at Annapolis, a co-ed institution, are treated by their male classmates?

In response to those who claim that handcuffing Gwen Dreyer to a urinal was just “good-natured high jinks” and not yet another indication of society’s tacit acceptance of violence against women, one might ask how many men at Annapolis have been handcuffed to a urinal, photographed and then taunted? Somehow I wouldn’t be surprised to hear the answer is none.

Other questions: Why is it men feel compelled to engage in such brutal forms of harassment under the guise of hazing? Why is it that not one of the students called on the carpet for such degrading behavior had the decency to admit that what they did was wrong? How can the U.S. Navy consider this kind of behavior in its future leaders anything but despicable? How can it consider its response to the situation anything but dishonorable?

DEBORAH BLAIR PORTER

Redondo Beach