Three women graduate students have decided to leave the classics Department and pursue their studies elsewhere, saying the department fosters an "intellectually and ethically intolerable" atmosphere.

The three women, comprising nearly half the department's first-year class, would not elaborate on their reasons for leaving. But several students say their departure raises questions about how women in the department are treated.

Sarah V. Grave, 23, and Deirdre D. von Dornum, 22, will leave the department's philology program at the end of the semester for Stanford and Princeton respectively.

A third student, Heather Wood, left the department in December to study at the University of California at Berkeley. Wood could not be reached for comment.

"I understand that I am one in a continuum of women who have found the department to be less than supportive," said Graff. She said she was not leaving because of any sexual harassment which she herself has experienced.

Von Dornum also denied rumors that incidents of sexual harassment led to her decision.

"I am not leaving because of sexual harassment," she said. "I would not deny that sexual harassment occurred in our department."

Graff and von Dornum said both graduate students and faculty members are responsible for creating an environment in the department that caused them to leave.

Acting Chair for the Classics Department Gregory Nagy would not say why the students left, but said the department will address the issues that have been raised.

"I think it's a shame that three very promising graduate students are leaving our department. For our Classics community here, students and faculty alike, this is a time for introspection, not public speculation," said Nagy, who is also Jones professor of classical Greek literature and professor of comparative literature.

"The departmental consensus is to move ahead and not simply to return to business as usual," Nagy said. "It is better for the community simply to be talking to each other at this point.

The issue has been discussed at a number of faculty meeting, and at meetings with students and faculty, said Professor of Greek and Latin Charles P. Segal.

"The department is very concerned about theissue," said Segal adding that faculty members are"determined to improve the atmosphere."

Both Graff and von Dornum said they enrolledat Harvard because of its strong program inClassics.

"I came to Harvard because I believed that itwas the institution at which I would be able topursue the best possible education in Classics,"von Dornum said. "I no longer believe this to betrue."

Several Classics students, speaking on thecondition of anonymity, said there have beenproblems of sexism in the department.