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From: Michael Kaplan <mkaplan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
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Date: Thu, 20 Jun 1996 19:59:39 -0400
>I repeat my question, and I must point out that you have never really
answered it or any questioni like it: What do you want to do? When will it
be good enough?
Your comment about CNN"s inclusivity is perceptive and correct. CNN's news
reporting staff does look more like the population than ABC's. Maybe that's
because CNN's 24-hour, Headline format permits a more diverse and
representative
staff. I don't regularly watch CNN news, so I can't comment knowledgeably on
whether CNN's *news coverage* is consistently "fair" in presenting issues.
>They spat in the eyes of the high school guidance counselors, took the
classes,
got the grades, applied to the college, got in and now represent about a
third
of our class. They are typically among the very top of our class. These
people
are driven.
I am happy to hear that "they" - Ball State's female undergraduate student
population in architecture - make up about 33% of your student body. That's
average. But if the women are "typically among the very top of the class"
where
are the equal numbers of mediocre female students? That's probably the
difference between 33% and 50%.
The more serious problem, IMO, is in teaching. The numbers of tenured
women do
not favorably compare with the numbers of women in the profession. (I've
already
given the numbers.) The problem, it seems, is that hiring, promotion and
tenure
decisions are generally (although by no means *always*) left in the hands of
white males.
Are we prejudiced? Could be.
===================================
Michael Kaplan
Associate Professor of Architecture
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
mkaplan@xxxxxxx