34 depts. hiring too few women

A faculty report to be published today states that 34 University departments are delinquent in hiring women, and faculty leaders said yesterday that they are moving to establish a faculty committee to oversee hiring procedures. The report, which appears in today's Almanac, also states that the Nursing School is delinquent because its faculty contains no men. The report is based on data in the provost's report on affirmative action hiring practices. According to the Finance Professor Morris Mendelson, who chaired the committee that drafted the report, the most recent data represents little change from statistics reported in the past. "[There has been] no deterioration, but no significant improvement either," said Mendelson. "It still calls for something to be done." Committee members have, however, begun circulating a proposal outlining a plan that would have a Faculty Senate committee help oversee affirmative action hiring procedures. The proposal has been sent to Provost Michael Aiken and to school deans for comment, and may be implemented as early as next fall, according to Faculty Senate Chairperson Almarin Phillips. Phillips, an ex-officio member of Mendelson's committee, said yesterday that the new proposal outlines procedures for a Senate committee to oversee hiring in all University schools. Phillips said the affirmative action concerns arise over "quantity, not price," saying that while females are not hired in the same numbers as males, they are still paid the same in general. "We have really good evidence now that there is not across the University discrimination in salary between men and women," Phillips said. "I don't mean by that there aren't situations where discrimination is a concern, but it's not a pervasive problem." Despite the problems in hiring females, Faculty Senate Chairperson-elect Louise Shoemaker praised the administration for their efforts in equalizing faculty salaries. "The provost, I must say, has really gone to bat for women when salaries are too small," Shoemaker said. "But what we're concerned about is that the number of women is still so small." "Some departments seem to hire quite a few men and women and some of the men make it through tenure and the women don't," Shoemaker added. The report lists 11 departments with no women on their standing faculty. These departments are Astronomy, Geology, Mathematics, Accounting, Statistics, Bioengineering, Systems, Mechanical Engineering, Architecture, Fine Arts and Animal Biology in the Veterinary School. It also lists 11 departments with no tenured women faculty members. These departments are American Civilization, Music, Oriental Studies, Philosophy, Slavic Languages, Insurance, Management, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science and Clinical Studies in the Dental School. And the study lists 12 departments that have only one tenured woman on their faculty. These are Classical Studies, German, Religious Studies, Physics, Decision Sciences, Finance, Health Care Systems, City Planning and Basic Sciences in the Dental School.

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