LETTER: Help Wanted

At a time when hundreds of Penn students looking for summer and full time jobs are frantically putting together resumes and making use of Career Planning and Placement's services, I write this letter to tell them all "Beware!" I myself recently visited CPPS and spoke with a counselor about finding a summer job with an architecture firm. In the middle of our conversation, this woman candidly told me that what she was about to say was sexist -- but nevertheless, said it anyway. I was informed that architecture was a very difficult field in which to make money. However, since I am a woman, I will not be the primary provider for my family and therefore should pursue my goals. She followed this statement with a news flash. Apparently, my parents are very upset that they are spending a lot of money on my education and I will never be able to earn it back. Imagine that! This counselor is more informed about my parents' feelings than I am. Not only was this conversation insulting to myself, it is insulting to all students, women and men alike at Penn. It is bad enough that in a few years, all of us will be encountering sexism and racism in the "real world." We should not have to fight this battle here at our own university, especially not with counselors that are supposedly here to aid us. VALERIE BROADWIN College '93 Future Architect