Guinier speaks at annual women's dinner

Chatting over Caesar salad, stuffed chicken and vegetables, approximately 140 juniors attended the Trustees' Council of Penn Women's seventh annual Career Dinner Thursday night at the Penn Tower Hotel. Representing 15 different professional areas, including health care, law, psychology and social services, 25 Council members shared their experiences and gave students advice on how to pursue their goals. The tables were organized by profession. Before the dinner, the participants requested at which table they wanted to be seated. Honorary chair Mary Selman Hadar, assistant managing editor of The Washington Post for the Style section, led the event. Law School Professor Lani Guinier served as the keynote speaker. University President Judith Rodin also spoke at the event. "This evening, the emphasis is on the girls," Hadar said, as she welcomed the women. Hadar encouraged students to talk with the alumni and ask as many questions as possible. A buffet dessert followed the sit-down dinner, giving students the chance to speak with alumni not at their table. Rodin praised the Council for its efforts and described her plans to reform undergraduate education. Focusing on a study she recently conducted at the Law School examining women's experiences there, Guinier discussed the question of why women are usually at the bottom of their class even though they have the same qualifications as men when admitted. Guinier attributed the trend to the nature of legal education. "One of the things you are taught is to ask rude questions," Guinier said. "The overriding principle is to make the witness look foolish. It's not surprising that the field is dominated by rude people." Guinier said such a ruthless atmosphere leads to the harassment and mistreatment of women students. She then suggested steps the Law School could take to make the nature of legal education more inclusive and less aggressive. "The first step is to take women's complaints seriously," Guinier said. "We need to sit down with students and faculty and ask them questions, like is this your experience and why do you think this is happening." Guinier also discussed the limitations women face in the work force. "You can have a career and a family," Guinier said. "You may not be able to focus on both at the same time, but with a little sequencing you can have a very rich life." Attending the dinner exposed College junior Rachel Levy to professions she had never considered. "There's so much out there in terms of the different aspects of a profession," Levy said. "I met a lot of different kinds of lawyers, and they all had different perspectives."