Women trustees host dinner for juniors

The Trustees' Council of Penn Women held its annual Career Dinner Thursday night at the Penn Tower Hotel, featuring keynote speaker Andrea Mitchell, chief foreign affairs correspondent for NBC News. The dinner, which drew a crowd of more than 130, was an opportunity for students to meet with alumnae currently working in their field of interest. Students were seated at the dinner according to individual career interests, enabling them to make valuable contacts in the field. Mitchell, a 1967 graduate of the College for Women at the University, spoke for an hour about "Media Challenges and Responsibilities." "I thought her speech was absolutely incredible," said College junior Joanna Mack. "It made me think a lot about the challenges that still face women in the workplace, and it was inspirational because it seemed that [Mitchell] stood her ground and overcame a lot of obstacles." But Mitchell was careful not to be too optimistic about the role of women in the field of journalism. "[I'm] here not [only] to tell you how bad things were," she said. "But how things aren't that great now." Mitchell began her speech by condemning the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, a man she "knew well and admired greatly." Mitchell also expressed her concern over former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Colin Powell's decision not to run for the presidency. "I was very disappointed," she said. "But not just because of [the media's] love of a good fight." She explained that if Powell had run, she believed the media's coverage would have been more than just "horse race" reporting. Mitchell also discussed the overwhelming media interest surrounding the O.J. Simpson double-murder trial. According to Mitchell, 15 percent of all news on NBC was devoted to covering the case during the trial. "Think of what else was happening in the world while we were watching that coverage," said Mitchell. "In the last few years, my profession has changed and changed for the worst." According to Mitchell, the journalist's job has become harder since Ronald Reagan's presidency, when reporters were given texts of speeches in advance and "things were a lot simpler." Mitchell concluded her speech with advice to aspiring journalists. "Don't repeat our mistakes?educate us as you are learning your craft," she said. "Do better than my generation. Standards matter. Words matter." Mitchell, who majored in English literature at the University, has also served as NBC's chief congressional correspondent and chief White House correspondent. She is a member of the Trustees' Council of Penn Women, the University's Board of Trustees and an overseer of the School of Arts and Sciences. Elsie Sterling Howard, chairperson of the Trustees' Council of Penn Women, said the legal profession was the most popular career among students in attendance, followed by consulting and health care. The council, which is a national network of University alumnae, worked with the Career Planning and Placement Service to organize the event.