2004 Meeting Minutes

December 21, 2004

Present: Kathy Elder, Andone Lavery, Susan Grieve, Tom Nemmers, Darlene Ketten, Chris Hammond, Ellyn Montgomery, Marjorie Holland, Heidi Sosik, Karen Rauss, Steve Lentz, Ernie Charette, and Tim Eglinton.

Absent: Barry Walden, Marsha Gomes,

Summary of Meeting

Discussion of priority gender equity issues to tackle:
- difficulty of changing people’s attitudes.

Discussion of successful NSF ADVANCE programs
- Univ. Michigan cited as an example.

Discussion of specific gender equity issues that Prof. Hopkins has encountered/tackled at M.I.T.

• Salary, space allocations, demographics.
• Formation of committees to look at equity on a routine basis. This has now solved the salary and space inequities.
• Two major remaining issues are:
  - the # of women faculty
  - the “marginalization” process - the “heart and soul of the problem”.
• Post-docs a critical juncture, esp. transition between post-doc and faculty positions.
• Discussion of ingredients for success:
• faculty searches: process of finding people not “business as usual”
• provide unusual incentives.
• need to be proactive in a sustained way.

Current Situation at MIT:

Prof. Hopkins current responsibilities:

• Serves as a co-chair of a council on faculty diversity

- Has direct interactions w/ Provost.
- 3 new policies now in place on family leave etc.
- Undertook study and redesign of recruitment and retention of minority graduate students.

Engineering dept at MIT has seen significant change since 1997 as a direct consequence of Dean’s actions.
The # of women faculty in 1993 and 2003:
MIT wide = 8% and 13%
School of engineering: 6% and 14%

The Biology department is now 25% women, with 3 in influential positions. However, problems still remain: e.g., group proposals have often continued to exclude women.

Tenure rate for women and men at MIT is now the same in science.

The “cost” of success in science for women is often greater (e.g., exclusion from groups). Quality of life for women scientists still a big issue.

At MIT, prediction is that it will take 95 years for science faculty to reach 50% women (75 years for School of Engineering). While current Dean is supportive, their 5-year terms make sustained progress difficult.

While women in science faculty is an issue this is not always the case. For example, in the Humanities the men are marginalized.

December 6, 2004

Present: Ellyn Montgomery, Chris Hammond, Susan Grieve, Marsha Gomes, Tom Nemmers, Heidi Sosik, Kathy Elder, Steve Lentz, Karen Rauss and Tim Eglinton.

Absent: Darlene Ketten, Barrie Walden, Andone Lavery, Marjorie Holland, Ernie Charette

Agenda items:
1. Discussion of potential funding for gender equity activities at WHOI via the NSF ADVANCE program.
2. Discussion of logistics and itinerary for guest speaker Nancy Hopkins visit; co-sponsorship by TenSEC, Staff Committee, the Women’s Committee and Directorate
3. Discussion of potential retirements and new GEPAC members.
4. Discussion of content and format of Institution-wide open meeting on providing an update on gender equity issues at WHOI and recent GEPAC activities.
5. Further discussion of “Phase II” activities (format, content, target audiences).

June 3, 2004

Present: Heidi Sosik, Tim Eglinton, Marsha Gomes, Andone Lavery, Tom Nemmers, Marjorie Holland, Karen Rauss.

Absent: Ernie Charette, Kathy Elder, Susan Grieve, Christine Hammond, Darlene Ketten, Steve Lentz, Ellyn Montgomery, Barrie Walden.

Meeting minutes:

• Summary of Chilly Climate workshops conducted to date.
• Discussion of initial workshop survey results.
• Potential modifications to content of on-going Gender Equity workshops.

May 3, 2004

Present: Heidi Sosik, Tim Eglinton, Marsha Gomes, Andone Lavery, Kathy Elder, Tom Nemmers, Marjorie Holland, Karen Rauss.

Absent: Ernie Charette, Darlene Ketten, Susan Grieve, Christine Hammond, Marjorie Holland, Steve Lentz, Ellyn Montgomery, Barrie Walden.

Meeting minutes:

• Discussion of potential content and format of future workshops (2005).

April 28, 2004

Present: Heidi Sosik, Tim Eglinton, Andone Lavery, Steve Lentz, Kathy Elder, Tom Nemmers, Christine Hammond, Ernie Charette, Marjorie Holland, Ellyn Montgomery, Karen Rauss, Claire Reid.

Absent: Darlene Ketten, Marsha Gomes, Susan Grieve, Barrie Walden.

Meeting minutes:

• New committee members.
• Update on GEPAC website.
• Discussion of content and format of questions for workshop surveys.
• Encouraging attendance at workshops.
• Selection of distinguished lecturer.

March 24, 2004

Present: Heidi Sosik, Tim Eglinton, Steve Lentz, Kathy Elder, Tom Nemmers, Christine Hammond, Ernie Charette, Susan Grieves, Marjorie Holland, Ellyn Montgomery, Karen Rauss.

Absent: Darlene Ketten, Dan Repeta, Barrie Walden.

Meeting minutes:

• Revised charge of committee.
• Past and future committee membership.
• GEPAC website construction.
• Upcoming Gender Equity workshops.
  • Feedback on preliminary workshops
  • Content
  • Attendance
  • Surveys during workshops
• Potential distinguished lecturers.

The subject of the next GEPAC committee meeting will be:

• Content of preliminary website.
• Content of surveys to be carried out during workshops.
• Content of second phase of workshops in 2005.