2012 Meeting Minutes

January 11, 2012

1:00-2:30PM, Clark South 271

Attended by:strong> Stace Beaulieu, Tina Betti, Janet Fields, David Griffith (Skype), Dan Lizarralde,  Dan McCorkle, Larry Pratt, Dave Ralston, Adam Shepherd, Heidi Sosik

Guest: Nanci Pacheco

1. Guest: Nanci Pacheco from Management Information Systems (MIS)strong>
Nanci showed a pivot table that can be updated annually from the WHOI “BiTech” employment database and queried to produce summary plots of gender-related employment statistics. We discussed the subset of plots for display to the WHOI community from the GEPAC webpage as well as more detailed plots for the GEPAC to review each year.

Proposed plots to show to the WHOI community:

All plots to be displayed from the GEPAC webpage will be counts of people in positions per year dating back to at least year 2000.

1a. An “overall” plot that shows all WHOI employees in coarse categories (e.g., slide 52 in 2005 GEPAC presentation: http://www.whoi.edu/images/gepac/institution_gender_equity_update_0506.ppt#310,52,Slide 52).

1b. Scientific staff (this can date back to 1974 if appended to Fig. 1 in http://www.whoi.edu/images/gepac/Gender_Equity_Report.pdf) (we could date back to 1988 if appended to: http://www.whoi.edu/images/gepac/institution_gender_equity_update_0506.ppt#259,13,Slide 13)

1c. Research technical staff ladder (exempt)

1d. Engineering technical staff ladder (exempt)

1e. Information systems technical staff ladder (exempt)

1f. Plot for APO (to provide more detail than shown in “overall” plot above). APO already prepares a report to NSF each fall, so we could choose a plot from this.

Proposed additional plots available to GEPAC:

Additional plots available for GEPAC review can include the above counts per department, as well as time series of “time in position” and time series of “time before promotion.” GEPAC also requested time-series plots of no. hires per gender (e.g., http://www.whoi.edu/images/gepac/institution_gender_equity_update_0506.ppt#280,18,Recommendations 5 & 6 – Recruitment and retention). These and the above plots can be reviewed by GEPAC and compared to national averages in preparing an annual update to the Directorate.

2. New co-chair goals (Dan Mc.)

Dan would like for there to be a regular meeting with GEPAC co-chairs and Dept. Chairs and VPs to keep gender biases “on the radar” during the process of recruitment of scientific staff. Dan listened in on last fall’s Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC) webinar on recruitment biases: “Evaluating Faculty Candidates: Understanding and Minimizing the Influence of Unconscious Bias.”

3. Discuss next Visiting Speaker

3a. We discussed the possibility that our next visiting speaker address solutions for dual-career hiring and retention. Dave R. mentioned that this has been a subject of discussion in Sci Sec (http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=39075). Dan L. mentioned that this has also been discussed in G&G. HR is developing a new brochure related to dual career issues.

Suggestion from Heidi’s email following the meeting: Dr. Elizabeth G. Creamer from Virginia Tech (http://mpowir.org/creamer_dualcareer.ppt).

Suggestion from Dan Mc’s email following the meeting: Dr. Londa Schiebinger from Stanford (http://www.stanford.edu/group/gender/ResearchPrograms/DualCareer/DualCareerFinal.pdf). Note: Dan Mc also downloaded a number of references that may be useful background material for choosing a speaker on dual-career issues.

3b. Other potential speaker topics:

Janet Mertz (University of Wisconsin-Madison): Debunking Myths about Gender, Culture, and Math Performance
Seminar given recently at MIT as part of their Women in Mathematics program (http://math.mit.edu/wim/events/seminars.php)

3c. After the meeting, GEPAC decided over email to co-sponsor a speaker with the Women’s Committee:

Valerie Young, “Imposter Syndrome” (http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=37137&tid=282&cid=127009), 12 March 2012, 10:30-12:00 in Redfield

4. Discuss change of GEPAC committee charge

The Women’s Committee asked that GEPAC remove the requirement that we have an active member from their committee. Committee charge (from website): “Members serve for approximately three years, and the Committee will continue to have representation from a wide range of departments, both scientific and administrative as well as from the Women’s Committee.”

5. Items not covered due to lack of time at the meeting

- Follow-up to Visiting Speaker: Kathleen Flint Ehm, Tues., July 19, 2011

- New brochure available on GEPAC website: https://www.whoi.edu/fileserver.do?id=106024&pt=2&p=10979

(Stace provided ~300 brochures to APO and ~200 to HR)

6. Action items:

• (all) Please email GEPAC co-chairs with suggestions for next visiting speaker. Stace and Dan Mc. will compile suggestions and send out an email. GEPAC can make a decision over email re: next speaker and the contact person to arrange the visit.
• (TBD) Arrange for next visiting speaker.
• (Stace and Dan Mc.) memo to directorate to summarize 2011 and plans for 2012. In this memo, ask to remove the Women’s Committee member from the GEPAC committee charge.
• (Stace and Dan Mc.) work with Nanci to obtain draft plots (1a – 1e above) as image files (e.g., JPGs)
• (Stace, Dan Mc., Adam) draft webpage with password protection for GEPAC members to review how information is displayed
• (Dan Mc.) Although no meeting with recruitment committee and Dept. Chairs occurred in 2011, co-chairs will plan for a meeting in 2012.
• (Stace and Tina) revise the draft survey of perceptions of gender equity at WHOI for further discussion at next GEPAC meeting.
• Next GEPAC meeting to be held in June/July time frame.