By Natascha Terc staff reporter You should just stay home with the kids. Women are still likely to encounter a phrase such as this when looking for jobs, said Catherine Simpson, director of the Women's Business Center in Fort Worth. Simpson said an increasing number of women are starting up their own businesses as they try to juggle a family and a career. "Women are hitting the glass ceiling, and they're getting frustrated," Simpson said. "The rate at which women are starting their own businesses is unbelievable." "It will not be surprising if, by 2001, women own half of all small businesses," she said. "Women are just stifled and think they can do their own thing - and they're doing it." A small business is defined as a business that can have up to 500 employees and gross $5 million in sales per year. Simpson said women have yet to take over corporate America, but she remains optimistic that as they continue taking over small businesses, women will be empowered. "More women are going to jump ship from larger companies," she said. "Once this happens, there will be more women CEOs." Cory Lukens, a freshman business major, said she sees progress happening sooner than later. "At Hewlett-Packard, the main person is now a woman," she said. "We're making progress slowly but surely." Melissa Bryant White, assistant director of career services at TCU, said the progress women have made in the workplace is a reflection of changing cultural attitudes. "It's more acceptable for women to work than it was 20 years ago," White said. "But that doesn't mean there aren't still people who are against this change." Lukens said professors in her classes do not address the issue of women in the work force but treat both sexes as equals. "I think it should be addressed but a huge deal does not need to be made of it," she said. "What they teach the males, they teach the females because we're going into the job market as equals." Alejandra Cofino, a junior business major, said her classes such as marketing management have addressed the issue of women in the work force. "People don't believe in women because men are the ones who used to have the power," she said. "But now women can study and even be better than the men." Although unemployment rates for women fell to 4.1 percent in 1999, women still earn less than men do. White said many companies are now offering women benefits such as child care, flexible schedules and generous maternity leaves. "It's good if companies are attracting women who might want to work but think they can't because they are taking care of children," White said. "But it's bad if companies are offering benefits in place of raising salaries." Lukens said these benefits only help out the family. "It encourages women to have a family as well as establish a career," she said. White said no matter how good the job market is, preparation is still needed, and Career Services can help in the process. Students can get help with résumé writing, job seeking, interviewing or deciding on a career choice. "By far, the majority of students we see are juniors and seniors for career counseling," White said. "But we would like that to change and start seeing students earlier." Jean Giles-Sims, professor of sociology, said women's power has increased but that progress has not been made among all women. "Most TCU female students can identify with women who are in highly educated and economically well-off positions," she said. "These are the women who have access to resources." Giles-Sims said women in service sector jobs, who earn minimum wage and are without benefits and retirement plans, are struggling to take care of themselves as well as their children. "TCU students see their opportunities and their future," Giles-Sims said. "But it's important to emphasize to TCU females that if you talk about women, you should talk about all women." Kiesha Shelton, a senior social work major, said she is not intimidated about starting her career. "In social work, men are usually in administrative positions, but it's changing," she said. "I'm doing my internship now, and I am seeing more women supervisors." Shelton said she might not be as confident if she had chosen a different major. "If I (were) a business major, I would be intimidated because women have to fight harder to get recognized," she said. Giles-Sims said the generation of students currently entering the work force is on the verge of a breakthrough. "This generation is going to inherit a great range of opportunities from women who have pushed aside barriers for them," she said.
Natascha Terc
Editor's note: This is the fourth in a series of articles profiling the 17 task forces that make up the Commission on the Future of TCU.
By Reagan Duplisea staff reporter Torbjorn Hed, a junior management major, said he found himself homeless over Christmas vacation. "I didn't know where to go," Hed said. "I had a friend who knew a friend. I paid him rent to sleep on the couch." Hed, an international student from Sweden, said he was unable to go home over the holidays and found himself with nowhere to stay while the campus closed. John Singleton, director of international student services, said the Global Positioning Priorities task force is discussing the issue of housing for international students over traditional American holidays. The task force is one of 17 that make up the Commission on the Future of TCU, which was established by Chancellor Michael Ferrari to determine how the university can "move to the next level of academic distinction." Singleton, a task force member, said several surveys of international students in the past five years have shown that housing during U.S. holidays was a problem that needed to be addressed. Cathy Hirt, task force chairwoman and former District 9 city councilwoman, said the task force has not formally decided on any issues. The members' goal is to have concrete suggestions by the next two meetings, she said. Singleton said he is including an international house on his wish list for the task force to recommend in its final report. "I'd like to see a house for programming and interaction between U.S. and international students," Singleton said. Larry Adams, associate provost for academic affairs, said if the international house becomes a reality, a wing of an already-existing building will be converted. Adams said the task force is also discussing whether or not to make foreign language a core requirement for all students. Nowell Donovan, the Charles B. Moncrief chair of geology, said the task force discussed further academic revisions when he appeared on a panel before the group. "We talked about having a core requirement in some way where students can be exposed to learning experiences such as study abroad," Donovan said. Despite being ranked fourth in the nation among doctoral universities for the percentage of students studying abroad in an academic year, Adams said the task force would like to see TCU increase that number. One way to do so is to increase financial aid, Adams said. Donovan said the faculty should also be supported financially in its efforts to globalize TCU. "If you are already a leader, you have to back the horses that are pulling the wagon," Donovan said. Faculty members need opportunity incentives, not just financial incentives, Donovan said. He said he would like to see the university give faculty a chance to travel and establish global contacts. Adams said discussions and suggestions are helping the task force decide what to recommend about improving the internationalism of TCU. "We're talking about how we become a truly international university - not just a university in Texas doing international programs," Adams said.
Reagan Duplisea
By Omar Villafranca staff reporter The proposed move of the graphic design program to the College of Communication will not be made until August, Vice Chancellor William Koehler said last week. The decision will be made by faculty and the new dean of the College of Fine Arts, Scott Sullivan. The new dean, from Kent State University, will begin his term in August. Sullivan said the proposal will be thoroughly studied before a decision is made. "I would like to see an objective study of the pros and cons of the move," Sullivan said. "I would like to see what would be gained and what would be lost. I would like to see what the precedence is around the country. I would like to see the impact the move would have on fine arts and communications." Alberto Bertolin, a junior graphic design major, said the move would favor graphic design students. "We would benefit because it would open up new technological doors for us," Bertolin said. "People are confusing graphic design with the arts. Graphic design is a profession not based on mood. It's a communication art." Ronald Watson, chairman of the art and art history department, said he is waiting for a statement from the graphic design program summarizing why the move serves students better. Watson said he is still open to the proposal. "I want to keep an open mind if it serves students better," Watson said. Jeaneane Pogue, a sophomore French and graphic design major, also supports the move to the College of Communication. "Fine Arts to me is painting, sculpting and drawing. Graphic design is more like advertising and communications. I think the graphic design department would be better off in the College of Communication," Pogue said. Currently the graphic design program is in the department of art and art history, which will be in the new College of Fine Arts. However, the graphic design program has proposed moving instead to the College of Communication. The department of art and art history had 139 students as of Fall 1999. If the move is approved, 76 of the 139 students would relocate to the College of Communication. Watson said the art and art history department would have to expand some present areas, such as art education and photography, to make up for the move. Mike Jung, a senior graphic design major, said that graphic design needs to merge with the College of Communication. "Going over there gives us a chance to interact with the people we'll be working with in the future," Jung said. "Say you want an emphasis in advertising, which you can do with a graphic design degree, so you get a chance to interact with the public relations department and copy writers. Here we just interact with each other."
Omar Villafranca
By Courtney Roach staff reporter Bob Steele will discuss the importance of ethical decisions in the field of journalism during the Green Honors lecture at 7 p.m. today in Moudy Building North Room 141. Steele, a published expert in media ethics, will also be speaking to TCU classes. His lecture, titled "Good Decisions, Great Journalism: the Marriage of Ethics and Craft," will be presented by the department of journalism. Steele said his lecture could be educational for all students and faculty because journalism affects everyone. "Journalism is an essential component of a healthy democracy," Steele said. "If it is failing in reality or even public perception, then our democracy fails." Steele is the leader of the Ethics Group at The Poynter Institute of St. Petersburg, Fla., a non-degree school that offers short courses in various aspects of media studies for those already in the media field. Many newspapers send staff members there for advanced training. Steele has also instructed more than 100 seminars at the institute and has conducted workshops on ethical decision-making at more than 40 newspaper offices and television stations. Tommy Thomason, chairman of the journalism department, said Steele was chosen because he leads the field in the study of media ethics. "Green Honors Chair people should represent top speakers in the field that they are representing," Thomason said. "If you were to list the top three or four people in the media ethics field, Bob Steele would be on that list." Steele has conducted ethics workshops for radio, television and newspaper staff members and worked as a broadcast reporter. "I'm going to talk (tonight) about the responsibilities of journalists to be as good at ethical decision-making as they are at the crafts of reporting, writing, photography, editing and other skills," Steele said. Phil Record, the professional-in-residence of the journalism department and former ombudsman for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, said Steele's topic on ethics is especially relevant to students and faculty with today's media practices. "I think Steele hopes to improve students' ethical standards," Record said. "I'm sure he will look at some of the key ethical issues of today." Record said Steele has always been a help to him in his professional career, and he will be introducing Steele at some of his speaking events. "When I worked for the Star-Telegram and had a tough ethics issue, I would always call Bob Steele," he said. "I call him, 'Mr. Journalism Ethics.'" Thomason said media ethics is an important topic and agreed on its relevance. "Media ethics is an issue you hear debated constantly by everyone," he said. "That is why when he comes to speak, it is not only for the journalism department but for the whole university." Along with writing a number of research papers on ethical issues, Steele was the co-author of "Doing Ethics: A Handbook with Case Studies."
Courtney Roach |
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