SWE - Fall 2007 - (Page 31) to combat sexual harassment in educational environments. “SWE was the sole representative of women and STEM issues as they apply to Title IX,” states Melissa Carl, SWE’s representative for public policy in Washington, D.C. This was an important point, as Carl notes that the committee oversees the Department of Education and can set policy. SWE brought Title IX issues about STEM to the people who can take action in Congress. In her testimony, Layne spoke about the discrimination that exists in the academic STEM community and included powerful examples from her experience as the ADVANCE program director at Virginia Tech. After stressing SWE’s commitment to establish engineering as a career for women and to improve the numbers of women in the engineering workforce since Title IX was enacted, she noted that women are still underrepresented in STEM. She emphasized the far-reaching implications of this shortage for American business and technological advances. “SWE members should know that Title IX applies to all educational programs that receive government funding. This is a tool that is available to bring attention to gender disparities.” Peggy Layne, P.E., ADVANCE program director, Virginia Tech and former SWE president Said Layne, “The persistent discrimination against women and girls in STEM, coupled with widespread concerns about American competitiveness in the global marketplace demonstrates that enforcement of Title IX in these fields is critical. Thus far, too little has been done to realize the promise of this law in the area of STEM.” To Layne, the “real culprit” behind the lack of women in STEM is socialization and discrimination. “Attrition along the pipeline still has much to do with a culture that presents obstacles to the success of women and girls,” she testified, adding evidence from her life as an engineering student in the late 1970s and her ensuing career. “When I found that 20 years into my engineering career women were still only 10 percent of the engineering workforce in the U.S., I changed career paths. I decided to work full time on this problem so we will not be talking about these same issues 20 years from now,” she said. She reasoned that Title IX has not spurred progress for women in STEM and cited two causes: a lack of enforcement efforts by federal agencies and that female students and faculty members do not report incidences of gender discrimination. Title IX can remedy both of these. Concluding her testimony, she recommended conducting oversight hearings and called for enhanced agency actions to implement Title IX to its fullest. She asked for authorization and funding for a comprehensive public education campaign to raise awareness of Title IX, more funding for programs that focus on attracting women and girls to STEM careers, and retaining them by removing institutional barriers to their success. The chair of the subcommittee, Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX) echoed Layne’s testimony as he commented on the “gaps in participation in various disciplines in the STEM fields and disparities in career and technical education programs.” Following the meeting SWE sent committee members references on successful programs that support women in STEM. Carl comments, “The members who attended now know that SWE is active in public policy and is a resource,” adding that she will continue this follow-up year-round. “At the hearing, we saw who our Title IX champions are and those who know that Title IX is applicable to more than just athletics,” she says. Committee members are not the only ones who should speak up about STEM issues and Title IX to decision-makers in Congress and the public at large. “Title IX as it relates to sports gets more news coverage, so SWE members must keep the issue of Title IX and STEM in front of our elected representatives,” Carl recommends. Adding some useful background to the issue, Cathy Pieronek, SWE’s Title IX lead, notes that the phrase “Title IX” is off-putting to some, who read stories in the news about how Title IX has forced schools to cut men’s athletic programs. “Public perception of the law tends to focus on this one negative and overblown aspect. Schools work with finite budgets for athletics and in order to equalize programs for women, the money has to come from somewhere.” But Pieronek stresses that this same scenario need not play out in STEM fields. “The gender equity goal in STEM is not to take away from men and give to women. Rather, the goal is to create environments within our K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions that enable women who are interested in STEM fields to believe that they are entering a field in which they are valued and respected. Most importantly they must know that they can succeed as men have succeeded for decades.” “Title IX as it relates to sports gets more news coverage, so SWE members must keep the issue of Title IX and STEM in front of our elected representatives. Melissa Carl, SWE Public Policy Representative. SWE FALL 2007 31
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