Emory Report

June 1, 1999

Volume 51, No. 32

Issues in progress President's Commission on the Status of Women May 6 marked the last 1998-99 meeting for the President's Commission on the Status for Women. Outgoing chair Mary DeLong welcomed new members and asked for introductions around the table. She thanked commission members for making it a "wonderful" year. Subcommittees gave their final reports. Faculty concerns committee chair Lynna Williams said the structured mentoring program will start next fall, pairing 10 junior and 10 senior faculty women. The response has been "phenomenal" from senior faculty, she said. Of the 40 responses so far, the majority were from senior women. Over the summer the committee will send out letters to incoming women faculty and then make their final selections for the pairs. Kathy Reed reported that the staff concerns committee is still in the process of crunching numbers gleaned from the Invisible Barriers survey. The committee plans to present the results at the PCSW's fall event later this year. Leigh Partington Tillman said negotiations are still ongoing as to who will publish the next student handbook and what form the publication will take. There are some thoughts to make it solely web-based, Partington Tillman said. "We feel strongly that it should be something that a woman would be able to pull off the shelf and browse," she said, noting that rape victims or other troubled women may not have the wherewithal to check the web in times of duress. Partington Tillman stressed to new student members that since students on the commission turn over yearly, it's up to them keep the PCSW's work on behalf of students going. DeLong said the executive committee will meet at least twice over the summer. She said what she'll remember most about her tenure as chair is "the warmth of this sisterhood, the strength of this sisterhood and its guiding light." Incoming chair Catherine Howett Smith thanked DeLong for her service, and added, "Her grace and presence embodied what we think about in leaders." Before her report on the Women's Center, Ali Crown commended the PCSW for its work of the past two years and said, "You have just done remarkable things to change the climate for women here." --Stacey Jones   Employee Council Council President Ann Rouse called the April meeting of the Employee Council to order with welcomes and announcements. She told the council that, in March, the University administration did not enact the council's retirement benefits proposal to lower the age of participants from 26 to 21. Council members Jeremy Berry and Ron Foust plan to continue gathering information in support of this proposal with the goal of resubmitting it. Erick Gaither, senior associate vice president for business management, and Jennifer Fabrick, Campus Planning director, addressed the council and answered questions concerning the final plan for the Lullwater shuttle road. Ron Foust moved that the council pass a resolution supporting the final plan for the shuttle road. The motion was passed. During committee reports, the special issues committee, led by Susan Cook, said it will be looking into the age/years service requirement for retirement from the University. The communications committee, led by Kathy Hovatter, reminded council members of upcoming blood drives. Two subcommittees were also formed-a child-care facilities subcommittee, which will meet with Campus Life Dean Frances Lucas-Tauchar to discuss the expansion of child-care facilities on campus, and an internal transfers and promotions subcommittee. Rouse stressed the importance of meeting attendance and asked for suggestions for future guest speakers before adjourning the meeting. --Stephanie Scott Return to June 1, 1999, contents page