KU discrimination study released
A summary of the annual report on discrimination against women has been released by the AWS Commission on the Status of Women. During the 1969-70 school year the Commission has been actively investigating specific cases of discrimination at the University of Kansas.
This year the Commission researched the areas of departmental screening, financial aid, selection of residence halls by freshmen and women faculty members.
The main objective of the Commission is to investigate discrimination against college women, to inform women students of the problem and to serve as a watchdog for cases of discrimination, said Suzy Bocell, Kansas City junior and chairman of the Commission.
Although personal interviews raise subtle doubts there is no substantial proof that overt academic discrimination against women exists at KU, the report stated, but discrimination in individual cases has been found to exist. Discrimination, as such, is not obvious in the upper echelons of the academic departments.
Although discrimination was not revealed in the study, the University may be seen as aiding in protracting discrimination, Miss Bocell said on behalf of the Commission.
An examination of the records of applicants who did and did not receive the National Defense Student Loan for the 1969-70 school year, Miss Bocell said, showed women are awarded this loan as often as men.
Until 1968, freshman women were required by the University to live in an all women's hall with closing hours established by AWS, the report stated.
The fall term of 1968 saw a change in this policy in that incoming freshmen were still required to maintain closing hours, but they were given the choice of an all-women or coeducational hall. The fall 1969 term marked another change. For the first time, the report said, freshman women were permitted to decide whether they wanted to determine their own hours or observe the University's established security hours.
The primary importance of the study was placed on the actual decision-making process and whether the choice of living plan was made by the student herself or another person. Percentages showed parental influence was greatest in the plans in which closing hours were established. The student made her own decision in more cases under the fourth plan, which is the most different from the traditional concept of the freshman hall, the report stated.
Most significant were the reasons given by freshman women for their choices of living plans. They were closing hours, coeducational living and the idea of general residence hall living. Percentages show those women living under a plan without closing felt they could determine their own hours. Those who chose a hall with hours did so for academic discipline and a stable routine. A desire to meet more students was a main consideration of women who chose a coeducational plan.
Those choosing a women's hall felt uncomfortable or inconvenienced by the presence of men. A closer knit group and lower noise level was anticipated by those selecting a women's hall. Those who chose a coed hall did so because only the newer halls would have this arrangement, the report said.
The study showed that of the 975 faculty members at KU,113 are women. In 32 departments of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, with a total faculty of 569,48 members of the faculty are women. The distribution ranges from 13 departments with
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1970 KANSAN 9
no women faculty members to one department with six.
No women presently hold positions as deans or assistant deans of schools. The chairman of only two departments are women. Twenty-one women hold
the rank of professor; associate professor, 21; assistant professors, 24; lecturers, seven; teaching assistants, four; instructors. 36.
In addition to these specific studies the Commission has been active in investigating other cases
The Commission was also instrumental in removing the stipulation that the husband be a student for a family's eligibility to live in Stouffer Place, the University married student housing.
of discrimination against women. An example was the investigating of company representatives who are recruiting new employees from KU. The Commission is now working to correct these inequities.
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