Student panel members Lynn Cirigliano and Anne Crum respond to questions during an April 26 "mini town meeting" in the Statler Amphitheater, hosted by the President's Council of Cornell Women. Frank DiMeo/University Photography
By Jonathan Laurence '98
"For us, Vietnam and drugs on campus were the issues of the day -- this was a time when women were still forced to live on campus," said Joan G. Wexler '68, the moderator of an April 26 "mini town meeting" that opened a three-day conference of the President's Council of Cornell Women (PCCW).
"More important than my story, of course, is yours," Wexler told a Statler Amphitheater audience composed of student leaders, a five-person student panel and council members.
PCCW was established in 1990 as an advisory council to Cornell's president, with the mission of advancing the involvement and leadership of women students, faculty, staff and alumnae both on campus and in constituent groups.
Wexler invited students at the town meeting to inform the alumnae about the important campus issues of the day.
Panelists discussed their activities and interests, which ranged from peer counseling and undergraduate research to public service. Prompted by questions from alumnae, many of the student leaders joined in a lively discussion of a variety of campus topics.
Council members asked students to help clarify the current controversy surrounding the administration's proposed housing policy and its effect on program houses. This topic fueled as much debate among the students in the Statler Amphitheater as it has among students in dormitories and classrooms over the past few weeks. Some said the proposal would threaten the existence of program houses, which they claimed help attract them to Cornell. Others said they supported the administration's attempt to broaden the freshman experience.
Council members also showed an interest in issues relevant to the status of women on campus. "Are you continuing to deal with problems related to discrimination?" Wexler asked. Panel member Anne Crum, a senior in the Arts College, replied she hadn't experienced any sexism in the classroom.
Jessica Cattelino, a senior in the College Scholar program, spoke about the campus climate for gay, lesbian and bisexual students.
"Cornell is a pretty good place to be for these students," she said, "but far from perfect." On the plus side, she cited excellent resources available for "queer studies," including a wide range of faculty specialists. "I feel that things have gotten better, but we're facing a time of student apathy," she said. "We've been very lucky to have the support of Vice President Susan Murphy."
Murphy, a council member who received her B.A. at Cornell in 1973 and her Ph.D. here in 1994, was in the audience. The other student panel members included Alex Wong, Lynn Cirigliano and Jason Francis.
At one point, Wexler asked the students to assess the prevalence of sexual harassment at Cornell.
"I haven't felt any different than a man sitting next to me in the classroom," said Sonia Talwar, a junior in the ILR School who works in the EARS peer counseling service run out of Gannett Health Center. But Talwar noted that part of her role at Gannett included fielding calls from women who had experienced sexual harassment from peers on campus.
Other issues raised included professor accessibility, class size, the ratio of women to men in the Engineering College, the recent publication of the first Cornell Women's Handbook (sponsored by the PCCW) and future prospects for female graduates.
"Certainly the number of women who go on to professional and graduate school has increased dramatically," Wexler noted, "and I think that says something."