Memo from Darlene Kelly to Annette Flower and Jane Sheets, 1973

Women file TOWSON STATE COLLEGE COPY December 13, 1973 TO: Annette Flower and Jane Sheets, Co-Chairpersons cc: Corrinne Bize Norman Sheets Dean Shaw FROM: Darlene Kelly RE: Third Annual Report on the Status of Women Faculty at Towson State College I am indebted to you, as I believe the entire College is indebted, for the excellent report. The hours of work, the seriousness of your analysis, the persistence of your efforts (especially with no demonstrable administrative enacted improvement) is to be highly commended. I have some comments, reactions, and suggestions that I wish to share. 1. First, in reference to page 2 of the report: (1) Clearly men get promoted on this campus, women do not. We in sisterhood must encourage women to push themselves for due consideration; (2) The increasing gap demonstrates that the College increasingly has taken a position of more lip service and less action. The only change I perceive is that the College is becoming a better discriminator on the basis of sex. I suggest we as collected women take more action and do less talking. 2. Secondly, in reference to page 3: women must get doctorates if that is a criteria. Again, we in sisterhood must provide urgings to our fellow female colleagues. Why are women more readily granted Assistant Professor ranks without doctorate? Is it because of greater years of teaching experience or some other variable? One of the divisions that pulls down the number of women with doctorates is Division V. Since you note later on a large percentage of the women on the campus are in that division, I think a concerted effort of the Committee on the Status of Women should be to encourage the hiring of women in that Division who do hold the earned doctorate. While this is true in all departments, it seems to me especially true in W.P.E. where there is currently an abundance of female doctorates in the availability pool.It appears to me that W.P.E. is implicitly discriminating against women when they hire the least promotable woman; I don't believe this is intentional, however, the rule to not hire at anything but the instructor level when you promote from that level clearly perpetuates the problem. Once again let me express my appreciation and respect for your efforts. Once again also, let me encourage less study of the problem, less talking about it and more action. For the sake of our College, I do hope litigation or some other action is not necessary; (Please be aware that I am writing this from an individual faculty member's viewpoint.) however, if it must be, then let it be. P.S. I do hope you not only get a response from the administration this year, but more than that, results!!