The percentage of female tenured professorscurrently hovers slightly above 10 percent. Onlyone women has ever headed one of the University's10 schools. Patricia A. Graham stepped down asdean of the Graduate School of Education in 1991.
"It's great to dedicate a gate to women, andit's great to have the Houghton gift," Schmertzlersays. "But the University must show a sustainedcommitment to bringing equality to women in everyfacet of the University."
Bagneris agrees, saying that she is "unmoved"by the College's "symbolic gestures."
"Harvard celebrates what?" asks Bagneris,referring to the T-shirt slogan she sported inprotest of the 25th anniversary celebration ofco-residency in the Yard.
"They've celebrated not hiring and tenuringwomen, actively ignoring on-campus rape, andundervaluing and underpaying women such as thesecretaries and dining hall workers that reallymake Harvard work," she says.
Pledging Allegiance
With both schools wrangling for the hearts ofundergraduate women, for many the most obviousanswer remains the current situation--a collegialco-existence.
"There are more than enough women to goaround," says Colleen T. Gaard '99, who is the WLPco-chair and also a Crimson editor. The WLP isco-sponsored by Harvard, Radcliffe and theInstitute of Politics.
"Radcliffe pulls a lot of weight in somecircles. Harvard pulls weight in others," Gaardsays. "The combination of the two can only be forthe better of the general student population."
But Tamar March, dean of educational programsat Radcliffe, says that collaboration between thetwo schools is "not by design but by default." Shesays Radcliffe offers opportunities for theeducation of women by women that Harvard'sphilosophy of gender equality will not allow it toduplicate. Instead of co-sponsoring events, thetwo colleges are resigned to be divided.
"Radcliffe puts students in close, intimateproximity with women scholars, leaders andprofessionals," March says. "It's sort of what thefinal clubs do for men, but not in an economicway."
But not all female undergraduates or alumnaewant women to remain exclusive members of "ClubRadcliffe" or to identify exclusively withRadcliffe. Instead, they see Harvard's growinginterest in women as a sign that anundergraduate's need for Radcliffe will slowlydiminish as Harvard assumes more of theresponsibilities of the school on Garden Street.
"Maybe [the Women's Initiative] has hurtRadcliffe in the sense that some women feel thatthey don't have to turn to Radcliffe anymore,"Avery says. "But that's the way they should feelsince Harvard is their college.