> "One alumnus, Ralph Horne '50, found the fact that 42 percent of the
> student body is now made up of women to be unbelievable, and perhaps
> even detrimental.
>> Now, just why do you suppose that they felt the need in the alumni
> magazine to give Mr Horne the opportunity to imply that women don't
> belong at MIT ? Alumni magazines are supposed to be feel-good
> organs of the institution.
On the other hand, I was interested in reading this, because it spoke to
me of how far we've come - and to remind me and other women that people
like Horne still exist. I think, especially for younger women who've
never known anything else, it's easy to forget how institutionalized
discrimination was just a few years ago. To gloss it over and only
include "happy thoughts", even in an alumni magazine, makes light of the
women who faced down and continue to face down that kind of opposition.
I didn't read the article so I don't know how the quote came across in
context, but if his quote had been combined with a story about how women
have persevered at MIT, I would have found it much more illuminating
than the usual alumni magazine airbrushed article that makes everything
sound easy and perfect.
Karen
