Women students take lead roles at Ga. Tech

By Laura Diamond

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Georgia Tech students told a joke in the 1970s: What do you call a woman on campus? A visitor.

You don’t hear that joke today. Men still outnumber women more than two-to-one, but, as of last year, women led 42 percent of student groups.

This year, the presidents of the undergraduate and graduate student government associations are women. A woman is editor-in-chief of the student newspaper. The influential Ramblin’ Reck Club, which promotes college spirit and traditions, is headed by a woman.

Senior Amanda McDowell said women have created “an informal sisterhood.”

“We have a lot of respect for one another and I think that helps encourage other women to be leaders,” said McDowell, one of five students serving on Tech’s strategic planning steering committee.

“There is this stereotype that guys speak up more, so being here has pushed us to make sure our voices are heard. Being in the minority here has made us confident and strong.”

Women reached a milestone at Tech this year when the percentage of female undergraduates hit 30 percent, reflecting a national effort to attract more women to the historically male-dominated fields of math, science, technology and engineering. When graduate students are included, Tech is 28 percent women. (Women make up 60 percent of students at most colleges, 58 percent at the University of Georgia.)

This rise of girl power is startling considering Tech’s history. The first women were admitted in 1952, 64 years after the college opened. The State Board of Regents limited their majors to programs not offered at the University System’s other public colleges. It wasn’t until 1968 that women were allowed to enroll in all programs.

The women at Tech today can trace their roots to nearly two decades of aggressive initiatives. Tech officials created programs for middle and high school girls. They recruited female faculty. They started organizations and activities to support women and give them leadership skills.

“We have a climate now where we empower women,” said Jane Ammons, an associate dean of engineering.

Ammons has been at Tech for 28 years and was the first female faculty member in industrial and systems engineering. She earned her doctorate from Tech in 1976 and remembered there were no bathrooms for women in the building where her classes were held. When professors handed back graded papers, it wasn’t uncommon for women to find notes telling them they had to meet the professor at a bar to get their score, she said.

“I didn’t have a faculty member to go to or look up to,” Ammons said. “I didn’t have someone I could look at and think ‘I can be like you.’ People need role models. That’s not to say you can’t have role models that don’t look like you, but there is an added advantage to having a shared background and experience.”

In 1979, Tech had 45 women professors, about 7 percent of the total faculty. Today, the college employs 194 women professors, about 21 percent of faculty.

“They are inspirational,” said Linda Harley, the graduate student body president. “They help all of us look beyond gender.”

Harley attended Tech as an undergraduate. Back then people were surprised she chose Tech. But no one is surprised she is at Tech now.

As women have grown in numbers, they’ve started programs and clubs to reflect their interests. Alumna recall there being about 200 women in sororities in the 1970s. Now campus officials say there are more than 1,000. In 1998, they started the Women’s Resource Center to provide women with support and encouragement.

These cultural shifts happened as Tech recruited girls. The college started Women in Engineering, which offers conferences for high school girls, a summer camp for middle school girls and other programs. More than half of the girls who participate enroll at Tech, officials said.

Girls Night Out lets high school girls spend two days and one night on campus. They attend classes, sleep in dorms and meet students and faculty.

Megan Huddleston, a senior at Brookwood High in Snellville, attended the program and decided to apply early to Tech. She wants to major in chemical engineering.

“Engineering is mainly guys, and I was a little worried about what it would be like for girls. But other girls explained to me that there is a lot for girls here,” she said. “I got to see that girls aren’t quiet here.”

Tech men said they’re used to women taking charge.

“Girls just seem to be more interested in being leaders than guys,” freshman Richard Gonzalez said. “Girls were a lot more into that in high school.”

Some guys have a firsthand knowledge of Tech’s history with women. Clay Williams is a freshman majoring in chemical engineering. His mom, Linda Podger-Williams, graduated from Tech in 1981 with a degree in civil engineering.

“It wasn’t until I got here and started talking with people that I realized there aren’t a lot of people who have a mom that went here,” Williams said. “But I don’t think it’ll be unusual for that much longer when you look at all the girls who are here.”

President G.P. “Bud” Peterson, who has been at Tech since April, has noticed a difference between his male and female students.

“There are young men who come here and they are not sure why they’re here,” Peterson said. “The women who come to Tech know why they came here. They are very focused and confident.”

They build on those skills through programs like last weekend’s 12th annual Women’s Leadership Conference.

About 450 women walked around in suits, greeting one another with handshakes. Some asked if their grip was firm and whether they maintained good eye contact. They spoke to alumna about job opportunities. Phrases like “send me your resume” and “friend me on Facebook” were repeated in many conversations. The event featured sessions on effective public speaking. The women took turns practicing what they’d learned.

“There are so few of us that you have to support one another,” said senior Lauren Davis, who chaired the leadership conference.

Several women leaders said they haven’t felt any hostility from men. Any snide comments come when men complain about there not being enough women to date, said Steph Robbins, president of the Ramblin’ Reck Club.

Some women remembered feeling uncomfortable the first time they were the only female in a group project. They turned to other women for support and learned how to find their voice. Alina Staskevicius, the undergraduate student body president, said these situations prepare women for work in male-dominated fields.

Peterson, Tech’s president, wants to develop more programs for elementary and middle school students interested in science and engineering. He envisions new degree programs that might be more attractive to women.

“Women seem more interested in the use of technology, while men seem interested in the technology itself,” Peterson said. “This doesn’t mean we get rid of mechanical engineering, but if you want to attract women let’s have programs women are interested in.”

National studies show the relatively new area of bioengineering has been popular with women. The field encompasses engineering applied to living things and has been used with ultrasounds and artificial knees and hips.

Peterson said it’s crucial for women to succeed. He recalled an activity a few years ago when the car company Saturn asked students to suggest improvements. Some women suggested a compartment on the back of the passenger seat with a hook to hang purses and other items. Handbags slide around and the contents empty out if the car suddenly stops, the women explained.

“Diversity allows us to come up with ideas that to some seem unimaginable,” Peterson said. “People bring their life perspective and experiences to work. Those different perspectives provide new possibilities and solutions. This is where Georgia Tech can make a difference.”