An Action Agenda for Improving Equity for Women
Recommendations for Campus Administrators
by Bernice R. Sandler

This article describes recommendations for institutional change to improve the status of women. Not every recommendation will be appropriate for every institution, although many can be adapted to suit the needs of particular situations and institutions. Additionally, many of the recommendations can also be adapted to promote equity for other groups. The recommendations are not exhaustive; individuals will undoubtedly develop additional recommendations of their own.

General Recommendations

•   Establish a permanent system-wide committee, commission or task force to address and monitor issues concerning females. Where appropriate, establish separate subcommittees or task forces to examine issues such as athletics, sexual assault, sexual harassment (including student-to-student harassment, women in non-traditional areas of study, women in the curriculum, and employment at all levels). Provide staff, resources and a budget.

•   Publish an annual report that evaluates progress and problems concerning women as faculty, staff and students and that contains recommendations for improvement. This could be part of the mandate of the committee.

•   Ensure that there is a person designated as the Title IX coordinator, as required by the Title IX regulation. Ensure that the person carries out the duties of educating all faculty, students and staff concerning their rights, their responsibilities, and the requirements of Title IX. Even better, appoint the Title IX coordinator or some other person to be in charge of educational equity. This person should be proactive in developing and coordinating programs to promote equity, and would work closely with the committee, commission or task force on women. Provide staff resources and a budget.

•   Ensure that all data concerning faculty, staff and students are kept by race by sex so that the status of women of color can be ascertained.

•   Gather information by a variety of means, such as analysis of existing institutional data, surveys, hearings, focus groups, interviews and anecdotal information.

•   Build an assessment of attention to gender issues into performance evaluations of administrators, supervisors and faculty so that they are accountable.

•   Ensure that all programs dealing with people of color made a special effort to ensure women of color are actively included.

•   Develop a center for women and support it with words, institutional funds and staffing.

•   Support women's studies programs with words and institutional funds and staffing.

•   Evaluate campus media (including the school catalogue) to insure that females and males are similarly identified with regard to name and title, that women and their activities are reflected in pictures and articles, and that women are not portrayed in stereotyped ways.

•   Adopt a non-sexist language policy to cover all written and verbal institutional communications.

•   Have at least an annual inspection for offensive sexual and racist graffiti, and when it appears, arrange to have it removed. Examine bathrooms, internal and external walls, locker rooms, desks, cafeteria tables and library tables. Encourage cleaning staff and others to report it.

•   Evaluate how personnel and other policies affect members of the school community as members of families. Many "women's issues" are family issues. Examine sick leave, flex-time, and part-time employment. Establish a policy which allows an optional extension of the tenure period for those persons who are primary care givers for family members, or whose presence is required because of illness in the family or the birth or adoption of a child.

•   Develop child care programs and services, including after-school care.

•   Celebrate National Women's History Month each March with programs and printed materials.

Recommendations For Improving The Chilly Campus Climate for Women

Although policies state that there should be no discrimination, programs, activities and behaviors in educational institutions can nevertheless communicate in various ways that women are outsiders and are not valued as much as their male peers. Although many overt barriers have been eliminated, other barriers, often less noticeable, still exist. Sexist remarks and lack of respect for women unfortunately still occursin educational institutions. Additionally, women students are often treated differently than men in many ways by both male and female faculty members and administrators. They may, for example, give male students more attention and more opportunities for leadership and participation.

Reducing or eliminating overt discrimination is not enough nor is mere neutrality sufficient. Specific efforts must be made to ensure that the climate is positive and helpful.

•   Issue a policy statement that makes clear that differential treatment of women and men, whether students, staff or faculty, is not appropriate and will not be tolerated.

•   Develop a mechanism for communicating clearly the institution's goals for building a climate in which each individual can work and study to his or her potential.

•   Charge all administrators with communicating clearly to faculty members, staff and students their personal responsibility for these goals.

•   Develop orientation programs so that all students, staff and faculty members understand the value placed on respect for all and the importance of gender issues.

•   Establish a permanent committee to explore and report on climate issues. (This could be part of the committee on the status of women.)

•   Use offices of faculty development, and affirmative action to evaluate climate issues. Also use structures already in place, such as the committee on the status of women, women's studies coordinating committees, student organizations including graduate student groups, and similar organizations.

•   Provide institutional support for warming up the chilly climate through staff support for programs, money for research, released time to work on the issue, and the like.

•   Survey and/or interview women and men faculty and administrators, as well as students to assess the climate for women.

•   Assess applicants for faculty and administrative positions for their concern about women's issues so that those hired are supportive of the institution's goals. (A short list of such questions appears in It's All in What You Ask: Questions for Search Committees)

•   Require supervisors to periodically evaluate their unit or department to ensure that women and men are treated equitably with regard to items such as course loads, advising responsibilities, committee assignments and access to secretarial and other support services.

•   Educate all members of the school community including board members, administrators, supervisors, faculty, staff and students about climate issues and the forms that they take.

•   Make the creation of an equitable climate a clear priority. Demonstrate it by public statements and personal behaviors.

•   Foster mentoring activities for women at all levels. Include mentoring of students as part of faculty job descriptions.

•   Bring women to campus as speakers, leaders of programs, recipients of honors, and the like.

•   Sponsor formal and informal programs that address climate issues.

Provide training for foreign-born faculty and students (or incorporate into ongoing orientations programs) about acceptable behaviors toward women students.

*  *  *  *  *



Bernice R. Sandler, Senior Scholar in Residence at the Women's Research and Education Institute, consults extensively with institutions and others about women's equity, including sexual harassment, discrimination, and the chilly climate. She has given over 2000 presentations, written many articles, and serves as an expert witness in discrimination cases. Sandler can be contacted at:

Bernice R. Sandler
Senior Scholar, Women's Research and Education Institute
1350 Connecticut Avenue, Suite 850, Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202 833 3331   Fax: 202 785 5605
E-mail: sandler@bernicesandler.com
Website: bernicesandler.com