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Oct. 30,
2000 – (Lexington, Ky.) –
A
new presidential commission, appointed to address
issues relevant to women at the University of Kentucky,
will meet for the first time at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday,
Oct. 31, on the Patterson Office Tower 18th
floor.
UK President Lee T. Todd Jr. created the commission
and, at the Sept. 18 meeting of the UK Board of Trustees,
named Carolyn S. Bratt, the W.L. Matthews Professor
of Law in the College of Law, as its chairperson.
"Gender equity at UK is not option. We must
make our work environment supportive and fair for
everyone," Todd said. "We must have a priority
on getting information about the environment for and
success of our female employees. The recent report
by the Ad-Hoc Committee on Women showed us there is
room to improve. I hope this commission will guide
us in how do that."
In the past month, Todd and Bratt have discussed
the commission’s charge and membership. In early
October, 19 UK faculty, staff and students were selected
to round out the 20-member commission.
“I’ve been at UK for 27 years, and we’ve
never had this kind of support to address the issues
and challenges facing women at the university,”
Bratt said. “To have a commission at the presidential
level is very exciting and promising. It shows that
the University is willing to recognize that there
are problems and commit resources to alleviate them.”
Bratt, who had previously served with several other
commission members on the university’s Ad-Hoc
Committee on Women, said the commission will have
many advantages over the committee and will build
on the work of the committee, including its spring
2001 report on the Status of Women at UK.
“We’re not going to be the place to resolve
individual complaints,” she said. “We’ll
be looking for institutional impediments and the kinds
of things that we need to do to make women full participants
in the university community. With data from the 1988
and 2001 Ad-Hoc Committee reports, we have a wonderful
starting place. We can see trends – some good,
some bad.”
The commission also will work hand-in-hand with the
soon-to-be formed Commission on Diversity. The two
commissions will share space in Gillis Building offices
and will assist each other in gathering and reviewing
data.
The Commission on Women officially begins its work
on Oct. 31, meeting as a group to hear its charge
from President Todd. Monthly meetings are being planned
for the full commission, and subcommittees are being
planned that will likely meet more often, Bratt said.
A half-day retreat and campus forums also are being
planned to orient the commission and gather input
from the campus community.
Information about the commission, including meeting
schedules, will be posted on a Web site being created.
To contact the commission, send an e-mail to women@email.uky.edu.
Members of the Commission on Women
Carolyn S.
Bratt, Law, chairperson
Susan J. Scollay,
Education
Lois M. Nora,
Medicine
Debra A. Harley,
Education
Mitzi M. Johnson,
Behavioral Sciences
Suzanne Scheff,
Engineering
Janet Hurley,
University Health Service
Bessie Guerrant,
Research Assessment
Edythe T.
Lach, Medicine Dean's Office
Michelle P.
Sohner, Academic Ombud Services
Bettie M.
Allen, Custodial Services
Dwight Billings,
Arts and Sciences
Jeffrey P.
Bieber, Education
Ryan J. Kilpatrick,
WUKY
Joy Myree,
Graduate Student
Sara Sahni,
Undergraduate Student
Azadeh Shirazi,
Professional Student
Joan C. Callahan,
Women's Studies
Deborah C.
Kwolek, Women's Health Center
Jeanie Caldwell,
Women's Forum
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