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the Letter to Senator Wyden from 6,000 Experts Calling for Congressional
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Senator Wyden speak at the May event
Wyden, Allen Accept Call to Break Down Barriers
for Women and Girls in Math, Hard Science Fields
Senators say Federal Title IX law must be enforced
for progress; of programming;
studies show cooperation with U.S. Department of Education will
be key
May 11, 2005
Washington, DC – U.S.
Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and George Allen (R-Va.) today accepted
a call from more than 6,000 women scientists, engineers, educators
and others to push Congress to break down barriers to women and
girls who could enter and excel in math and “hard science”
fields such as engineering and physics. The call was issued in
a letter delivered to the Senators by groups representative of
women in these fields (listed below), and included a call for
investigative and legislative action on the part of the Congress
to ensure that girls and women are given equal opportunity under
Federal law. Wyden and Allen, both former chairs of the Senate
Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Space, have long been
advocates for equal opportunity in education and the professional
realm in math and science.
“Now is the time to use every tool available to make sure
America reaps the benefits of the best possible workforce of scientists
and engineers, and I believe that the enforcement of Title IX
in math and science is the right way to start,” said Wyden.
“Equal opportunity in math and science will benefit not
just the women who enter the professions, but all Americans through
our technological leadership and our national security.”
“I want the U.S. to be the leader in innovation! But the
stats tell a different story. With other countries graduating
over 100,000 engineers each year and the U.S. graduating only
30,000 to 60,000 we are at a serious competitive disadvantage
in the future,” said Allen. “This means we risk falling
behind designing and developing the new technological innovations,
intellectual property, and inventions of the future. We cannot
afford to cut out half of our population, the female population,
as we recruit our best and brightest students for engineering
and science studies and careers.”
Key organizers and speakers
at today’s event included Carol Muller, CEO and founder
of MentorNet, a national leader in helping women enter the fields
of science and
engineering; Jocelyn Samuels of the National Women’s Law
Center; and Dr. Donna
J. Nelson of the University
of Oklahoma and the Diversity in Science Association. To read
the text of their letter and link to information on their organizations’
efforts, visit wyden.senate.gov or allen.senate.gov.
A 2004 GAO report requested
by Wyden and U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) found that
only the Department of Education had conducted any compliance
reviews in recent years to ensure enforcement of Title IX, the
Federal law requiring equal treatment of girls and women at any
institution receiving Federal funding. At other agencies such
as NASA, the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation
(NSF), little or no effort was being made to assure compliance
with Title IX requirements for grantees receiving federal dollars.
Wyden noted that Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings indicated
to him this week that she is working on an interagency basis to
increase Title IX compliance reviews at NASA, the Department of
Energy and the NSF, and will work with Congress to increase national
awareness of the issue.
Signatories and supporters of
today’s call to Congress included members of the National
Women’s Law Center, the Association for Women in Science,
the Society of Women Engineers, the Women in Engineering Programs
& Advocates Network, the International Network of Women Engineers
and Scientists, Engineers Week, the Center for Women in Information
Technology, the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology,
the National Center for Women & Information Technology, the
Association for Women in Mathematics, the Commission on Professionals
in Science and Technology, Girls Inc., the Institute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineers, and numerous other organizations.