But what if you meet a man?
Interesting anecdote in the comments to this post over at Science + Professor + Woman = Me. This is a conversation between the commenter and her chair, a man, about getting the signature for two graduate students to join her lab.
- Chair: I’m not sure that I can sign off on your being the advisor for these students.
Me [Pam]: Excuse me? (Background: two new federally-funded three-yr grants, each with a doctoral stipend available for a student)
Chair: Well, how do I know you are not going to meet a man and run off and be with him?
(I kid you not, he said that).
Me: You don’t. But how do I know that you aren’t going to meet a man and run off with him, and abandon the department?
(He didn’t think it was funny – but he signed the forms.)
July 23rd, 2006 at 2:47 pm
only the professor herself knows which battles she can profitably fight, but I would seriously consider filing a grievance over this. It might pay to have such a thing on record in the event that further examples of discrimination occur.
July 25th, 2006 at 6:54 pm
Most people know that women meet men on a daily basis.
Without constantly running off.
Where do you find such a romantic heart?
Must be a special place.