University
Experience Comparison Assignment
(Women
Role & International things)
Sung Jin Kim
4/26/2014
My
partner's name is Ruth and she graduated from Penn State. I don't know her
exact age but I think she is a student who graduated Penn State during the
1940s. Her major was education and after graduation, she taught ESL students. During
the conversation, we talked about the importance of a teacher to students and
talked about her memories in the past. She had a big house when she became a
teacher, and therefore, she brought international students to her house and had
activities like cooking and talking. She said that she learned how to cook Asian
foods through that experience. Also she talked about women in the 1940s.
Apparently, her father was not pleased about her attending a university. I was
really surprised that woman rarely attended universities at that time period. I
knew about that fact vaguely but after talking with Ruth, I was able to know about
it more clearly.
After
the conversation, I looked over the activates or clubs students joined from the
1957 yearbook. When I looked at the yearbook, I found out that most of the women
attended college had decided to major in education. More than half of those who
were in education were female. I also found out that there were lots of
activities that were very helpful for their education major. One of the students
who were in the College of Education, Nancy Ann Scholl, had scrolls; education
student council; campus party; leadership training committee; all-university
secretariat; sophomore class advisory board; junior class advisory board (Year
Book, 1957).
Moreover,
I found some issues from the Collegian newspaper in the past. From Daily
Collegian, 1964 page 2, there was an advertisement about "Overseas
Opportunities" which is an international voluntary service. This gave
foreign students the opportunity to earn their own allowances with salary.
However, only men in the B.S degree and had great motivation were allowed to
apply (International Voluntary service, Inc, 1964). After looking at the 1964
Collegian, I additionally researched about the women's role in Penn State
University. From the 1966 Daily Collegian, page 3 there was an article titled
"Harris Discusses Changing Role of University Woman." This article
was a great source describing the increase of women's role and influences at
the university. According to the passages, "she went on to discuss the
nature of the Penn State Women, the apartment ruling, male
"operators" and the pressures placed upon college women in modern society".
The ratio between men and women in Penn State at that time was 2.5 to 1.
However, it was clear that women were trying to receive more opportunities and
that the university itself was trying to give more chances to women. For
example, the dean of women gave a public speech asking the university to give
more women the chance of getting a clear career rather than giving them the "dating
games" (Helsel, C. Harris, 1966).
While,
I read this article, I was quite surprised because that was one of the first starting
points for women gaining power in society. Fortunately, many women have been
placed in higher positions today. From the LA Vie 2000, I could easily see that
female students have become more active in clubs (Year Book, 2000).
Reference
Helsel, C. H. (1966, June 3o). Discusses
Changing Role of University Woman. The
Daily Collegian, p. 3. Retrieved
April 26, 2014, from http://digitalnewspapers.libraries.psu.edu/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib: LowLevelEntityToSaveGifMSIE_COLLEGIAN&Type=text/html&Locale=english-skin-custom&Path=DCG/1966/06/30&ChunkNum=-1&ID=Ar00300
International Voluntary service, Inc
(1964, February 28). "Overseas Opportunities." The Daily Collegian, p.
2. Retrieved April 26, 2014 from http://digitalnewspapers.libraries.psu.edu/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib: LowLevelEntityToSaveGifMSIE_COLLEGIAN&Type=text/html&Locale=english-skin-custom&Path=DCG/1964/02/28&ChunkNum=-1&ID=Ar00200
La Vie 1957 (LD4481
.P85 V5). (1957). Year Book 1957. p.115.
Retrieved April 26, 2014 from http://collection1.libraries.psu.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/lavie/id/39220/rec/68
La Vie 2000. (2000). Year Book 2000. p. 347. Retrieved April
26, 2014 from http://collection1.libraries.psu.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/lavie/id/6048/rec/76