Yale Daily News

Updated: Saturday, November 21, 2009 7:35 p.m.

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For minority profs, time is scarce

Staff Reporter
Published Monday, February 16, 2009

When Stephen Pitti ’91 first joined Yale’s faculty, he served on 14 committees in his first year. As an eager young faculty member, alumnus and one of Yale’s first Latino professors, he was bombarded by requests to take on administrative and committee work. Pitti agreed to an unusually large number of these requests — and he paid the price, sacrificing sleep to balance his academic and administrative obligations.

Now, 10 years later, Pitti is a tenured professor, the master of Ezra Stiles College and a member of only a handful of committees. But looking back on his time at Yale,...

#1 By (Anonymous) 7:51a.m. on February 16, 2009

The role of director of undergraduate studies is (or should be) very demanding. It requires a much greater commitment than many committees.This is exactly the type of assignment a department should not assign to junior faculty. I was surprised to read of not one but two female assistant professors who are required to serve as DUS.

#2 By JasonM 8:04a.m. on February 16, 2009

HERESY!

“I’ve never been absolutely convinced that it’s always important to have a woman on a committee, that women see things very differently that men do,” said the female social science professor."

Someone is begging to be excommunicated from the communion of the First Church of Diversity to whose creed assent is otherwise compulsory for all holy academics.

Also, talk about the law of unintended consequences. Put diversity-mania up there with rent control and protectionist tariffs as textbook bad examples from Econ 101.

#3 By GSAS Alum 9:29a.m. on February 16, 2009

Thanks for this great article on a really important issue.

#4 By jeff g 5:58p.m. on February 16, 2009

What's the problem? Most professors are over paid and under worked. Wow, committee work must be difficult,sit around a table drink coffee and discuss the issue of the week. Did they ever hear of the term , earning your keep? Look at the medical industry, they have the doctors or interns working around the clock, how about major league baseball players, they have to start in the minor leagues and work their way up to the majors if they are good enough. This paper idolizes the professors at Yale, maybe your brown nosing for a better grade, I hope not.

#5 By Recent Alum 6:32p.m. on February 16, 2009

“I’ve never been absolutely convinced that it’s always important to have a woman on a committee, that women see things very differently that men do,” said the female social science professor."

I hope for the sake of the quoted female social science professor's prospects at getting tenure that she does not espouse this opinion in front of her peers.

#6 By (Anonymous) 10:13p.m. on February 16, 2009

This article brings up an important issue often overlooked. Thanks for writing it!

#7 By Hiero II 11:01p.m. on February 16, 2009

Mandated diversity creating unintended problems? PERISH THE THOUGHT.

#8 By (Anonymous) 1:56p.m. on February 17, 2009

Great article exploring an important issue in academia. Jeff G (#4) needs to get a clue.

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