Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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eb id you z4veniy in the coedsi .The mini-skirt has replaced the rdhat in one field traditionally ~reserved for a combination. .of 4brains and brawn. And industry through publicity S campaigns urging women to join the FEW--Future Engineering Women--is seeking more and more women to fill vacancies in the engineering profession. "There's no problem of discrimination in getting jobs," said Dr. David Waugh, associate dean of the University of South Carolina School of Engineering. "In the past 20 years, we've graduated between 15 and 20 girls. None have had trouble getting jobs." And Columbia engineering firms unanimously agree that women a. re badly needed In the modern world of engineering. Where once engineers worked alongside construction workers on various projects.. today many are busy inside coinfortable offices as Sanalysts, designers, and resear notion of engineers who out of doors just does not yanymoe'e," confessed Dr. d b. "And In the days of OW' Mr1i'# one of the " 4 I p.rng has ~aRmajor s.tt.wes.te it 4x h0et 96 ar of.,#yla me fail .~lbe know..... .of fedt< .nvade into architeettare, but I decided on engineering. I've run into several teachers who said I was the first girl they had ever taught. I like the math and science and aspect of engineering, especially structures and mechanics." A freshman, Laura Forrester finds engineering "a challenge. I just did not want to go into anything else." Another freshman, Ann Thompson, is following two brothers who have also received engineering degrees at USC. An upperclassman, Jane Price has always been interested in math and science, but "I never thought I'd have the nerve to go into engineering." Explaining her own situation, Mary Dowling added "my family is science oriented. I couldn't play the piano and couldn't draw, but I was good in math and science. I thought about pharmacy and math, but engineering combined both chemistry and math and offered more variety. Nothing else really appealed to me. When my father suggested engineering, I decided to major in It." Most agreed that male engineering students are glad to -have them in classes even feeling 'protective" toward them, the girls unanimously resented the shocked expressions other boys give upon learning of their studies. "I told one boy I was in chemical engineering." recalled Miss l)owiing, "and he gave me such a look of astonishment I just smiled Sweetly and told him to close his enuh- he was losing his cool." F liss Langford advised other maejers Simply to "tell the boys yoI4'3e by doto" Havig girls is engineering 4aueli has poed sente problewps 9 s~tlefeasors in addition to great deal .bw.nou' iealled one class I was elkate ' iant# !h.,g a"s cipex 10_1S ti~ eniM@sdb so'.0 ene arid ~# onpter.ete -and;,a't4dq witcoledes that 'will h4e6 he *t by 1M are be Ia. you' mentioned . house mothers" to the college coeds of 10 or 15 years ago, you probably conjured up visions of stern old women who existed to deprive girls of fun. But, like most everything else around, things have changed. "When we first came here our positions were authoritarian," says Mrs. Lucile Mears who has been a house director (as they are now called) at Carolina for 13 years. "We were looked on more or less as dragons, but we're here purely to help now." "The rQle of the dorm mother of house director has changed drastically over the last 10 or 15 years as young people have become more sophisticated," said Miss Bronna Willis, assistant dean of women. "Emphasis on their respon sibilities has changed. 'hey are holding fewer hands and wiping away fewer tears. However, house directors still counsel and they are invaluable in that they give a sense of continuity to the organization of residence halls and management of the buildings." Miss Willis said that USC now has about 30 undergraduate and graduate students working as residence counselors. Some have replaced adult hostesses who have retired or left for some reason. A New York Times Service story recently noted that in some colleges and universities young married couples are replacing house directors and graduate students are serving as resident counselors. ResidenCe counselors oneq were volupteers, but this year there is a structured program for service to students. Miss Willis said, "One problem with graduate and undergraduates is that they are also students. If an emergency arises, and you need to call on someone, you always know the house director is there." ) mini 0s rngmnee turned out to be the only student I ever had who munched melba toast to avoid a case of morning sickness". As new fields of engineering open up. women are being sought to fill positions heretofore designated for men. "Bio-medical engineering is a wide open field without the tradition of being male-oriented," explained Dr. Waugh. "Teams of doctors and engineers have to work together in designing such new devices as heart and kidney machines. We have a model of the cardio-vascular system here which is used in studying these engineering problems. Recognizing the prominence of women in the field, previous all GENE'S FRIED Ci Crunchy - Ter Mod, with Geneu Comptete with go tangy cole slow I Eat in Restaurant B'VfIE ST. 4o4dhiI0 a~~nd tb A defing planned and sp0hOad6d by Ha"ild .'*nton, vo. president for businee afars; who i in charge others.no, Mrs. r4eas, director qf South Building, said she was in charge of 75 girls when she began in 1956. Now she has charge of 630 girls and says that has been the biggest change in the job over the years the size of It. She approves of the girls having to make more decisions of their own through stronger dorm governments and as individuals. Mrs. Mears claims the changes have "added 10 years to my life." South Tower, the sister residence hall of South, is directed by Mrs. Virginia Wertz, who was in charge of 50 girls nine years ago. She too enjoys the larger number of students. South Tower now houses 400 coeds. She said her former small group was "too much like one big family. At the end of the year everyone gave each other gifts and cried over having to leave." She added, "It's amazing how this place changes. I felt like I knew every boy and girl when I started here, but I certainly don't now." Mrs. Betty Preston, director of Capstone, USC's first honor dorm, said, "When girls reach junior and senior standing they have to have a purpose in life. Most of them don't have the time or the inclination to misbehave. If you have a fine girl, she's going to be a fine gI anywhere." a ' The honor system Is one of the more recent innovations in the University's more lenient trend. Mrs. Louise Fanning, house director for McClintock, the smallest girls' dormitory said that her seven years on campus. 'The University has become more liberal, and I heartily approve of the changes." McClintock, Sims and Wade Hampton form a quadrangle facing Green Street. All contain freshmen. Mrs. Emily Kines has been a house director for three years at skirts, emng male engineering societies are opening up memberships to women. Tau Beta Pi, honorary engineering society, previously provided an auxiliarly organization for women meeting requirements. Barriers were eliminated last year and women presently hold membership in the organization. In its biannual survey (195947), the Society'of Women Engineers revealed that figures provIded by 118 schools showed 1289 women had majored in engineering at that time. Among the most popular areas in engineering were chemical engineering which ranked first followed by electrical. electronic, general and civil engineering. FAMOUS ilCKER der - Delicious own special batter. iden French Fries, md rolls. Dr carry out service HARDEN ST. W~O i W4 the O And If a lt goe well Mntqn bhesglg will be prt n of nw. quarters the ral ufding on gmter Ste.( acros fthan the Horeshoe. Negotiations are currently taking place for USC to aQquie the buildn* to house the adminsitrative officts. COLUMBIA HALL About the only USC-owned Sims and said that In .the three year period she has spent here the only noticeable change in the University Is the larger en'oliment. Wade Hampton is exclusively freshmen. Mrs. Louise Jones is house director and likes the Younger girls best because, "My efforts go farther towards helping them." Students 10 years ago and students now are basically the same, Mrs. Jones feels. She said, "They all need a lot of love, patience and understanding." When Mrs. Jones came to USC she said her doctor warned her, "You'll never stay there. You'll have to live on tranquilizers." "I haven't taken one yet," she added. Two-thirds of the girls at Columbia Hall, which just became a girls dorm last fall, are - fresh OFF T( SA I"Welcome S We Invite you to open d Account. Complete app DOWN A~Ak be.jth aa private loure",, in sorac with an Agreement 'Aade in 1too when Carviina g htebudn Columbia Hall was purchaped to house men as a short-term solution to the over-crowdi6ig housing tern -old v Itrol mot men. Mrs. UAnda Salane, the house director, is in a unique position on campus. Not only is Mrs. Salane house director, but also she Is assistant to the dea n o eand a graduate tudent. Mrs. Mears said, "I think you need to reach a certain age to enjoy this type of work," but Mrs. Salane feels her youth is an asset: "I can see more acu otely the problems we encounter. I realize now you have to take everything into consideration when you make a decision." Columbia Hall is a dormitory that used to be a hotel; Capstone Housesor is a uipit i much like a hotel, Mrs. Peston said. And at times she feels like she is in Grand Central Station, she said. Capstone has facilities for meetings and ctionvenos plus a )A 4A RT M STA RT ttue to bapusel atonLoe Gnd era Ston,ne sauid's meeating and conentins plu sa GOW BA D TO CHOL N FAl . -A $4:. fo tb t year, $12 1009AW IWOt 1 1M, lli" for IM-7316ii o *W O be',84 add $14 minHion rof 191'4-s. The totalgoSt for expmnSlai, by l75$, wtllbe about $112,060,OOO. omen; e coeds revolving restaurant on top of the residehe hall. Mrs. Preston said the size of the dormitory makes meeting people difficult. Consequentl, she holds open house once a week, makes cookies and candles for the girls and lets the girls use her apart ment in the dormitory for once-a. week prayer meetings. All of the house directors praised student conduct. Mrs. Mears said, "This Is the most pleasant year I've had. I've finally decided to accept the changes. Spirit and conduct seem to have improved, and I don't think that because they seem good I might be getting old and senile." Mr9. Preston summed up the house directors' feelings when she said, "Students respond the same to attention. They all like to be noticed and remembered. They all respond to love." ~HIONS FROM ~* ie's" Campus Charge udent I. C. card. UARE