To the Editor:

Re: “An Update on Gender Equality,” Opinion, March 9

President Skorton deserves our praise and recognition for his attention to the issues surrounding gender. He emphasizes both the student body and the faculty as areas in which improvement in gender equality can, and indeed will, advance in the coming years. However, I have significant concerns with the framing of the article, as the author paints a rosy picture of the successes of gender equality at Cornell, while undermining the needed focus on the failures we still face as a community.

It is true that Cornell was founded on the “vision” of diversity of thought and diversity of background, as it is true that the University has made great strides in attracting female students and faculty since its inception. Nevertheless, it is not this data that will mobilize a University behind an invigorated agenda of equality; rather, it be the shortcomings in the Cornell policy that garnered greater attention and a renewed perspective from our president.

The article neglects to address effective recruitment strategies for international students (not even mentioned in the article!) and female students of color, areas that deserve our greatest attention. These groups have been the targets of egregious obstacles to advancement at all levels, from Cornell’s minimal financial resources for internationals to the malicious foreign suppression of female progress. So while I agree with President Skorton that the push for gender equality requires our utmost vigilance, I hope that he will consider all aspects of the issue and set the prerogatives of the University accordingly.

Matt Danzer ’12