On our Campus: Daily Illini

I picked up Monday and Tuesday's Daily Illini yesterday. Mainly, to see if the bashing of SORF had begun because it always happens this time of year, but I was struct with two articles that really ring home for class. While the national scale brings light to a lot of issues, I thought it was telling that we at times overlook the journalism and stories that come right from our own backyard.

1. Parisa Tabriz: Security Princess, hacker, role model
http://www.dailyillini.com/lifeandculture/article_bc704de6-c07a-11e4-accc-2fe0586da7bf.html

This article about a 2007 alumna in computer science gives hope to women in STEM. She is a role model and loves where she is currently. She knows and understands the privlege that comes with being a women in STEM but also understanding the limitations. I thought this was powerful.

“The fact that I’m a woman in tech and that there are so few women, I’m sure, has given me some advantage in that people pay attention for better or for worse,” Tabriz said. “It’s a really interesting time now. I think there’s a lot of public discussion around women in tech, why there are so few and why the numbers are actually decreasing.” - Daily Illini

The article goes on to mention that Illinois is lagging greatly behind other states for women in tech. With that said, the University of Illinois isn't doing so bad with the largest percentage of women in our Computer Science program. 

• Are we, or those around us, not doing a good enough job of identifying positive stories? 
• Is the U of I doing a good enough job in all areas or just in computer science to recruit and retain women.

2. Black Activits call for more a more diverse university. 

http://www.dailyillini.com/news/article_a9216f08-c07b-11e4-b50c-171fc11918bb.html

This article was also in Monday's Daily Illini and focuses on the very real issue we have with diversity as it related to race. Activists spoke with students and have written an open letter to Chancellor Wise about how short the University is falling in terms of recruiting and maintaining African american students particularity. The charts are what did it for me. Looks at pie charts of how our university faculty and our student population look is actually quite appalling. 

I also went to a Coffee and Conversation talk with Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Renee Romano on Monday. She has been doing these for student affairs units to make sure our voices are heard. In this talk she mentioned that there will be campus conversation about Inclusive Illinois and Diversity that will be taking place soon. It probably will not happen soon enough and our campus issues on diversity will not be fixed with just one conversation or really even several. 

• Do you believe that more conversations or activism like this will continue to pop up? (There wis an article in the DI today about conversations that are coming  http://www.dailyillini.com/news/article_92e2be94-c21b-11e4-8fc2-9f30a039f2d7.html)
• Will this type of activism and letter to the Chancellor do any good? Will there or could there be change that can come from this? 

Don't forget to vote (those of you that can) Vote.illinois.edu. 

- Melissa