When Andy Medina heads out to work, he packs a van-full of computer hardware and software. "Sometimes my work in rural areas of Arizona gets pretty tricky. I just can't drive to a nearby computer store for a part I need. I have to think things through ahead of time."

An electronic field services technician for Agricultural Communication Systems, Andy sets up and maintains computers for Experiment Stations and Cooperative Extension offices all over Arizona. He has worked for the College of Agriculture for three years.

Before that, he was an office electronics technician with the UA's Exercise & Sports Science Department for 15 years. A native Arizonan, he earned a Bachelor's Degree in electrical engineering technology at Northern Arizona University, in Flagstaff, in 1975.

"I've always liked electrical and mechanical systems and helping people out," Andy says. "My job combines all three." He has to know the computer systems completely in all the far-flung offices he services because he usually has to work from only a telephoned description of the problem, which may be in the software or hardware.

"I troubleshoot from campus in Tucson, load up and head out."

Despite all his work with computers, Andy doesn't think of himself as a computer junkie. "I don't just see a computer when I look at one I have to fix; I see a box of parts. That's the engineer in me, I guess," he says, smiling.

Andy didn't even buy his own computer until two years ago, but now he believes it's crucial for his job. "I use it for E-Mail and for surfing the World Wide Web looking for news about software and upgrades. My supervisor Bob Greenberg can E-Mail me a rush assignment."

Andy Medina has a unique, statewide job assignment that is instrumental in keeping the College running smoothly. It's a job that suits him completely.

COA Diversity Day

The Dean's Spring Meeting, Celebrating College of Agriculture Diversity, is set for Thursday, March 27, in the Arizona Ballroom at the Student Union, beginning at 8:30 a.m. While you enjoy food from around the world, find out where in the world (and the United States) your colleagues started from. In the fair-like atmosphere, check out booths featuring music, videos, computer programs, and other activities that mirror the immense diversity we celebrate in the College of Agriculture. There will be a dramatic presentation midway through the celebration and the Dean will deliver a short speech and present a staff award. Put March 27 on your calendar!

Mend It -- Don't End It

Three criteria distinguish the battle over affirmative action: Are policies fair, effective, and justified?

Courts have long recognized the risk of unfairness and have adopted strict standards to limit that possibility, particularly to white and male employees. Critics of affirmative action often overlook or misrepresent these standards. For example, the courts hold that employers cannot ignore vested rights of present employees; employers may only consider qualified job candidates.

Fears of reverse discrimination seem greatly exaggerated. In affirmative action court cases between 1990 and 1994, fewer than three percent involved reverse discrimination. Of these cases, nearly all were ruled to be without merit.

Studies comparing firms with and without affirmative action plans show a much larger increase for minority and female employment in companies that had such policies. Ninety-five percent of CEOs surveyed recently believed affirmative action had improved hiring practices.

Is affirmative action justified? Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia asserts that our Constitution is "colorblind" (and presumably gender-blind). But preferential treatment was written into that document when only white men were permitted to vote. Then the question becomes: Haven't we fixed the problems of past discrimination with the various civil rights and anti-discrimination laws passed in recent years?

Many critics of affirmative action argue that just forbidding discrimination should be enough. Merit should be the only criterion for employment opportunities and school admissions. However, recruiting by word of mouth, without qualified minority access to the applicant pool, is prevalent. One survey shows that 86 percent of high executive jobs are never advertised. Sometimes apparently neutral qualifications such as "fitting in," can mask racism or sexism.

Examining college admission criteria reveals they often are highly subjective. A recent New York Times interview with Harvard admissions officials revealed their criteria included motivation, geographic distribution, personality, and parental connections to Harvard. In addition, lingering effects of past preferential treatment for whites cannot be erased simply by legislating an end to discrimination.

Kathy Bryan, research associate, American Association of University Women, in Fall 1996 "AAUW Outlook"

"Multiracial" Category May Be Added to Census

Adding the extra "multiracial" category to the U.S. Census may help Hispanics pick a racial characteristic. Some 6.7 percent of Hispanics chose the new category, sharply reducing the number checking "other." The final decision will be made by the Office of Management and Budget; the ruling will apply to all federal programs. Meanwhile, the Census Bureau has been testing sample census forms.

More than 80 percent of the people checking "multiracial" included white as part of their background. About 30 percent involved an Asian or Pacific Islander response, 25 percent involved Blacks, and about 7 percent included American Indian.

The current census classification considers Hispanics as an ethnic group rather than a race; this seems to cause confusion on the census forms. In a test of forms, 52.5 percent of Hispanics listed themselves as white, 2.1 percent as black, and 42.9 percent as other.

Woman Supervisors Still Misunderstood

Workplace attitudes have improved greatly, but even today, for some men working under a woman's supervision is a blow to their egos. Many men lack good social models for dealing with women in the workplace, so they tend to use their earlier experiences with powerful women. A man may unconsciously begin inappropriately treating his boss as if she were his mother or a teacher.

In our society, men were still often brought up to take care of women, do tough jobs for them, and protect them from the harshness of life. The men are vexed and puzzled by the negative reaction to this traditional male behavior.

Women managers are often infuriated when men "walk on eggs" around them or try to take care of them. The women want employees to be direct and open, to give honest feedback, to ask questions. However, men may hesitate to give that feedback because they fear an emotional reaction, or that the woman will believe criticism veils a sexist attack.

For women, learning to interpret the nuances of "man-talk" is far more important than trying to talk like men. Men still use action words that refer to sports and war. "When in doubt, punt." "Top brass." "Biting the bullet." Organizational women must function in a world of strong male paradigms.

Women who talk often and openly about personal matters, family and friends, may be written off as "gossips." Male coworkers think the women are wasting time and can't understand business.

Both sexes must continually put themselves in each other's shoes. We are different, and we need to be constantly alert to what people are really like and what we each need from the other.

Dr. George F. Simons, Simons International, "Men and Women Working Together," in "Managing Diversity," 6/96

Swimming in a Sea of Choices

The vast difference between American individualism and the family or group organization of other cultures is well-known. What is so fascinating is how these two points of reference manifest themselves in so many ways.

Syed Zafar, president of Cultural Diversity Group, came to the United States from Pakistan when he was 24 years old. "I had never been witness to the cult of individualism. After 14 years of living in the U.S., its virtues and mysteries still intrigue me. I noticed right away the incredible number of choices I was required to make on a routine basis. Many times, it's difficult to keep coming up with personal choices to display one's individualism, especially when choosing one thing over another does not really make any difference.

"Ordering food in an American restaurant can be an ordeal," says Zafar. "How do you like your steak? How do you like your eggs? What kind of bread do you like? The killer is the salad dressing. There are so many choices just hearing them makes me dizzy."

A Pakistani teenager told Zafar about frustration with an American academic advisor. The teenager wanted to study medicine because that was his parents' desire. But the advisor kept telling him to forget what his parents' wanted and to make his own decisions. In the Pakistani environment, the perception of self extends beyond the individual to encompass one's immediate family at the very least.

In traditional cultures, parents have a vested interest in what their children choose as a career because most parents rely on them for their livelihood in the parents' old age. They take pride in their reliance because it means the parents have been successful.

To understand other cultures, Americans need to recognize the impact of forces related to family or collective orientation. "If we stay in a frame of mind where we believe every human being would prefer individualism if given the chance, we may be kidding ourselves."

Syed Zafar, Cultural Diversity Group, Houston, TX, (713) 587-6935 in "Managing Diversity," 12/96

College Students Abroad

The number of American students studying abroad rose 10.6 percent over the previous school year to 84,403 in 1994-5, continuing a 10-year upward trend, according to the Institute of International Education.

Many are venturing beyond Europe to Africa, Australia, and the Middle East. Britain still hosts the largest number of American students with 23 percent of all those studying abroad. Australia is aggressively recruiting U.S. students, reporting a 42 percent increase in numbers. China and Costa Rica had 30 percent increases.

On the other side of the picture, nearly 500,000 foreign students are on U.S. campuses, representing only a .3 percent rise from a year ago and continuing a six-year trend of slow growth.

For Americans, studying abroad is no longer considered a luxury, but rather as an instrumental part of an undergraduate's experience, believes Institute president Richard Krasno. He speculates students are warming up to the idea of being abroad because they are exposed to other cultures on their American campuses. Many also recognize the eventual importance to their careers of a second language and international exposure.

Reported from Associated Press in the Arizona Daily Star, 12/96

Business as Usual? No More, Thanks to Women

Who's responsible for the biggest changes in the day-in, day-out business of doing business? Is it the "wizards" who dreamed up junk bonds, leveraged buyouts, poison pills? Is it the CEOs who measure their worth by the number of people they've fired? Or is it the women who gently or not so gently reminded their employers that business takes place in a larger context that includes families and communities?

Make no mistake; there's been a revolution in the way we work, set in motion by the entry of millions of women into the workforce in the past 20 years. Sure the revolution was helped by technology like the fax and personal computer, but the real heroes were working women who figured out how to use that technology to help them balance their commitments to work, family, community, and themselves.

Think back 20 years. The biggest, most far-reaching change has been in expectations. Today, qualified women expect to get a fair shot at the most sought-after jobs. Boards of Directors and CEOs expect to take the heat if they fail to make the most of all the talent on their payroll. Girls expect that, when they grow up, they'll go off to work just like their moms. Twenty years ago, a female executive was a novelty. Today, you report to her.

An editorial in "Working Woman," 11-12/96

Resources: Meetings & Books

"Stresses and Strengths in the Academy, Mapping Fault Lines," 81st Annual Conference, National Association in Education (NAWE), February 26-28, 1997, at Crowne Plaza, in San Francisco. Conference fees for members are $365, for nonmembers, $465, for students and retirees $240 (after 1/17/97). Workshops & tours are extra. For more information, call (202) 659-9330 or E-Mail at nawe@clark.net

"Five-state Multicultural Conference," co-sponsored for 6th year by Kansas State University Extension Service, at Garden City, KS, March 20-21, 1997, to benefit professionals who work in multicultural settings in public and private settings. For more information, contact Carol Young at (316) 275-9164 or E-Mail at cyoung@oznet.ksu.edu

"Pedagogy of the Oppressed"sponsored by the University of Nebraska at Omaha, on April 17-19, 1997; the registration fee is $139. For more information, call Rita Shaughnessy at (402) 595-2350 or E-Mail to pedagogy@unomaha.edu

"Cross-Cultural Business Negotiations," by Donald W. Hendon, Rebecca Angeles Hendon, and Paul Herbig, $59.95, Quorum Books, (203) 226-3571

"Cultural Diversity Fieldbook, Fresh Visions & Breakthrough Strategies for Revitalizing the Workplace," edited by Dr. George Simons, Dr. Bob Abramms, and Ann Hopkins with Diane Johnson, $29, from HR Press, 1-800-444-7139

Quote of the Month: Manuel J. Justiz

"Hispanic students often face an inhospitable, isolating campus environment that interferes with academic achievement and personal development. Creating a genuinely supportive climate requires the institution's commitment to academic support services that fill in skills, mentoring programs that provide positive role models, a curriculum that reflects the contributions of Hispanic culture to American life, and policies that foster a critical mass of Hispanic students.

"Another necessary ingredient is a faculty recruitment and hiring policy that will increase the numbers of Hispanic teachers and administrators on campus, providing positive role models, mentors, and advocates for Hispanic students."

Manuel J. Justiz is Dean of the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin

Vision: To affect positive change in the CALS community by valuing differences and building respect.

The University of Arizona is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation in its programs and activities.

Content Questions/Comments: Billye Foster (billye@cals.arizona.edu) or Steven Crofts (scrofts@cals.arizona.edu)
Last Updated: 05/16/2005