Profile: Dr. Rufus Isaacs

Sometimes following opportunity means moving halfway around the world. Dr. Rufus Isaacs, a research associate in the Department of Entomology, grew up in an isolated, small fishing village in Cornwall, in the southwest of England. "It's one of the most beautiful areas in England," he says.

Now, he works on post-doctoral research with Dr. David Byrne at the University of Arizona on a U.S. Department of Agriculture sponsored grant studying the flight behavior of Arizona's sweet potato whiteflies. On any given day, he may be collecting sample s in a baking hot field near Yuma or in an air-conditioned laboratory in Tucson.

"I seem to have adapted to the change from Cornwall," Rufus says. "I prefer sunny weather anyway."

The researchers are trying to discover the factors that promote whitefly migration from one crop to another-from cotton to fall vegetables, or vice versa. All out of proportion to its size, the tiny whitefly caused about $200 million damage to California vegetables in one year alone. Crop damage in Arizona is equally severe.

"Our goal is always to reduce infestations," Rufus says. "Once we know more about whitefly biology, we hope to use more sophisticated methods to manage infestations instead of depending exclusively on pesticides."

His interest in biology began when he went to Humphry Davy school, a science-based high school. He earned his doctorate at the Imperial College of the University of London. His research has always been related to agriculture in some way. For example, he took part in a work/study program at the Ministry of Agriculture in London that dealt with a fly infesting daffodil flowers.

Early in his career, Rufus realized that the opportunities for entomological research were greater in the United States than in England. He had heard of the UA Center for Insect Science, but positions with the Center were unavailable. In March 1994, he m et Dave Byrne, and four months later was offered his current job.

"I hope to stay in the U.S.," he states. "I really like Tucson. There are so many people working on various aspects of entomology. Besides, I enjoy the mountains-we don't have them in Cornwall."

Is It Really Discrimination?

The reality is that women are often paid less for doing the same jobs as men do, both in the academic and corporate world. The argument concerns whether the earnings differentials are caused by legitimate differences in education, training, experience and job characteristics.

A report by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences confirms research showing one-fourth to one-half of the differences in pay could not be explained except by discrimination. A study by Peter Hammerschmidt, in the Management Institute of Eckerd College in Florida, found that female managers were paid about $11,000 less than male managers even when the women had identical levels of experience, skill, job titles, education, and age.

Another common worry concerning inequalities in hiring practices says that unqualified individuals are being hired and promoted for the sake of diversity or affirmative action. According to a report from the American Council on Higher Education, "It is important to cut through the rhetoric and look at the facts."

"Only affirmative action plans that do not compromise valid job or educational qualifications are lawful...No doubt there are instances where poor management practices may have resulted in the hiring of unqualified people...However, they do not indict affirmative action itself as a tool for achieving equality of opportunity for all."

1995 Report from the American Council on Higher Education

No Negative Impact from Affirmative Action Reported

When asked about their personal experiences, an overwhelming majority of people surveyed by USA Today said they had never personally experienced anything negative from affirmative action policies.


Is Awareness Enough?

Simply being aware that diversity among people exists is hardly enough, says Harris Sussman, of the Diversity University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

"Awareness is not measured on any scale. It's not converted into action. Nobody is responsible for any change in functioning after awareness training. There are no consequences, results, or outcomes. It sounds like a perfect con game."

"Awareness" is a slippery phenomenon. Is diversity awareness training trying to help people become aware that life takes many forms? Or does it mean altering someone's world view or values? Sussman says, "I don't hear anyone explain or describe what they meant by diversity awareness, but I sure heard a lot of people saying that they want to bring it about or increase it."

In People Magazine, Jonathan Kozol said, "I used to think the problem was that people just didn't realize how poor people live in this country. Now I know that they do know and still don't do anything about it."

In other words, being aware of diversity is a beginning, but that's all it is.

Harris Sussman, Diversity University, 57 Henry St., Cambridge, MA 02139, in Managing Diversity, 3/96

Alternatives for Handling Conflict

The following six options give alternative ways to handle conflict in a diverse environment. None will work all the time, but each can be useful in various circumstances. Your skill comes in using each of the strategies appropriately.

  1. Approach another person, one-on-one directly to resolve differences. This method intends to keep conflicts at their lowest, least volatile point. Before approaching someone to solve differences, be very clear about what you want-and equally clear about what you're willing to concede or do to get what you want.
  2. Initiate an issue in a team environment and negotiate it on the spot. You need to be or have a skilled facilitator, particularly when different cross-cultural norms are part of the dynamics. Pacific Rim and Latin American cultures are strongly opposed to open, personal conflict. While team members may feel the conflict, that doesn't necessarily mean they are all willing to deal with it openly.
  3. Avoid criticizing the person. Have ground rules that depersonalize the issue and focus on behaviors. Be specific about changes you want and be open to seeing different points of view. Without flexibility, you cannot resolve conflicts.
  4. Use a cultural interpreter to help those from different cultures to understand each other better and come together less painfully. An interpreter can also give feedback, quietly, one-on-one to team members.
  5. Use a third-party mediator who will get the parties in conflict to talk to one another. Often a mediator will listen separately to each person's perception of the problem and then feed that information back to check for accuracy. Each person in the conflict then shares reactions to the data.
  6. Persons in conflict need to know specific behaviors each wants/needs from the other and what each is willing to do differently to eliminate the conflict.
  7. Mediation won't always fix personal conflicts, but a good mediator can at least give feedback to appropriate parties, and give some coaching. Perhaps when the conflicted people are willing and able, they will grow into managing their conflicts on their own.
  8. Call in an arbitrator whose eventual suggestions are binding. Make sure the arbitrator has credibility with all parties. Both sides must feel as if they won (best case) or at least haven't lost ground. Otherwise, the solution will be subtly sabotages. Feelings of "I will get even" can wreak havoc.
  9. Deny or suppress the conflict. These "solutions" offer only short-term benefit as a way to integrate a new reality. However, in the long-term, denial and suppression are unattractive choices.

Lee Gardenswartz and Anita Rowe, 12658 W. Washington Blvd, Ste. 105, Los Angeles, CA 90066; (310) 823-2466, diversity consultants/trainers.

College Statistics

Enrollment: Doubling their total college enrollment, Asian-Americans have experienced the largest increase in the past decade.

Retention: The most recent six-year college completion data show a slight increase in rates for Native Americans, African Americans and Hispanic students. However, they continue to be less likely to complete college than are Asian Americans and white stu dents.

  • Retention statistics show 64% of Asian Americans complete college, compared to 58% of white students, 44% Hispanic, 36% African American, and 34% of Native American students.

Degrees: Despite lower retention rates, students of color increased the number of degrees they received in the years between the late-1980s and early-1990s.

  • Undergraduate degree awards increased 19% for African Americans, 24% for Native Americans, 87% for Hispanics and nearly 150% for Asian Americans.
  • However, the same statistics show only 6% of all bachelor's degrees are awarded to African Americans, 4% to Hispanics, and .5% to Native Americans.
  • In 1993, 45% of all doctorates to U.S. citizens were awarded to women.
  • Between 1988 and 1993, doctorates awarded to African Americans increased by 28%. Statistics regarding the relative numbers of doctorate degrees awarded to minorities are similar to those for bachelor's degrees.

Fall 1995 report from the American Council on Higher Education

Federal Sexual Harassment Still Increasing

The problem of sexual harassment in the federal workplace still persists despite greater awareness and increased sensitivity. The U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board came to this conclusion in its third study of the issue, "Sexual Harassment in the Federal Workplace: Trends, Progress, Continuing Challenges.

"Sexual harassment makes victims of everyone because it costs taxpayers so much in lost time, work disruption and legal battles," the study stated.

Since 1987, the incidence of unwanted sexual attention has gone up 2% for women (from 42% to 44%) and 5% for men (from 14% to 19%). Only 6% of those surveyed took formal action, usually because people did not think it was serious enough or because other actions brought a satisfactory solution.

Inaction following harassment was not caused by a lack of knowledge. More than three-fourths of the employees surveyed said they knew the channels to follow if they wished to complain. All federal agencies have policies prohibiting sexual harassment, and 92% of federal employees are aware of those policies.

"BNAC Communicator," a subsidiary of The Bureau of National Affairs, 9439 Key West Ave., Rockville, MD 20850-3396

Resources

A four-part "Diversity Series" video from Quality Media Resources reinforce the key values of respect for dignity and feelings and the valuing of differences, according to David C. Wigglesworth, president of D.C.W. Research Associates International.

"On the Threshold of Change" explores the idea that sameness in an organization may lead to mediocrity. Adaptive organizations have better chances at succeeding with the changing workforce and in the changing marketplace.

"Gender and Sexual Orientation in the Workplace" discusses seeing things differently. The video reviews blatant and subtle sexual harassment. It confronts the issues and fears of working with individuals with different sexual orientations.

"Race, Ethnicity, Language and Religion-Workplace Issues" reviews legal factors but suggests an organization needs to look beyond litigation.

"Age and Physical Ability-Workplace Issues" looks at getting past age conflict, focusing on real abilities.

For preview and pricing information, contact Excellence in Training at 1-800-747-6569.

Review in "Managing Diversity" 4/96

Getting Teams to Work

Teams are "in" now in many U.S. organizations. Obviously, some are more successful than others; however, high-performing teams are characterized by certain qualities, according to Thomas McWhinnie, Katharine Esty and Hy Resnick in their regular column on workplace issues.

  1. Everyone on the team knows and is committed to the team goals-usually because they were involved in setting those goals.
  2. A climate of trust and openness prevails, allowing team members to take risks and be creative.
  3. Members share a sense of belonging to and support from the team. Also, senior management supports the team.
  4. Diversity is valued as an asset, not a problem. Team members recognize that differing problem-solving styles, cultures, genders and ideas (rather than groupthink) is important.
  5. High-performance teams have the ability to self-correct. They work hard to prevent problems from becoming worse.
  6. Members make use of and learn from one another's skills and know-how.
  7. Whether the team leader is designated by management or rotates among members, the leader is a major force, keeping the team on track and operating at high performance.

McWhinnie, Esty and Resnick can be reached in care of the Seattle Post Intelligencer, 101 Elliott Ave. W., Seattle, WA 98119

Quote of the Month

"In corporate hiring and promotion procedures, there's a strong but unconscious tendency to favor comfort over competence. We all tend to like and trust people who are like us. The more people resemble us, the more we feel we can predict what they'll do.
"The fact is, diversity in the workplace gives a business an edge. If 10 people look at a problem, and they all think the same, that's like giving the problem to one person. Give it to 10 different people, and the reward is 10 different perspectives."

Dianne LaMountain, Diversity Consultant, Richmond, VA

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