Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site decwrl.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-erlang!falcone
From: falcone@erlang.DEC (Joe Falcone, HLO2-3/N03, dtn 225-6059)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: Association for Women in Computing
Message-ID: <4091@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 2-Nov-84 10:54:17 EST
Article-I.D.: decwrl.4091
Posted: Fri Nov  2 10:54:17 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 3-Nov-84 20:44:07 EST
Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP
Organization: DEC Engineering Network
Lines: 56

CC:	 


1. There are various "Special Interest Groups" within and outside of
   various professional organizations (e.g., ACM SIGCAPH [Computers and 
   the Physically Handicapped] - produces their newsletter in print and
   cassette editions).  These groups provide a real service as a forum
   for people talk about solutions to age-old problems of discrimination
   and integration, which don't go away just because the government says
   they have (a la "There is no hunger in America" - HA!)

   I think it would be great for the ACM to have a SIG for women and 
   minorities in computing - perhaps we should all write our ACM reps.


"...as long as men are at the control of most professional organisations..."
- watmath!saquigley

2. I'm only speaking for the Computing field as the IEEE does have a REAL
   problem wrt women, but the ACM does have many women in leadership
   posts including:
   
   President, Adele Goldberg
   Member-at-large, Evelyn A. Swan
   Editor TOPLAS, Susan L. Graham
   Editor TOCS, Anita K. Jones
   Editor CR/GTCL, Jean E. Sammet
   as well as 2 or 3 of the regional reps and at least one member on
   every significant committee in the ACM

   So I would dispute the claim that women have no influence in
   computer professional organizations.  As President of ACM,
   Adele Goldberg has an opportunity to use the ACM's publications
   to influence industry attitudes toward women (and other minorities)
   in the high tech workplace, where IEEE and other surveys have
   indicated that there is tough going.


RE: Computer Terminals and your Health

   As an occasional user of a Xerox Star workstation, I can attest
   to the numerous problems it has caused me and other people in our
   facility (dizzy spells, nausea, headaches, eye strain).  Whoever
   did the human factors on their keyboard and display should have been
   employed by the Spanish inquisition - it is equally bad for men and
   women.  Although there is probably negligible radiation danger, the 
   stress produced by using the Star is probably not good for a pregnant
   woman.  To combat these problems, we took the extraordinary measure
   of installing a special lighting system just for the Star area.



Joe Falcone
Eastern Research Laboratory		decwrl!
Digital Equipment Corporation		decvax!deccra!jrf
Hudson, Massachusetts			tardis!