RUS Petition Urges Affirmative Action To Tenure Women

Reacting to the History Department's recent termination of the contract of Mary Nolan, assistant professor of History, the Radcliffe Union of Students (RUS) last night endorsed a petition "demanding that the University live up to its professed commitment to affirmative action" in tenuring women faculty.

The 25 RUS representatives also unanimously endorsed another petition, circulated by Aloutte G. Kluge '81, urging reconsideration of the Nolan decision.

The presence of only 12 tenured women in the Faculty "forces one to consider that there may be some element of sex discrimination in tenure decisions," Alison Dundes '81, president of RUS, said yesterday. The absence of tenured women in the History Department, when women hold 20 per cent of the PhDs in history is "peculiar," she added.

RUS also advocated more candor in tenure reviews, which Dundes said are "cloaked in mystery and misinformation."

RUS plans to form a committee to investigate tenure of women at Harvard and other universities.