Crimson Owes Women More Credit

Congratulations appear to be in order for the Harvard Law School, for the generous $13 million gift of Rita and Gustave Hauser. Certainly, they deserve the University's gratitude.

So we found it curious that in Nan Zheng's front page report on the donation ("Couple Donates Record $13M To Law School," news story, Oct. 7, 1994), Mrs. Hauser's professional should be relegated to the third-to-the-last paragraph, printed on page seven. It seems, to say the least, disrespectful to the benefactress and, by extension, disrespectful to the future professional women of Harvard University.

Doesn't it seem ironic that we are told the gift has a "special dimension" for the Hausers, in that they met as Law School students, and yet The Crimson has chosen to minimize Mrs. Hauser's contribution to that gift?

By printing Mr. Hauser's profession in the second paragraph and reserving Mrs. Hauser's to the last page, the article implies that her portion of the donation is secondary at best, when clearly she is not only a successful professional woman but a concerned and active member of the Harvard community.

As graduate students, we find this implication particularly unsettling. Will we cease to be recognized as professionals by The Crimson when we are alumnae, as well? Shall we be acknowledged by the professions of our "husbands" rather than by our own contributions to the community?

We believe The Crimson owes Rita Hauser, and us, a little more credit than that. --Tracy N. Poe   Beatrice Chiplatt   Nancy Puccinelli   Graduate School of Arts and Sciences