Women's Conference Teaches Importance of Leadership

In a six-day long conference packed with panels and candid discussions, 34 undergraduate women are learning how to become dynamic leaders on campus and in the workplace.

The 11th annual Women's Leadership Conference, sponsored by the Women's Leadership Project, started last Friday and will conclude this Wednesday.

Organized by Co-Chairs Colleen T. Gaard '99 and Catherine D. Rucker '99, the event features dawn to dusk activities of panels and discussions.

Key speakers at the conference include former U.S. Representative Susan Molinari (R-N.Y.), former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Sylvia Matthews and Republican candidate for Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Jane Swift.

Radcliffe College President Linda S. Wilson addressed the conference yesterday afternoon, sharing different styles of leadership she has encountered during her career.

Wilson also commented that she sees the conference participants change over the course of the event each year.

"What strikes me the most is that transformation that takes place in the group. Some people apply diffidently, and they gain passion and confidence [during the conference]," Wilson said.

The conference also features a series of panels on such topics as media, government and business. All of the panels center around challenges women may face in the workplace, including the struggle to balance work and family as well as sexism.

Fannie Flono, an associate editor at The Charlotte Observer, recounted the challenges she faced with the proverbial glass ceiling.

"[I can] see why struggle is still necessary and why it is still important to fight and claw your way to the top," Flono said.

Even after Flono became a political editor, she struggled to reach an equal footing with her male peers when she joined the editorial page.

"I was still confronted with a glass ceiling. We were being discriminated against. There was no reason we shouldn't have been associate editors. This is discrimination, can't you see? When you confront these things, you can change them."

The concerns of gender discrimination, however, were not just isolated to members of the panel.

"I have not found a glass ceiling personally, but I do believe that they exist in different parts of the University and different student groups," said Sarah C. Melvoin '00, a member of the six women conference executive board.

Melvoin also elaborated on her concerns about gender equality in the structure of Harvard.

"The existence of Radcliffe makes it easier for Harvard to not deal with [women's issues] than if it did not exist. Not to say that Harvard hasn't made great strides forward, but things aren't entirely equal," she said.

However, participants of the conference emphasized that they can focus on gaining leadership skills instead of focusing on gender discrimination.

"[We're] trying to not give people a reason to discriminate, but allow these women to stand up on their merits and represent a group that has not been highly represented," said Ming Hsu '00, the 1999 conference co-chair.

Undergraduate Council President Beth A. Stewart '00 emphasized the conference's focus on workplace concerns for women.

"I expected the conference to be much more a man-bashing party, but the theme has been balancing career and family and how to exploit your womanliness for your advantage," Stewart said.

The conference has gained a reputation for giving undergraduates the opportunity to interact with well-known leaders in a personal setting.

Space in the event is limited, however. Although nearly 100 applicants applied in March, only 35 or so were selected.

"We keep it small because it is an intimate experience. What's special about this is you have your questions answered and you don't have to fight your way to the microphone," Hsu said.

Speakers are attracted to the conference because the small setting gives them the opportunity to talk to student leaders on an individual basis.

"People are giving up their Labor Day weekend and they're not getting paid [for their appearance]. They don't have an opportunity to interact students on a personal level [at other events]. It's fun for them," Hsu said.

Although the conference is tightly scheduled with panels and group discussions throughout the day, there is a scheduled "reflection session" at the end of each day.

"We finally got out issues that we couldn't talk about before because we're mature enough to deal with them," said Suzie Miller '99, who is co-captain of the women's basketball team.

Miller recounted how the discussions in the Lyman Common Room would go way past the scheduled time and how the participants ended up on steps of Widener Library talking until 1 a.m.

"Many people told me this was their best experience at Harvard, and how can you pass that up?" she said.

The Women's Leadership Project also runs the Undergraduate Partnership Program which functions as a mentoring program between upperclass women and female first-years.