Placement Office to Help Women with Job Market

Barbara Rice

Cavalier Daily

Cavalier Daily

1974-09-25

Cavalier Daily

Placement Office to Help Women with Job Market
By BARBARA RICE
The Career Planning and Placement Office has a special program of reaching out to the University’s women and minority students, because these two groups have “historically” passed up job opportunities, according to Assistant Director Michele Wilson.
The placement office provides students with career information, helping them with career choices and future placement.
Mrs. Wilson said “Currently there is pressure for companies to hire more women and minorities to make up for equal opportunity that has not been granted in the past.”
“We must inform students of these opportunities,” she added.
“I personally want to make sure all persons have a choice. I’m not sure that I’m comfortable with what may be the new norm that all women must have professional careers,” she continued.
“I think it would be terrible if all women went into careers right now. It would be accepting something just as blindly as our parents accepted all women should be housewives.”
Mrs. Wilson said that the office tries to aid women in coping with a male-oriented field. She added that a common frustration is “I don’t want to be hired just because I am a woman, I want to be hired because I am competent for the job.”
The Career Office, which practices the same services for all the students does not practice “reverse discrimination,” she added.
Mrs. Wilson and student counselor Regenia Ross have been working on a project to provide information for minorities and women concerning “special” opportunities, scholarships, and financial aid.
Mrs. Wilson added, “In response to student requests, the office tries to be sympathetic to the students’ needs through an outreach program,” including newsletters and seminars. A seminar is being planned by Humphries Resident Advisor Pam Connelly and Mrs. Wilson for October at which housewives and professional women will join a panel discussion on women, careers and families.
The Virginia Law Women, headed by third-year law student Christine Swent will hold a seminar Friday on “Legal Careers in Public Service.”
Six prominent women lawyers, including one legislative assistant, a deputy attorney general, and a Federal Trade Commission Bureau Chief, will discuss women in law on Friday at 3:30 pm, Rm. 110, New Law Building.