Disappointed Doesn’t ‘Cover’ It
I was sorely disappointed when I saw that the cover of the 40 Under 40 issue only featured men — all men in STEM and “manly” fields, to be exact. As I’m sure your staff knows, positive representation of women in STEM is crucial. Not only are female engineers, scientists, mathematicians and programmers often pandered to — women in STEM are harassed, assaulted, paid less and undervalued every day on the job.
Do better.
As an institution that is supposed to be at the forefront of technology and engineering education, this misstep needs correcting. You send a message to your female alumni, especially your female STEM alumni, that they don’t matter.
Do better.
According to U.S. News and World Report, only 30 percent of your engineering students are women.
Do better.
I was an English major and a theatre minor. I’ve even taught as an adjunct at Drexel. Engineer/programmer/architect or not, this egregious oversight does not make me feel very proud to be a Dragon at the moment.
Do better.
Rachel Semigran
BA English ’10
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
I enjoy the magazine, but I’m pretty disappointed by the most recent issue. Drexel boasts a diverse community, but this isn’t represented on the cover. The number one person listed in the magazine is a woman! Why didn’t she make the cover? Number eight is a woman of color who got her PhD from Harvard; why isn’t she on the cover?
I am by no means undermining the success of Oat Foundry. Their business is very interesting and it’s wonderful that they are hard working and successful. Having said that, there are many men and women in the issue who are successful and intelligent, any of whom could belong on the cover. I would really like to see a more diverse representation of my alma mater, one that feels more like the Drexel University I saw in the DAC on graduation day.
Thank you for your time and I hope this letter does not come across as spiteful. On the contrary, I hope it will inspire Drexel Magazine to do better in the future.
Emily Glassman
BA sociology ’16
MS candidate, public policy
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
I’m writing today to express my sincere, deep disappointment at the most recent issue of Drexel Magazine.
I look forward to the 40 Under 40 issue, but this year it was hard to get past the cover. With a student and faculty body as diverse as ours it’s hard to believe that this was the winning idea. You should feature more women and people of color, not only on the cover but between the pages, as well.
I love Drexel. I’ve studied there, worked there, and met all of my closest friends and husband there. I’m proud to be a Dragon. I just hope in the future the 40 Under 40 will better reflect me and all of my classmates.
Danielle (Kindt) Tinder
BS psychology ’08
MS project management ’16
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
This, On the Other Hand…
I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the Drexel 125th anniversary edition.
Normally, I just peruse those issues, looking mostly for chemical engineering ’51 in “Friends We Miss.”
This time, I enjoyed every word! I was one of the rambunctious vets enrolled after World War II, with limited patience for bossy profs, but now I am very proud to be a Drexel grad with what my school has become.
We watched trolleys in the streets nearby, the El overhead, and the Pennsy nearby. Now you have a huge campus still following A.J. Drexel’s community goals.
I had a good career, ending in management with DuPont, and am still alive, driving, living by myself at 84 and happy.
Congratulations on your 125 years. I was there for half of it.
Bob Stanton
BS chemical engineering ’51
Pilesgrove, New Jersey
I finally had the chance to review in detail the magnificent 125th anniversary edition.
You and your team are to be commended for pulling together so many fascinating and illuminating items from the archives and in turn bringing us to the present and sharing future plans. One of your challenges, which you met with flying blue and gold colors, was to help bring us graduates from disparate disciplines and schools together.
By us, I mean, in my case — I am a graduate of Hahnemann Medical College and enjoying being part of the new Drexel College of Medicine as well as Drexel University.
Alfred M. Sadler Jr.
MD ’66
Carmel, California
I’m a bit behind in my reading material, but I finally picked up the 125th anniversary edition. Usually I just skim through to see if anything interests me, look at the Class Notes and the obituaries (unfortunately), and then add it to my recycling box. That wasn’t the case with this edition.
I found myself going page by page, reading the facts, enjoying some of your tongue-in-cheek humor. It was well done. I think every incoming freshman should receive a copy. I wish I had some of this knowledge going in as a freshman.
This has generated unimportant but curious questions of mine which still exist from 1970–74; such as do the frats still take over the Main Building in their designated areas between the lunch break? Is there still a break between morning and afternoon classes?
Plus, it was very educational. Being a food and nutrition student, I was informed that it doesn’t exist anymore. When I read Drexel has a culinary/food science department and also a major in public health, it spiked a renewed interest in the University that had died long ago.
This magazine must have cost you hours/weeks of hard work. I congratulate you.
Cynthia Flah Mazza
BS nutrition ’74
Spring, Texas
Editor’s note: Thank you, Cynthia. To answer your questions, the common hour doesn’t exist anymore and frats don’t take over Main Building for lunches — I haven’t been able to pinpoint when those traditions ended, but I can say that these days there are too many good restaurants, lunch trucks and other meeting spaces on campus to keep people lingering in Main Building for long.
About this edition’s cover
On Nov. 19, 2016, an Atlas V 541 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA’s newest weather satellite, the GOES-16, into orbit. Image courtesy of United Launch Alliance.
