Browsing the admissions
Web site, one can ob
serve statistics support
ing diversity of students
at Hopkins in terms of gender, origin and ethnicity. With a student body that is 56 percent male and 44 percent female, and a mix of students from all 50 states and 52 countries, to the eager applicant or sheltered student Hopkins may seem like a rosy mix of diverse people.
Enter a classroom or lecture hall, however, and you will quickly notice an unequal ratio of male to female professors. Of the 14 classes I have taken at Hopkins, female professors have taught two. For the mathematically challenged, that's about a 14 percent ratio of female to male professors.
In addition, it does not seem that much is being done to rectify the awareness of this issue. While a multitude of information and statistics is readily accessible online and in brochures regarding the diversity of students, no statistics appear in university documents regarding diversity of professors.
Student diversity is generally supported on campuses across the nation as an important aspect of university community as a result of a desire for cultural sharing, an understanding of differing opinions that can best be explained by people of differing ethnicity and origin, and preparation for our increasingly global world.
These reasons are not exclusive to diversity of students; moreover, in an environment where students look to professors as intellectual leaders and role models, diversity should be equally sought after and esteemed. Therefore, for the same reasons that universities strive to maintain a diverse student body, diversity in professors should also be important.
"The situation is quite hypocritical, because the professors play a major role in representing what Hopkins is all about, and this school is one of the more diverse ones," sophomore Serna Zhou said. "Professors influence our thoughts on a daily basis, but they are all within a narrow range of backgrounds, so it's difficult to promote all this diversity with that in mind"
In addition, for undergraduate females who are aspiring intellectuals, the proportionally low number of female professors suggests a discouraging message about the number of females in the profession leading some to believe that it is an uphill battle to pursue this position as a female.
In a nation that has made such great strides since the beginning of 20th century for a woman in terms of suffrage, the workforce and overall gender equality, the disproportionate gender distribution of professors at Hopkins is unrepresentative of what I understand to be the University's goals in both educating its young intellectuals of both genders and providing a diverse environment in which to do this.
Students agree that gender diversity as represented by professors is important. Zhou, who is studying behavioral biology said, "Most of the classes I've taken are pre-med or science courses so I don't think it really matters which gender teaches those, since many of the science courses are neutral," Serna said. "But for humanities courses where the subjects taught become more open to different interpretations/opinions, then gender definitely makes a difference.
"Obviously only the most qualified should get teaching positions here, but I feel that some people might learn better with female teachers, who tend to have different teaching styles," sophomore Margaret Paek said.
While some students have begun to recognize the shortcomings of the University in terms of its support of diversity, many have yet to notice this critical problem that is impinging the creation of a truly collegiate, diverse community.
If you are really concerned about diversity at Hopkins, take a second to reflect on how many female professors you have had instructing your classes. If you are bothered by this low number -- which you should be -- then do yourself and the rest of the community a favor and be an activist. While I'm not demanding that you stage a protest, it is important to voice your opinion on the subject in an effort to raise awareness and take a step in the direction of amending the problem.
