Forum examines gender diversity

Alaina Whittaker
News Stringer

Faculty and staff are invited to the Gender Diversity in the Workplace seminar from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Friday in the Conference Center of the Morris University Center.

Bill Spenla, vice president of human resources for the DuPont Co., will be the guest speaker. The event is sponsored by the Gender Communication Task Force.

Spenla has been with DuPont for 19 years, and his human resources career spans more than 26 years. Spenla's focus is on the diagnosis and design of organizational interventions to explore race, gender and all issues of cultural differences.

The Gender Communication Task Force includes Curt Lox of kinesiology, Laura Perkins of speech communication, manager of training at the Office of Human Resources Pat Rzewnicki, Assistant Provost for Cultural and Social Diversity Rudy Wilson, Assistant to the Provost Liz Tarpey of the Office of Cultural and Social Diversity, and Pug Edmonds of economics. The task force's mission is to envision, develop and promote awareness of positive gender interactions.

Last October the task force went to Scottsdale, Ariz., for gender training, where Spenla spoke.

"Now we have invited a hundred people to share what we learned from him," Wilson said.

He added that there are women entering the workforce in a variety of jobs that they normally would not have had 25 years ago.

"We thought that we need to have a procedure or a process or strategy that would help the university community begin to be aware of the gender kind of issues that occur in the workplace," Wilson said.

According to Tarpey, the SIUE department of human resources surveys the faculty once a year. The survey results showed a need for improved communication between men and women on staff.

The next seminar, Leadership Challenges for Men and Women, sponsored by the Student Leadership Development Program and the Gender Communication Task Force, will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14, in the Faculty Club in the Morris University Center. The seminar is open to all students, staff and faculty.

For more information on the Gender Communication Task Force and upcoming events, visit the Web site at admin.siue.edu/gender....