LOCAL/STATE
The Michign Daily - Friday, March 14, 1997 - 5
Keynote
addresse
in busine
By Alice Robinson
Daily Staff Reporter
As 65 female executives listene
sympathetically, businesswomen
advocate Sheila Wellington describe
one female executive's response to
survey question on how she balance
work and home life.
"Accept (that) there's no real bat
ance," the woman wrote. "Accep
he choices you've made."
Wellington,'
president of the
business - WVhe
women's
research organi- Start 11
zation Catalyst,
gave the keynote these p
speech yester-
day at the wom e .
School of
usiness and ?
Administration's
H a l e.
Auditorium as Second-yea
part of the
school's fifth
annual Women's
Forum.
Wellington presented various sta
tistics Catalyst has compiled during
the last few years about the state o
omen in American corporations:
Noting that the glass ceiling woine
face in the business world has far fror
vanished, Wellington said there are
only 11 women who are "inside direc
tors" at Fortune 500 companies, whil,
men make up more than 1,200 of th,
remaining top executives.
"Our research documents tha
gender determines career experi
speaker
s women
Hotel employees
accused of assault
ss school
ences for women," Wellington said.
Despite the lack of women execu-
d tives in high-level positions,
's Wellington said the reasons are more
d subtle than obvious. "Let me be
a clear," the Wellesley graduate said.
es "Catalyst found that most, but not all,
obstacles to women's advancement
J- are not intentional."
t She said that more often, the
obstacles, impeding
e do you
eeting
rofessional
tdo guid
women "result
from unexam-
ined concep-
tions about
womens'
career inter-
ests."
Throughout
the day yes-
t e r d a y,
women execu-
tives con-
verged at the
Business
School for a
closed-door
seminar.
Wellington's
speech, which
- Female employee of a
local Hampton Inn
alleges sexual assault
By Ajit K. Thavarajah
Daily Staff Reporter
A female worker at a local Hampton
Inn alleged that two male co-workers
sexually assaulted her last week.
Ann Arbor Police Department Sgt.
Larry Jerue said yesterday the victim
had not yet pressed charges.
"At this time the victim has not
decided whether or not to ask to press
charges on the two suspects," Jerue
said. "Hopefully, she will make a deci-
sion soon."
The alleged attack occurred between
3:30 and 5 a.m. on March 7, at the inn,
which is located in the 900 block of
Victors Way, according to AAPD
reports.
The victim said she was drinking
with several co-workers and acquain-
tances at a party in the inn that night.
After the party she went to a fourth-
floor room in the inn. She said two male
co-workers from the party shortly
joined her in the room, AAPD reports
stated.
The victim said she continued drink-
ing with the men until she passed out
when she was allegedly raped, accord-
ing to AAPD reports.
When the victim awoke she was part-
ly undressed, and one of the male sus-
pects was allegedly having sex with her,
AAPD reports stated. Jerue said the
victim did not know if she was assault-
ed by both men.
"The other suspect's whereabouts
were unknown, but it is possible he was
in the room as well," Jerue said. "We
have to determine if charges are going
to be pressed. If it was first degree
criminal sexual conduct, the maximum
penalty is life imprisonment:'
Joyce Wright, prevention and edit-
..cation coordinator for the Sexual
Assault Prevention and Awareness
Center, said victims usually do not
report acquaintance rapes because
they feel uncomfortable with the judi-
cial system.
"Many victims don't want to go
through the legal system," Wright said.
"Victims are also dealing with an
extremely traumatic experience that
they have to live with for the rest of
their lives."
LSA junior Jennifer Monroe said
she takes precautions when drinking
with friends.
"I don't think I can go out anymore
and drink without a girlfriend with me
at all times," Monroe said. "You want to
have fun but at the same time you don't
want to risk being put in a situation like
that."
In 55 percent of campus assaults,
both parties engage in alcohol or
drug use, according to SAPAC sta-
tistics.
Wright said that although alcohol
use is common in acquaintance
rapes, it is not an excuse for the
crime.
"Alcohol puts the victim in a very
vulnerable position where they are in a
sense, powerless" Wright said.
Jerue said there is no time statute
for reporting sexual assault crimes
or pressing charges against the
attackers.
"It's not a crime of passion," J&rue
said. "It can be very degrading to
the victim and difficult for them to
step forward and press charges.
"Just imagine being put in a situa-
tion where your powerless and
someone is taking advantage, of
you," he said. "The thought can real-
ly be sobering."
- Deborah
ar student,
of Public
Kissen
School
Health
was open to the public, drew about
100 people.
Business School Dean Joseph White
said during his introduction of
Wellington that one of the school's
aims is to "become the leading busi-
ness school in attracting and educating
women in business."
'During the question-and-answer ses-
sion, Wellington was asked about
Fortune 500 companies with no
women on their board of directors.
"I just don't understand why
JOHiN KT /a~ijldy
Sheila Wellington, president of the Business-Women's research organization
Catalyst, spoke to 65 female executives yesterday in the Hale Auditorium.
there are companies that don't get
it, but if they don't, it will change,"
Wellington said.
Wellington ended by emphasizing
solutions that she said would improve
the climate for women in the work-
force. She said assigning important
clients to women and matching new
employees with women mentors would
aid women's success in the future.
School of Public Health second-year
student Deborah Kissen said that
Wellington's point about women men-
tors was significant and wondered
about the difficulty of finding women
to serve in those roles.
"It's definitely very inspiring but
it's also frustrating to start (in the
workforce)," Kissen said.
"Where do you start meeting
these professional women to guide
you?"
i
APA opens
heritage
month
Erika M. Smith
ly Staff Reporter
Hip-hop, gospel and techno are
among the types of music that will be
included in tonight's Generation Asian
Pacific American Show at 8:30 p.m. in
the Power Center.
The event, sponsored by United
Asian Organizations, kicks off Asian
Pacific American Heritage month.
APA programming chair Tricia
gmasbad said she hopes the event
l1 attract a diverse audience.
"(The event) was more of an out-
reach to the greater University com-
munity," said Bagmasbad, an LSA
junior. "It's about having African
Americans, Latino Americans, Native
Americans and also the non-minority
students on campus (come to the
show)."
The 18-act show, performed by more
than 200 students, highlights both tra-
ional and modern ideas in the Asian
community.
LSA junior Irene Yuan said she is
honored to be performing in two differ-
ent groups in the show, including the
only Asian sorority on campus, Alpha
Kappa Delta Psi.
"We're going to show our unity, pre-
cision and creativity through entertain-
ment,' Yuan said.
LSA junior Esther Shin said she is
"d "to see so many people coming
out to support the Asian. Pacific
American Heritage Month Show."
"I think the performances (last
year) were really good and it seemed
like the whole show was put together
really well,' Shin said. "So many
people put a lot of effort into the
show and that makes me want to go
again."
Last year's event was a sell-out and
*gmasbad said tonight's show will be
even better than last year's.
"The show's running on a book sort
of theme and the chapters in the show
are tradition, cross boundaries
(between other Asian groups), power
and vision;' she said. "Each of the acts
fall into those four categories."
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