Verpasselnde Sprachen ("Missed conversations" (I think))
OR
Reactions to an earlier post.

(Might I point out that I like it when this place promotes interesting conversations. I use this as a sounding board; all the better when it causes others to respond!)

NASATimp: It's fairly shocking to me that the women's center is "worried" about couples getting married. You know, I'd not even thought of it so much as a Blacker thing. It seems to me to be a CCF thing (and there are, or were, lots of CCF people in Blacker). People who are fairly devout Christians tend to get married younger--I'll bet that's consistent no matter what college, field, or level of difficulty. Take Kathy Scott (now Kathy Brantley)--a Flem who got married this summer, but a Christian.

And, taken non-Christians. Sarah and Brian have been living together their entire time here, and Sarah told me way back in freshman year that her primary goal was to have a family and that that was probably more important to her than her career, although she wanted that, too. Is there something wrong with that? It's a personal choice--if the women's center is "worried" about Sarah--well, I would say their worry is misplaced.

Auto response from Flutekw: laundry to washers, call dr. office again, laundry to dryers, call mom again, take sam sandal-shopping, laundry out of dryers, dress dinner, orchestra.

NASATimp: I don't know any engaged or recently-married couples (Blacker, CCF, or otherwise) at Caltech about whom I'd say that they made an objectively poor choice.
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NASATimp: RE: the marriage thing and my theory on it being mostly CCF-ers.

Auto response from Flutekw: shower, working on german, german 3-4.

NASATimp: http://www.its.caltech.edu/~ccf/fishline/archives/

The CCF newsletter has been running (no kidding) a series of interviews with their recently married couples called "CCF Marriage Marathon".
NASATimp: Maybe that might give some insight, if you're still honestly worried.
NASATimp signed off at 3:07:43 PM.
NASATimp signed on at 3:07:46 PM.
Flutekw: Hiya Joe,
I didn't mean to give the impression that I was worried - just that the women's center was concerned (though I confess I was curious). I think there are two reasons for their worry - 1) the women's center staff are at least moderate feminists, and therefore want women to pursue careers in science instead of domestic bliss. After all, there's a large gender gap in scientific fields right now - witness the ratio here - and one of the center's objectives is to encourage women to pursue careers in science to close that gap. 2) They're afraid that the women getting married right off plan to devote themselves entirely to family life instead of working in science. Considering some recent marriages, I think (2) might be a well-founded fear - I certainly don't think Vikki intends to pursue math as a career. However, from the posted interview it sounds like that's not true at all of Grace Fabrycky.

Auto response from NASATimp: Ae101, then band dress rehearsal. Then (you guessed it) more Ae101, followed by reading and frantically writing for history. Oh yeah, and sleep (optional).

Flutekw: I agree with you - I think it's a personal choice, and I don't think there's really anything to worry about, as long as the couples have thoroughly discussed their futures. Not every woman here should consider a career in science (same goes for the men). But in light of the above, I'd say the center probably perceives the recent spate of marriages as a personal failure. Thus they're concerned about what they failed to do to encourage those women, even if their choices weren't at all related to the center.
Hope this makes sense, and thanks very much for your opinions and the site address - I figured it was mainly CCFers getting married, and it really helped elucidate the reasons/justification for those marriages. I hadn't known that Sarah had placed family before career, though... but again, she also wants to pursue engineering. She's not going to abandon what she learned here after marriage and become a hausfrau, and I'd say that's their main concern.
Flutekw: anyway, I'd probably better get back to reading up for tomorrow. take care, and good luck!
NASATimp: Kirsten--the counter to the point about Vikki would be that John doesn't intend to do anything in science either!

Auto response from Flutekw: reading history

NASATimp: Maybe, in fact, that's partly what attracted them to each other, who knows.
NASATimp: But I think your guess about the women's center's motivation is probably right on.
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Note: I actually agreed with Joe. Does that mean hell's frozen over? ;)