David's Letter

An Open Letter from
Department Chair David Allen

So, what's a straight white guy doing as chair of Women Studies?

Funny you should ask—so did NPR, most of the local news papers, FOX news and a host of blogging sites. And it's an excellent question requiring more space than you may want to read. So I'm going to offer a short response and then some links to more lengthy discussions.

But it's still hard to write this without sounding defensive.

If we didn't know before, Margaret Thatcher, Clarence Thomas and others have taught us that bodily configuration is no determinant of politics. But we also know that nationally and here at UW, women are woefully under-represented in academic administration and women of color even more so.

Appointing a man to a position that is an obvious opportunity for a woman to gain administrative experience—and that historically has been held by women—requires some justification.

Why would I want to do this? Primarily it's about the confluence of timing and commitments. I was on sabbatical at the time, and so was rested and re-centered in my life. I have long argued (and attempted to model) that people like me who are unfairly privileged by gender and skin color have the greatest moral imperative and resources to resist that privilege. And I have benefited in many ways from my time in Women Studies. So this seemed an ideal time to give something back to the department.

Inescapably, I'm both a symbolic figurehead (hence the publicity and your question) and a support system. I am not a women studies expert but I have administrative skills to facilitate the experts on our faculty and among our students. That's what I'm trying to do.

Hopefully, my body will also signal that men do have an investment in supporting feminism and that women studies is not only not hostile to men, but welcomes all sorts of people who can contribute to its work. We hope you will join us.

How did this come about?

Here's some brief context about the process that led up to my appointment. Department chairs here almost always have to have the rank of full professor. The historical—and continuing--sexism and racism in academia have limited the available pool. Plus we're a small department and none of our full professors wanted the position. We also are in a tight budgetary environment, so there were no funds to hire someone new from outside the university. The opening was then advertised to the university community.

The criteria were: a full professor with a demonstrated commitment to feminism and women studies and preferably with administrative experience.

I have taught for the department for more than a decade and work with a large number of Women Studies graduate students (including being the only adjunct faculty approved to chair a dissertation committee in Women Studies). Although one never feels it's enough, I've worked to support feminism and anti-racism for years—through activism, scholarship and teaching.

After polling all the faculty, graduate students and undergraduates about whether they thought I should be in the pool of applicants (most did, but by no means all), I submitted my name. A search committee interviewed department members (faculty, staff and students) plus all the applicants and made recommendations to the dean. I have no idea who else applied or was recommended by the search committee, but I was appointed.

A Letter from the Chair
Department of Women Studies
About Women Studies News and Events People Research and Publications Courses Graduate Program Undergraduate Program Alumni Support Women Studies	An Open Letter from Department Chair David Allen So, what's a straight white guy doing as chair of Women Studies? Funny you should ask—so did NPR, most of the local news papers, FOX news and a host of blogging sites. And it's an excellent question requiring more space than you may want to read. So I'm going to offer a short response and then some links to more lengthy discussions. But it's still hard to write this without sounding defensive. If we didn't know before, Margaret Thatcher, Clarence Thomas and others have taught us that bodily configuration is no determinant of politics. But we also know that nationally and here at UW, women are woefully under-represented in academic administration and women of color even more so. Appointing a man to a position that is an obvious opportunity for a woman to gain administrative experience—and that historically has been held by women—requires some justification. Why would I want to do this? Primarily it's about the confluence of timing and commitments. I was on sabbatical at the time, and so was rested and re-centered in my life. I have long argued (and attempted to model) that people like me who are unfairly privileged by gender and skin color have the greatest moral imperative and resources to resist that privilege. And I have benefited in many ways from my time in Women Studies. So this seemed an ideal time to give something back to the department. Inescapably, I'm both a symbolic figurehead (hence the publicity and your question) and a support system. I am not a women studies expert but I have administrative skills to facilitate the experts on our faculty and among our students. That's what I'm trying to do. Hopefully, my body will also signal that men do have an investment in supporting feminism and that women studies is not only not hostile to men, but welcomes all sorts of people who can contribute to its work. We hope you will join us. How did this come about? Here's some brief context about the process that led up to my appointment. Department chairs here almost always have to have the rank of full professor. The historical—and continuing--sexism and racism in academia have limited the available pool. Plus we're a small department and none of our full professors wanted the position. We also are in a tight budgetary environment, so there were no funds to hire someone new from outside the university. The opening was then advertised to the university community. The criteria were: a full professor with a demonstrated commitment to feminism and women studies and preferably with administrative experience. I have taught for the department for more than a decade and work with a large number of Women Studies graduate students (including being the only adjunct faculty approved to chair a dissertation committee in Women Studies). Although one never feels it's enough, I've worked to support feminism and anti-racism for years—through activism, scholarship and teaching. After polling all the faculty, graduate students and undergraduates about whether they thought I should be in the pool of applicants (most did, but by no means all), I submitted my name. A search committee interviewed department members (faculty, staff and students) plus all the applicants and made recommendations to the dean. I have no idea who else applied or was recommended by the search committee, but I was appointed.	Further Reading Here are some articles and essays related to David's appointment: NPR Fox News Seattle PI Inside Higher Education Feministing Hugoboy Gazette Times
Send mail to: womenst@u.washington.edu Last modified: 11/27/2006 9:14 AM