Building an effective computer science student organization: the Carnegie Mellon women@SCS action plan

ABSTRACT

This paper aims to provide a practical guide for building a student organization and designing activities and events that can encourage and support a community of women in computer science. This guide is based on our experience in building Women@SCS, a community of women in the School of Computer Science (SCS)(2) at Carnegie Mellon University. Rather than provide an abstract "to-do" or "must-do" list, we present a sampling of concrete activities and events in the hope that these might suggest possibilities for a likeminded student organization. However, since we have found it essential to have a core group of activist students at the helm, we provide a "to-do" list of features that we feel are essential for forming, supporting and sustaining creative and effective student leadership.

REFERENCES

• 1: Fisher A. and Margolis J. "Women in Computer Sciences: Closing the Gender Gap in Higher Education." ⟨http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~gendergap/⟩_
• 2: Allan Fisher , Jane Margolis, Unlocking the clubhouse: the Carnegie Mellon experience, ACM SIGCSE Bulletin, v.34 n.2, June 2002 [doi>10.1145/543812.543836]
• 3: Blum, L. "Women in Computer Science: The Carnegie Mellon Experience," to appear in The Innovative University, Daniel P. Resnick and Dana S. Scott, Eds., Carnegie Mellon University Press, Pittsburgh, 2002. ⟨http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~1blum/women_in_computer_ science.pdf⟩ (2.5 mb)
• 4: Blum L. "Transforming the Culture of Computing at Carnegie Mellon," Computing Research News, vol. 13, No. 5, November, 2001, p.2. ⟨http://www.cra.org/CRN/issues/0105.pdf⟩
• 5: Janice Cuny , William Aspray, Recruitment and retention of women graduate students in computer science and engineering: results of a workshop organized by the computing research association, ACM SIGCSE Bulletin, v.34 n.2, June 2002 [doi>10.1145/543812.543852]
• 6: Fox, M. F. "Organizational Environments and Doctoral Degrees Awarded to Women in Science and Engineering Departments," Women's Studies Quarterly, 28 (1 & 2), 47-51, 2000. ⟨⟨http://www.rit.edu/~wsqwww/Contents/current0012.htm⟩
• 7: "Women Compute: Carnegie Mellon's recruiting of females in computer science adds up to change," front page, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Wednesday, April 18, 2001. ⟨http://www.post-gazette.com/regionstate/20010418cmu2.asp⟩
• 8: Blum, L. "Women in Algebraic Geometry Workshop at MSRI," Notices of the American Mathematical Society, September 1993, pp. 960-962
• 9: Gloria Childress Townsend, People who make a difference: mentors and role models, ACM SIGCSE Bulletin, v.34 n.2, June 2002 [doi>10.1145/543812.543831]