Introduction to wood contsruction was my first class of the semester. 9:05 this morning in Riley Robb. The professor is a white-haired man, solidly built. He mentions serving in vietnam within the first 15 minutes. He's been teaching the class for over 20 years, since it was a class called construction for agriculture and kids built chicken coops and sheep feeders for their final projects.

We go through the syllabus for most of the period. I'm only half listening because on the board, at the very right hand side, he's written something about two optional adirondack weekend retreats for the class. Let me reproduce as closely as possible what he had on the board:

"Adirondack Weekends:

Guys - leave September 17th about 5:00pm return Sunday
All - September 24th - 26th

One day to work and one day to play: Canoe, Kayak, Hike, etc."

While he's explaining the layout of the course I'm thinking about the "Guys" written on the board. I can't even fathom that he would actually be offering a guys-only weekend retreat. It just can't be, there must be some reasonable explanation.

At the end of class he mentions the weekend retreats. He says he has a cabin in the Adirondacks and that he'd like to get together as many people as can make it for the retreats. Part work: maybe framing a house or doing some repair work, part play and enjoying the fall colors. "The first weekend for guys, cause there's another group of guys up there. Next weekend for everyone, and my wife'll be coming and cooking so that'll be a good one."

I can't beleive what I'm hearing. This professor is actually offering a guys-only weekend retreat to a co-ed class. Could anything be more blatently illegal?? I want to raise my hand, "Ahem, guys only?!" But I don't. I don't know why. Usually I'm not shy about things like that, but I know it's not a good idea in my state: heart racing and pomegranite in my throat I'm so angry. I'm not feeling very rational and whatever excuse of an answer he could come up with I wouldn't deal with well, and I don't want to get off on a bad foot with this man because I really want to take this class.

I walk out of class and this guy Cooper introduces himself to me. He's the first to hear my rant. I don't think I left such a good first impression. Then Dana, a Natural Resources collegue hears it next. Now you. I'm not going to stop until this issue is satisfactorly resolved. Maybe a walk down to the Ombudspersons office would do me good. I mean, THIS IS SERIOUS!

This is so serious I can't believe I'm actually having to deal with it. Right now I'm reading "We'll Call You If We Need You: Experiences of Women Working Construction" by Susan Eisenberg. Great book, but she's writing about women coming up against sexism in trade union jobs in the 1970's and early 1980's. It seems passe to be fervent about a cause like this now because we're past it, right?

I'm off to lunch (pity my lunch date!) I'm sure I'll be writing more about this later.