The Week in Brief

O'Connor relates ascent to the bench at Tea

JULIA TIERNAN/YH Sandra Day O'Connor took questions at a Silliman Master's Tea on Tues., Oct. 20.

"You don't have a clue how things have changed," Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to sit on the United States Supreme Court, told the women in the audience packed into a Silliman Master's Tea on Tues., Oct. 20.

With that proclamation, O'Connor traced her career in politics and law, detailing how she had encountered sexism at every turn. She recounted how she found herself interviewing for legal secretary positions--after graduating third from the top in her class at Stanford Law School. "I was naïve--I had not assumed [being a woman] would be a problem," O'Connor said.

After involving herself in the public sector as a lawyer, O'Connor got her break when she was appointed assistant attorney general in Arizona. Soon it was on to the state senate, where O'Connor rose to the position of majority leader and worked to weed out state laws that discriminated against women. She got the call to Washington in 1981 after stints in the Arizona trial courts and the state's Court of Appeals.

"Her history was really remarkable--it's amazing to see how she moved through the ranks," Jordan Golinkoff, SM '01, said.

After recounting her life story, O'Connor fielded questions from the audience on issues ranging from affirmative action to the prospect of a woman bring elected president. Most notably, she criticized Congress for "acting like a state legislature" by trying to push federal hate crimes legislation in the wake of the murder of Matthew Shepard, a Wyoming student who was murdered because of his sexual orientation.

--David Altschuler

Former Bolivian president outlines reforms

On Thurs., Oct. 22, Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada, the former president of Bolivia, delivered a speech entitled, "Plan de Todos (A Plan for Everyone): Economic, Social and Political Reform in Bolivia," at Luce Hall. Sanchez de Lozada's speech was the fourth Downey Fellowship Address.

The "Plan de Todos" was Sanchez de Lozada's major aim during his presidency. "The people expected a plan, not vague promises," he explained. "Bolivia could not survive if it did not change radically." Sanchez de Lozada was the president of Bolivia from 1993 to 1997.

Most notably, Sanchez de Lozada encouraged individual democratic participation by "push[ing] the government down to the people" and giving local authorities more power. "I wanted a strong central government, but even stronger local governments," Sanchez de Lozada said.

--Abbi Phillips

Med School excited about new sex drug

The study, which appeared in the October issue of the Journal of Reproductive Medicine, involved 20 post-menopausal women in their late forties and early fifties who expressed dissatisfaction with their long-term estrogen treatments.

Sarrel and his colleagues concluded that androgen plays a pivotal role in sexual function but that estrogens are not a significant factor in determining levels of sexual drive and enjoyment. From the positive results of this research, androgen treatment may
eventually replace the estrogen supplements taken by at least nine million American women today.

--Kris Siriratsivawong

Tiananmen leader speaks at Law School

Wang Dan, a student leader of the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy uprising in China, gave a speech entitled, "Human Rights Activism in China: An Eyewitness Account," at a crowded Law School auditorium on Wed., Oct. 21.

When the Tiananmen Square demonstration began on June 4, 1989, Wang was an undergraduate at Beijing University. His active role in the protest led to his arrest after the demonstration. Wang's founding of the Democracy Saloon, a group of students interested in furthering democracy and human rights in China, put him at the top of the Chinese government's list of most-wanted student leaders in 1993.

Exiled from China, Wang came to the U.S. in April and enrolled as a history major at Harvard University. He continues to promote the cause of human rights in China by meeting with dissident groups, writing letters, and speaking on Radio Asia.

Emily Sun, GRD '99, appreciated Wang's responses to a variety of student questions. "I was impressed by how flexible Wang Dan was as a respondent to the questions," Sun said. "He's an incredible individual of sacrifice and commitment."

Wang said that while he is optimistic about the future of democracy in China, he also maintains a realistic outlook. "The main goal of the Tiananmen generation is to bring a new face to China, but this will take a long time," he said.

--E. Tammy Kim

Quinnipiac College to add new buildings

"We have 13 graduate level programs, including journalism, nursing, education, and physician's assisting," Morgan said. "Usually the name college implies a complete focus on undergraduate education." He also stressed that the change in name will alter neither its mission as a school nor its low student-to-faculty ratio.

The school will construct a new library and other buildings thanks to a multi-million-dollar private donation. "It will be a state-of-the-art high-tech library that will be finished in fall of 2000," Morgan said.

--Marissa Leung

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