Forget study groups and peer tutoring. Freshmen female math and science majors can just go next door to meet other women with the same interests.
The Department of Residence Life started a new program this year to bring together the freshman women who are math and science majors by giving them their own hall on the second floor of Campion. The floor, which currently has 30 residents, offers unique opportunities to women interested in these fields.
Math and science are two fields that are highly male- dominated and have been for decades. Studies have shown that women on the educational track in these fields are not given the necessary mentoring for careers, do not receive the same number of grants and are slighted of other important opportunities that males of the same disciplines receive regularly, according to Timothy Snyder, dean of the college of Arts and Sciences.
Now, less than a month after the start of the academic year, the program is already showing a highly positive response. Both the women and the professors are excited about the project and are in the process of planning group activities such as guest speakers or museum trips that relate to the fields of math and science.
Snyder said he is “amazed to see their vigor, energy, and excitement and bundles of ideas concerning the program.” They are hoping to use resources both from within and outside of the university, such as role model speakers and tutoring help.
The women themselves are already finding that the hall is a great resource. They are all able to help one another out, study together for big tests, and speak about ideas with each other.
Julia Macina ’09, a resident of the floor, believes the program is achieving its goal.
“We all have a common goal, and we all understand the amount of work that has to be done,” she said. “We are able to help each other out and become each other’s resources.”
Jessica Vigliotti ’09 shares similar feelings, citing how much she loves living on the floor and that knowing the other girls in her classes is a benefit because they are able to stick together and ask each other questions.
Fairfield is not sure whether the program will be continuted in upcoming years, and in fact, they had not considered it until the girls themselves brought it up, said Snyder.
According to Snyer, the hall’s residents have expressed interest in continuing to live together because even in these few weeks it has been a positive experience for them.
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