Archive: Tue Oct 2008

  1. Midwives speak on birthing

    8 Comments

    Between midterms and picking the perfect Halloween costume, choosing a birth delivery method is probably the last thing on most Yale women’s minds. But according to four midwives who spoke at the Yale Women’s Center Monday night, it is never too early to start planning.

    As part of Women’s Health Week, the Center hosted four specialists in midwifery for a panel discussion on the merits of alternative birth methods, which panelists said can empower women by offering more natural, lower-cost deliveries and a more personalized experience than clinical obstetricians currently offer. The four featured midwives — Christina Fleming C.M., Elise Resch C.M., Rebekah Wheeler and Christy Wilson R.N. — spoke to a gathering of 15 students, including two men, and reflected on their reasons for entering the profession.

    [ydn-legacy-photo-inline id=”11800″ ]

    “When I actually shadowed an obstetrician, it was clear that she approached a woman in labor as a woman who was sick and in an emergency,” Wheeler said. “These women aren’t sick; they might have complications, but certified midwives are trained to handle almost all of these problems. Every other developed country has midwives delivering babies, and obstetricians are essentially only surgeons.”

    Fleming said she entered the profession because she views midwifery as a statement on a woman’s values. Obstetricians view birth as a high-risk situation, she said, and strive to avoid all potential harm to mother and child.

    On the other hand, Fleming explained, midwives emphasize birth as a natural process of life. Under midwifery, she pointed out, mothers are not thought of as patients, but rather as autonomous women taking ownership over their own lives and the lives of their children.

    Midwifery presents mothers with a range of birthing choices. Fleming said a few mothers prefer an “unassisted home birth,” where the only people present at the birth of the child are the mother and father. Most others seek some degree of experienced help, ranging from unschooled but practiced community midwives to certified professional or nurse midwives.

    All four panelists emphasized that thinking about issues of women’s health and autonomy before getting pregnant is the best way for women to approach birth. In the moment, they said, obstetricians essentially dictate the terms of a woman’s birth — using the mother’s concern for the child’s health to justify any action that guarantees an expedited and painless birth.

    “ ‘For the safety of your baby’ are the only words needed to convince parents to undergo unnecessary procedures,” Resch said.

    Even mothers who witness their daughters giving birth can influence the birth process, Wilson explained, by insisting on medications for their daughter during the painful process of childbirth.

    “Way before childbirth, women must consider the politics of women’s health care,” Resch added.

    But Resch said midwifery faces challenges, the biggest of which is the malpractice suit; a huge portion of a midwife’s salary pays for malpractice insurance, she said. And states all have different regulations governing the profession, Fleming added.

    Another problem is reimbursement. Resch said despite the fact that a midwife delivery leads to an average of four fewer hospital days and a less costly delivery overall, insurance companies are less willing to reimburse seemingly non-medical services.

  2. Maltby: Forced diversity a disservice

    4 Comments

    I burst into laughter when I sat down at dinner last Monday and, for once, it wasn’t just because I’d caught sight of the table tents. Rather, I was enjoying the absurdity of the idea that Helen Keller had been appointed dean of Yale College in a move to demonstrate the University’s commitment to women and to the deaf-blind, as the News wrote in its annual joke issue. At the heart of this humor, of course, lay the fact that the University’s obsession with promoting diversity in its administrative structure has become a campus joke. And it’s a typical example of the ways in which affirmative action is most detrimental to the very groups that it is most supposed to support.

    I’m not normally one to laugh at jokes about the disadvantaged. I’m too squeamish and too melancholic, often plagued by the thought that there really may be dead babies lying in dumpsters all over the world. Inspired by the family of the highly-strung Linda, heroine of “The Pursuit of Love,” my family would regularly tease me as an adolescent by taking a small match out a matchbox, leaving it on a table on its own, and chanting,

    “A little, houseless match, it has no roof, no thatch,

    It lies alone, it makes no moan, that little, houseless match.”

    It’s still capable of leaving me with my hands over my ears to drown out the sounds, shaking my head and thinking, as child-Kate so often did, of the “all the real people in the world who are homeless.”

    I’ve never laughed at a Helen Keller joke before in my life — and I’ve heard plenty. So even if I am reduced to tears of mirth, rather than tears of woe, I’ve clearly been more jaded by the idea of diversity in the administration that once seemed possible.

    It’s not difficult to find the inspiration for this cynicism. Speaking to the News in late September, members of the search committee looking at the appointment of a new College dean gave six criteria on which to evaluate candidates. The first three were scholarship, student friendliness and managerial experience. So far, so good. But then came race, gender and academic discipline.

    Now, as a feminist, I’m well aware that there are serious difficulties for women who want to be taken seriously in the academic world. And I don’t underestimate the difficulties faced by ethnic minorities either. I see, for example, that the presence of senior black administrators in the University sends a message of opportunity to black students and ensures that diverse experiences are represented in policymaking. I recognize, too, that academics from different disciplines may unconsciously prioritize those elements of academic life most necessary for their own fields.

    But an overemphasis on diversity leaves all concerned with an unhealthy misconception that diversity has become the chief factor in this decision. In an editorial statement on Sept. 30, the News itself added to this obsession with diversity, complaining that “Yale College still lacks a top female administrator of color. We’re falling behind peer institutions.” Only four days before, an anonymous commenter on the News’ Web site complained about the possible appointment of Calhoun Master Jonathan Holloway: “He’s being considered yet again for a post because he’s a token Black man at Yale.” Given Master Holloway’s campuswide reputation as an accomplished scholar and popular master, this sniping from the sidelines is self-evidently untrue. Yet it’s not hard to see that the two lines of thought are entirely symbiotic. The more the public discourse focuses on the need to appoint minority candidates, the less recognition those candidates are going to get on their own merits.

    The Helen Keller joke came three days after I learned the final choice had settled on my own college’s master, Mary Miller. I still chortled merrily with my friends at the jokes, like this one, inspired by the University’s desire to appoint a woman — and yet, more than many, I am well aware that Master Miller fully deserves her appointment, regardless of gender. She has been a fantastic college master, sympathetic yet sharp, dedicated to academia yet sensitive to her students’ wider lives. Saybrook will miss her. And Yale College will benefit from her appointment.

    Nonetheless, I’ve already heard friends of mine — none of whom have interacted with her — mutter that she must have received the job to “fill the gender quota.” None of these people are flaming misogynists. In fact, I’m fairly sure they would have been neutral had they not been subjected to the administration’s constant reminders of the preeminence of diversity concerns. At times it almost seems the University wants to create a paint-by-numbers senior administration that exactly reflects the ethnic and sexual make-up of the student body. “Do they have a quota of left-handers?” one of my friends asked.

    The University’s vocal support for affirmative action in administrative promotion does a disservice to women, minorities and the institution.

    Kate Maltby is a junior in Saybrook College.

  3. CEO Lazarus stresses branding

    Leave a Comment

    Chances are, most Elis have bought a product marketed by Shelly Lazarus. Coca-Cola is pretty hard to miss.

    Berkeley College Master Marvin Chun hosted Lazarus, the chief executive officer of marketing agency Ogilvy and Mather (and a Yale mom), on Monday afternoon, drawing over two dozen people to the master’s house for a discussion of brands and the future of advertising. Lazarus, who has occupied a place on Fortune Magazine’s list of the 50 Most Powerful Women in American Business since the list’s inception in 1998, heads the high-profile international advertising and marketing firm based in New York City. Credited with building brands like American Express, Ford and Barbie, Ogilvy is one of the most prolific advertising firms with nearly 500 offices spread across 125 countries.

    In the rapidly evolving landscape of advertising and brand management, the role of e-commerce agencies has become increasingly pivotal. Much like Shelly Lazarus’ influence on traditional brand building, contemporary success stories often involve the expertise of agencies such as bing digital. As businesses navigate the dynamic world of online commerce, Bing Digital emerges as a key player, leveraging innovative strategies to propel brands into the digital sphere. With a global footprint akin to Ogilvy, they operates seamlessly across diverse markets, bringing a wealth of experience to the forefront. 

    [ydn-legacy-photo-inline id=”11799″ ]

    “Brands are now everywhere,” Lazarus explained to a crowd of students and adults. “Nothing compresses data better and faster than a brand. When you see one you think, you remember, you smell, you hear … it brings a history of ideas.”

    Lazarus pointed to the drug store cold medicine aisle as an example of how brands are more than just marketing tools; they can also help consumers.

    “There are so many choices today,” she said. “You need brands to sort and edit.”

    Lazarus found the advertising business purely by accident. A political science and psychology double major in college, Lazarus said she had no plans to enter marketing until a friend invited her to accompany her to a daylong seminar on the subject in New York City. Fascinated by the strategies presented, she applied to Columbia’s MBA program, won acceptance and graduated as one of only four women in her class.

    “The advertising world is a wonderful place for women,” said Lazarus. “I think one of the reasons why women have been so enormously successful in this world is because ideas are such items of currency that no one can care which gender they came from.”

    She spoke at length about the marketing technique of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama’s campaign. The magazine Advertising Age honored the Obama campaign as its Marketer of the Year in this week’s print issue, taken from a vote among hundreds of marketers, agency heads and marketing-services vendors at the Association of National Advertisers’ annual conference this month. Lazarus said the campaign’s use of Internet ads and viral marketing has been crucial to the success of the Democratic nominee.

    When asked how the country’s current financial crisis would affect the world of marketing, specifically at Ogilvy, the CEO was optimistic.

    “Smart, strong companies will advertise through bad times,” Lazarus said. “Some of the companies will even increase their spending, because they do tend to come out with a better market share.”

    Matt Levinson ’10, a friend of Lazarus’s son, Ben Lazarus ’10, said he found the CEO’s descriptions of different advertising strategies “fascinating.”

    “I’ve met her a few times,” he said. “She’s always funny and engaging.”

    Olivia Wheeler ’10 shared similar sentiments.

    “I thought it was really interesting,” she said. “I don’t know if it’s because she’s in advertising that she knows how to seem candid, but she I thought she was really honest about the business.”

    It is a business that has taken Lazarus from New York to London to the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where Lazarus said the idea of the brand is on the rise. Early in the tea, Lazarus recounted a conversation she once had in that hall with the Chinese minister of commerce.

    “He said, ‘We are finished with the dogma; if we want brands, we will have them,’ ” said Lazarus. With a smile, she added, “ ‘And you, dear lady, will teach us how.’ ” Lazarus could not stress enough the importance of branding. “I have not seen a society yet that is not somewhat brand-sensitive,” she said.

  4. Convention unlikely for Conn.

    6 Comments

    For the first time in 20 years, a state constitutional convention may be on the docket. But if money is any indicator, the vote to hold it will likely fail.

    The current state constitution, adopted in 1965, places the option of holding a constitutional convention before voters once every 20 years. Yet, the seemingly simple question — “Shall there be a constitutional convention to amend or revise the constitution of the state?” — has proven divisive.

    Several state and national groups have rallied in opposition to the convention out of fear that special interests and radicals will control its agenda. Supporters said they would like the convention to amend the constitution to allow for voter-driven ballot initiatives on all sorts of issues, but opponents are worried about giving the final say to what they say is an easily influenced public.

    The Constitution Convention Campaign, an umbrella organization of groups supporting the ballot measure, is leading the charge to rectify the ineffectiveness of the legislature, Vice Chairman John Woodcock III, a former Democratic state lawmaker from South Windsor, said. Woodcock said he would like to see the system reformed to allow for citizen-driven ballot initiatives.

    “In our state 95 percent of incumbents win re-election, over one-third of races are uncontested and lobbyist influence has grown to $42 million annually,” he said in a telephone interview Monday. “The legislature is too entrenched and is dominated by special interests.”

    But opponents to the convention cite several concerns as reasons to vote against the measure.

    “Convention delegates can propose anything, without limits,” said Peggy Shorey, Campaign Manager of CT Vote NO!, the leading opposition against the ballot measure. “Voters have no say in what is proposed at the convention,” she added. “[Delegates] will do what’s in their best interest, not the public interest.”

    The CT Vote NO! coalition, whose members include the American Civil Liberties Union, AFL-CIO and Planned Parenthood, has combined lobbying groups, unions and organizations into a formidable opposition force. The group has out-raised those in the “Yes” camp by about 83 to 1, according to an analysis by The Hartford Courant.

    “When you are being out-spent 83 to 1, reality sets in,” Woodcock said. “This whole campaign is about spreading our message to voters — we have only raised $12,000 and the other side has millions of dollars to use to blanket TV with ads. It will be an uphill battle for us.”

    Woodcock criticized the Vote NO! campaign for resorting to what he called “scare tactics,” exemplified in their attempt to characterize all convention supporters as anti-gay marriage and anti-choice in abortion issues, as he put it.

    “I am a Democrat, a progressive one at that, and I have a record to prove it,” he said. “But I think we, as citizens, should have the ability to change our laws without going through the broken legislature. This convention is issue-neutral and can be used to tackle issues such as a three-strikes law, eminent domain reform and a tax overhaul.”

    State figures have taken sides on the issue as well: Gov. M. Jodi Rell has spoken out in support of the ballot initiative, while Attorney General Richard Blumenthal LAW ’73 has been outspoken in opposition to it.

    Blumenthal told The New York Times earlier this month that criticism of the legislature should not be the only reason to call a constitutional convention since those same legislators appoint delegates.

    Woodcock countered that when the current constitution was adopted in the 1960s, then-delegates were subject to voter approval in a special election.

    “I think that precedent should be followed if the ballot measure passes,” he said.

    The Family Institute of Connecticut, an anti-gay marriage group that is one of the major proponents of the convention, has said that voter referenda will allow citizens to overturn the recent state Supreme Court ruling to legalize gay marriage.

    “If we get a ‘yes’ vote, that’s just step one,” Peter Wolfgang, the executive director of the Family Institute of Connecticut, told The Courant after the decision was announced. “This is our best avenue.” (Wolfgang could not be reached for comment Monday.)

    In light of the fundraising discrepancies, supporters of the constitutional convention measure are not optimistic about their chances Nov. 4.

    In 1986, the only other time since the 1960s that the constitutional convention question was on the ballot, it failed in part due to the opposition of Planned Parenthood and the ACLU, among other organizations.

  5. Guide diversity trivial for tours

    3 Comments

    When high school students tour Yale, a strong connection with the tour guide — who is seen as the face of the University — can make all the difference in distinguishing Yale from the multitudes of colleges they visit.

    At issue, however, is whether that tour guide’s ethnicity influences prospective applicants’ perceptions of the University.

    [ydn-legacy-photo-inline id=”11798″ ]

    Two years of efforts by the Yale University Tour Guide program to diversify its ranks, in response to concerns that tour guides have been disproportionately Caucasian, have met with some success, said Liz Kinsley ’05, the admissions office’s director of outreach and recruitment. At the same time, tour guides and prospective applicants alike have questioned whether a more ethnically diverse group of tour guides actually matters to those on the tours.

    “The 16 new guides certainly bring a wider range of backgrounds than we’ve seen in past years,” said Kinsley, though she did not provide any data as evidence.

    In 2007, a new question asking for the applicant’s “background” was added to the tour guide application, and the Yale Visitor’s Center made an effort to recruit tour guides through e-mails to the cultural houses and to freshmen.

    About half a dozen current students and prospective applicants questioned in interviews how much importance should be placed on tour guide diversity. Similar academic or extracurricular interests were more interesting to them in a tour guide than cultural background, they said.

    “So long as they’re effective, it doesn’t matter,” said one prospective applicant from Dallas, Texas, during an admissions tour on Thursday morning. “But I was glad [the tour guide] is in economics.”

    As a prospective economics major, she said, this was a major plus for Yale. Princeton University, however, might still be her first choice.

    Three potential applicants pointed out that the background of the tour guide is not necessarily the best indicator of a school’s diversity.

    “When you come on these college tours, you know you’re only going to see one or two people,” said another prospective student, Caroline Hedberg, who was also on Thursday’s tour. “So you don’t really get the complete picture anyway.”

    Alice Lee, a high school senior from California who took the Yale tour last April and is applying regular decision to Yale this year, said the University’s diverse student body came through regardless of the background of the individual tour guide.

    On Lee’s tour, the tour guide stopped frequently to greet a range of students, Lee said, showcasing the diversity of the school.

    For some tour guides, connections with applicants are forged on factors other than common background.

    “I don’t think it makes any difference what the ethnicity of the tour guide is or if that adds anything to the experience of the potential applicants on the tour,” said tour guide Jasper Wang ’10. “I think that the applicant pool is smart enough to know that this is just one person.”

    Having a range of academic interests, Wang added, trumps diversity in forging a bond.

    But some Yale students say that for some potential applicants, tour guide diversity can be a significant factor.

    “I’m sure Yale would be more relatable to [minority applicants] with someone from a similar background,” said Kevin Beckford ’11, a member of the Black Student Alliance at Yale.

    Still, Beckford noted, cultural background is only one part of the interaction between a tour guide and visitors.

    “The tour guide that I had was from a completely different background from me,” Beckford said. “But he was very friendly, very welcoming, and I was able to relate to him regardless of that.”

    This year’s freshman class is a more economically diverse group than previous classes. In the class of 2012, 12.3 percent of students have qualified for Pell grants, compared to 10.8 percent in the class of 2011 and 9.4 percent in the class of 2010.

    —Vivian Yee contributed reporting.