About thirty women gathered Tuesday night in the Wren Room of Sanborn House to discuss the role of women in the professional world.
Helen Burnham '96 and Heidi Corderman '96, programming chairs for the Dartmouth Panhellenic Council, organized the event.
Assistant Dean of Students Sylvia Langford, Dr. Donna Discipio, a dermatologist at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Olympic luger Cammy Myler and Jane Morgan, the program manager at the Listening Center, were on hand to answer questions and share their personal career experiences.
Myler, who has competed in three Olympics, said she thought it ironic that she was chosen to speak at a panel on professionalism.
"I'd like to see the Olympics as far removed from professionalism as possible," she said.
"Certainly the Olympics is something you do because you enjoy it and I don't think that is true of all professions today."
Myler said she spends as much time practicing her sport as many people spend on their careers.
Myler said she was glad to point out that women can participate on a serious level in athletics.
Burnham said she thought the discussion "focused on different directions women can take, the choices they face and how they make those decision."
Langford, who has three children, Morgan, who has two children and Discipio, who had her daughter during the second year of her first residency, discussed their experiences balancing a family with a career.
The women offered a positive attitude on juggling family and careers, but said they felt they had compromised their careers at times for the benefit of their husbands.
Langford said she moved here with her husband, Biology Professor George Langford, but said she felt their relationship was a give and take. She added they made compromises to fit both of their careers.
Panhellenic Council President Dani Brune '96 said it was reassuring to hear that these women had changed career directions several times.
"I'm in the process of changing my major, so it was nice to hear that these women had made a lot of changes in their lives before settling into the jobs they hold now," Brune said. "I guess I don't have to have my life mapped out at twenty."
The discussion addressed many issues that women who want to have both careers and family face today.
