POLITICS: Virginia Tech Blasted Over Sex-Segregated Classes for Saudis

VA Tech is drawing major complaints from professors over their male/female segregated classes. The gender-segregated classes were set up for visiting faculty from Saudi Arabia. The university created classes for the 30 male and 30 female visiting faculty members. The complaint was officially filed by an associate professor of marketing named Eloise Coupey.



Eloise Coupey argued that "The presence of these segregated classes on campus indicates to me that the university doesn't place a strong enough value on women's rights." I'd further that with the fact that these visiting professors are coming to our country and therefore may want to adapt to our culture, which has worked hard to become one that no longer tolerates segregation of any form.

I'm sure that this has everything to do with the $246,000 that King Abdulaziz University paid to VA Tech to help build the faculty development program.

It seems like this would fall under the seperation of church and state thingy.

This is for religious purposes (I assume)?

Well I'm not usually one to critize someone's culture, but this time I think the Saudi's need to grow up and stop acting like 7 year olds. I no longer give an F about their culture, they need to start acting like civilized human beings and start granting equal rights.

I don't care if they're loaded with oil, or if thats how it's been for a long time. It's time they just grow up. And they wonder why the common stereotype is that the middle east is full of barbarians.

This sounds like it's illegal on many grounds...I thought segregation was done away with in America long ago!

Wait a minute - the Saudi University contracted for the program to be developed for people they wanted to be taught. They paid for it, they set the guidelines.

I really don't see what all the fuss is under those circumstances.

The fuss is that it's being done here in America, not there in Saudi Arabia. Doesn't matter who' s paying for it. They want it that way so bad, let them teach their classes in their country.

We don't need to let them export their culture here and we shouldn't allow it.

Multi-ethnicity -

Multi-culturalism -

It sounds like a private program they funded, for their candidates for their program, developed to their criteria. I am sure the US University is getting some financial benefit from this and that in turn would not be discriminatory. If I am wrong, I stand corrected, but otherwise, I really don't see the big deal. As long as they are funding it who cares? Honestly?

I really think someone is making a mountain out of a molehill here.

Exactly seperate classes for males and females isnt exactly unheard of here in america especially in private programs. The Saudi's hired the college to train students in a program completely seperate from general admission students. If anything is an issue here its not that people are being discriminated aginst its that a publicly funded university is being hired out by a private interest. If there is no law prohibiting that then this is a nonissue.

I can see the justification for this practice by the fact that Saudis are funding the operation. But does any of that money go towards the proffesors salary? If not, then I think the proffesors are right to complain. If they are taking in money from the Saudis then it makes no sense for them to compalin.

But by the looks of it it says they paid nearly a quarter of a mill to design and operate the place, which gives and indication that the salaries are paid by Saudis. If so, shame on these proffesors.

I think the whole sex sergregation thing is wrong. They want to learn in a western country then they are gonna have to respect our customs. The saudis are so anal about people respecting their customs that America and the rest of the Western world should expect the same.

So what if they are funding the operation? They want it so bad, they can deal with mixed sex classes. We shouldn't be letting their backward/medieval thinking on womens/human rights manifest itself at our great instituations of learning.

Centurion
I agree with you 100% re: multi-ethnicity/multi-culturalism.

They should return the money, and show the segregationists the door.

In America, we like women-folk, and we enjoy their company. This is kindgergarten nonsense, cooties and whatnot.

The money shouldn't have been taken in the first place, if they knew this is what it would be used for.

Originally posted by boogyman
Exactly seperate classes for males and females isnt exactly unheard of here in america especially in private programs.

This is true, but in those cases the schools already have an accepted "gender segregation" program. The profs arguments at VA Tech is that the new programs for the visiting Saudi's specifically go against the schools anti-segregation codes. The only reason that it's being enforced is because this Saudi King is paying nicely for it.

I've always believed that Muslim men are simply insecure about their manhood.

Originally posted by enslaved83
I think the whole sex sergregation thing is wrong. They want to learn in a western country then they are gonna have to respect our customs. The saudis are so anal about people respecting their customs that America and the rest of the Western world should expect the same.

So what if they are funding the operation? They want it so bad, they can deal with mixed sex classes. We shouldn't be letting their backward/medieval thinking on womens/human rights manifest itself at our great instituations of learning.

Which brings up a separate issue all together. How would our society react to a gender-segregated MUSLIM college?

the point is that this is the decision of virginia tech, if they signed a contract to seperate these classes then that is their decision. I goto a Baptist school where if you legally consume alcohol as a student you can be expelled. Though it is a private school it still should be subject to the individual provisions of fundamental business and statutory rights.

The Saudis paid for this program and VT let them make this guideline, one professor cries foul and the whole thing must stop? Why is she mad? Something seems fishy. Maybe she was looked over for a promotion or something. I am not for segregation but if they paid for the program they should decide the curriculum and who can be taught. Heck though i was in public school they seperated the Sex ed classes, which begs why? This is the problem with America, we hate segregation when it suits us. Yet, all of these people saying that we need to progress never seem to notice the two churches of the same religion near each other but one is for the blacks and the others white.

I'm sorry, but this is a state funded university..not private.

I disagree with segregating classrooms on any level, especially for religious reasons such as with the Saudis.

Why is it that we continue to mold American behavior around the needs of societies that would kill you for breaking their societal norms in their own countries???

I personally am fed up with it....

Another gleaming example of why I cant stand the muslim culture. So if I'm right, if we go to saudi arabia, our women must cover their faces and not wear anything christian whatsoever. Not even a cross on a necklass, but when they come HERE, we still have to observe their archaic, sexist practices, right? Theres a reason these people are hated world wide, this is but one of them.

God, I wish I was king for one week.....just one week....

Originally posted by CAConrad0825
the point is that this is the decision of virginia tech, if they signed a contract to seperate these classes then that is their decision.

...which is apprenatly a wrong one.

I goto a Baptist school where if you legally consume alcohol as a student you can be expelled.

This is screwed up. But it's not about segregation.

The Saudis paid for this program and VT let them make this guideline, one professor cries foul and the whole thing must stop? Why is she mad? Something seems fishy. Maybe she was looked over for a promotion or something. I am not for segregation but if they paid for the program they should decide the curriculum and who can be taught.

You know, they might want to stone somebody to death if the person fails the class, should we do this for them since they are paying for the curriculum? This is absurd.

I think somebody in the school made a really poor judgement call. We don't want any of this BS here in the States. Let the Saudis do elsewhere. Better yes, we need alternative fuel, such as corn-based alcohol for our cars, so we stop subsidising the Saudi shenanigans.

Originally posted by enslaved83
The saudis are so anal about people respecting their customs that America and the rest of the Western world should expect the same.

Just read this thread and tell me honestly that we aren't anal about respecting our customs. Not to mention it's debatable whether our "standards" are customs in the first place. Who is really forcing their beliefs on who here? This curriculum is funded by and for them. This is too funny!

This is so blown out of proportion I can't believe it!

Folks, it can take time to get another culture to accept new ways. Beliefs can be deep rooted. We need not force another culture to bend, but we can make suggestions, like "You know in the US it's ok for a woman to..."

There is this really sweet Japanese girl I work with. Some people at work went out to lunch and they asked her where she wanted to go. And she replied something like, "the girl isn't supposed to make the decision." And the guys let her know it is different in the US. It's just different, and we need to understand that. And I would say that if she stays in the US, some of the cultural ways may give way to a more American lifestyle, not to belittle the Japanese culture.

Just so happens I work for Virginia Tech.

Troy

[edit on 13-8-2005 by cybertroy]