[FRIAM] "higher" education

[Steve Smith]

On 5/29/20 5:23 PM, Frank Wimberly wrote:
> Steve, I am sure that my brother-in-law, who got his MD at Harvard
> after his undergraduate study there would enjoy talking to your
> daughter and would treat her as a full equal.  I've never seen him
> acting superior to a colleague based on what school they went to. 
> Same for my wife.

I know... I don't mean on a pairwise one-on-one situation (much), but
more about when grant proposals are being developed and submitted and
collaborations with peers are developed and how she overhears
discussions among them at conferences that are not personally
dismissive, but might have some implication that (in this case) they
would prefer to only work with "top notch" scientists which might be a
code-word for something like "not from a State School", or similar.

I think we have *all* been in situations where someone abruptly turns to
us in freewheeling conversation and says "present company excluded, of
course!" when they realize that what they were implying might seem to
apply to us.   I have plenty of friends who forget I am a member of one
class or another that they are dismissing or impugning in some way, and
may or may not catch themselves.  

I'd say these things are much more "structural" than personal... and as
she matures (she just turned 40 and had her first/only child) I think
this will bother her less. And, the old white men (my generation) who
still treat her a little less than equal (though always respectful and
often (albeit condescendingly) specifically helpful) will retire or
die... and that will open up a few more opportunities for her and she
might feel less (mildly) marginalized by the "good ole this-n-that
networks" that seem to (structurally) inhibit her.  

- Steve