This response is written to address Ms. Weissenberger's letter to the Editor "A Different View" but also to address the entire women's studies department.

I am wholeheartedly challenging the validity of both the women's studies major and women's studies department. After reading your letter, I still have two problems with the University's offering women's studies as a major.

First of all, as a tuition payer at this University, I feel as though I have a right to criticize any department that I feel is wasting my money. Secondly, I feel a degree holder in women's studies will eventually run into a dead end.

Ms. Weissenberger, your list of jobs attainable with a women's studies degree is rather weak. It looks as though the majority of jobs you've listed are ones involving influencing peoples perceptions concerning women. This implies to me that the University is breeding a special interest group. Your only skill, Ms. Weissenberger would be to achieve equality among gender.

If this is what you firmly believe, then why is there a women's studies department? Correct me if I am wrong, but I presume there is not a separate men's studies department. Your argument was that the "mainstream" courses at Penn State gloss over women's contributions to history. Can you possibly fathom the idea that throughout history, women, compared to men, didn't make too many significant achievements? Perhaps this is why women are being so-called "glossed by." Equality cannot be achieved through segregation. Also, if gender equality is achieved, then won't you and almost everyone else who holds a degree in women's studies be out of a job?

I feel the University should dissolve the women's studies department and also the women's studies major. If the University really cared about subjecting students to women's perspectives, why not mandate students to take courses in women's studies before they graduate? This would allow everyone to be enlightened by women's perspectives.