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You Gotta Want ItOne Year of Building Up CWRU’s
Women in Computer Science
Stephanie Hippo (@stephhippo)
Why I’m Here
● I just graduated from Case Western Reserve● Spent the last year as part of Hacker
Society’s leadership● Things got kinda bad. They’re less bad now. ● This talk is a lot about me● When you leave, I need this talk to be about
you.
Finding Hacker Society
Freshman BME who was going to revolutionize healthcare and change the world
Until I hated my major and departmentTook a summer internship with MIM Software
Changed my major to Computer ScienceBoyfriend’s friend recommended Hacker Society
Hacker Society Then
Welcomed with open armsNormally one of a few or only woman in the roomWent to talks even when I didn’t understand them
Kept going until I understood them Became a better programmer and student
Helped me make friends in my classes
Flash Forward 3 YearsHacker Society main source of friends.
I only make new girl friends when the guys get new girlfriends.
If you have to date someone who is friends with the club to feel comfortable going to the club,
something is broken.
CultureCommon Excuse:
None of us were trying to keep people out.
We weren’t actively pulling people in, either.
We made a bad assumption that the only hurdle to joining was caring about what we
cared about.
Why This Matters
CS curriculum makes more sense hands-on
Hacker Society is a big gateway for opportunities
Being on the outside isn’t fun. People stay for communities.
Reaching Out
● Reached out to Facebook Group for freshmen● Answered questions about college while
occasionally plugging Hacker Society● Gained their trust and interest● Accidentally became a campus celebrity● Started getting messages
○ Mostly from women
All in my head
"I know you guys have OpenHacks today at 2, but I am not that experienced of a coder, can I still check it out and ask you some questions?"
"I really don't have much/any experience in programming, hacking or what it involves (I'm not exactly sure). I was just wondering what you guys do and if
maybe I could like sit in sometime (like just observe from the back). I repeat ‘I have like no experience’ (the real only computer experience I have is from the
classes I have taken which is not much)"
"Is it ok if I've never really programmed before?"
You can’t change what you don’t measure.
● If losing weight, you would step on a scale, get a FitBit.
● If training for a race, you would time yourself.
● If you’re looking to change your culture, you need to think about what numbers you need to look at.
Role Models:Grace Hopper 2014
Approached by Division of Engineering Leadership and Professional Practice
Asked what CWRU did to support women in Computing
Suggested biggest gathering of women in computing
Role Models:Grace Hopper 2014
Needed to convince women it was worth missing three days of class
Fundraised like crazy; alumni were incredible
Most incredible 3 days. GHC attendees came back inspired and ready to lead.
Talk Adjustments
● Intro Talks○ Git○ Linux/Virtual Machines○ Unix + Dev tools○ :(){ :|:& };:
● Workshops○ Ruby○ GitHub Pages
Community Changes
● Start calling out interruptions, condescension● Social Nights
○ Capture the Flag○ Ice Cream
● Hung out in student lounge, answered questions● Can’t be there 100% of the time. Plenty of stuff
we missed
Social Media
● Encouraged our women to blog ○ Dear Family, I Hack○ Adventures In Game Design○ Ladies Storm Hackathons Medium Collection
● Started posting about what our students were working on
Hacker Society Now
● All majors welcome● Outreach that starts early● OpenHacks - Saturday Workshops● HacSoc - Wednesday night talks
○ Introductory talks that then ramp up● HackCWRU - Spring Hackathon● Link-State - Fall Conference
Hacker Society Now:#TwentyToTexas
● Wanted to send 20 to GHC 15 in Houston● Next group of HacSoc women organized trip
○ I took a backseat, helped navigate bureaucracy● Registered 15 women
○ GHC registrations sold out IN RECORD TIME at the largest number of attendees ever at 12,000
○ Still 6 more than last year● CWRU women selected as GHC Scholars
Not all sunshine and daisies
Numbers higher, but still low
Crude, anonymous tumblr messages
Condescending attitudes
University support still scattered
Not all sunshine and daisies
Long road to go
While rewarding, the work drained me mentally/emotionally/physically
Still need help
Actionable Things You Can Do
Amplify the women you already know.
Be an involved Mentor. Branch out networks.
Sponsor them → GHC, Conferences, Workshops
Actionable Things You Can Do
Dig up your data.
Ask meaningful questions and look at your numbers. Set goals.
Figure out what you’re going to do about the numbers you aren’t happy about.
Actionable Things You Can DoReview hiring policies processes, and filters.
It’s not enough to not deliberately keep people out. You also need to encourage them to come in.
Be specific in exit survey questions to get a better idea of why people are leaving. Then fix them.