Commission on the Status and Needs of Women at CMU (COSNW) Collection

Prior to the passing of the Equal Rights Amendment on March 22, 1972, President Stever established the Commission on the Status and Needs of Women at Carnegie Mellon University. The Commission was started in order to address the issues of women at the university concerning admission, housing, counseling policies, treatment in the classroom, placement services, as well as the inequities in women's salaries, fringe benefits, and the distribution in the occupational structure of the university.

The Commission intended to relieve discrimination at the university and provide women with equal opportunities to admission, employment, retention, promotion, and salaries. Prior to the establishment of the Commission, these realities did not exist at Carnegie Mellon University.

As a result of the establishment of the Commission on the Status and Needs of Women at CMU, the Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) was established in 1971. The OEO was established as an official university office to continue to address the needs of women and minorities at Carnegie Mellon University. The OEO answers to the national department of Health, Education, and Welfare to provide evidence that the university is working to eliminate sex and racial biases. Without this evidence, the university is at risk of losing federal funds. The office also provides continuous monitoring of affirmative action programs designed to correct discriminatory practices at the university.